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StreetJelly Updates 2020

Posted on March 16, 2020

StreetJelly co-founder, Martina, tackles a number of the questions and comments observed recently in chat and in our Contact-Us messages.

StreetJelly Updates 2020

Over the last months the StreetJelly community has grown and we would like to welcome all new members as well as express our appreciation for those of you who have been with us for many years. No matter whether you are a musician, viewer or both, your presence and support mean the world to us.

The last year brought many changes to the Streaming World. Browsers have stopped supporting Flash. Other technologies like RTC, OBS and external streaming devices changed some of the ways we used to stream or watch a stream. In the old times when Flash was the main way of streaming, the responsibility of a technically well functioning stream was lying on the end of the musician’s computer. As long as a musician had a solid broadcast almost any viewer who downloaded Flash was able to watch the show regardless of the viewer’s computer capabilities. With the newer technologies this scenario changed. The technical requirements on the viewer’s computer are higher now as well. The biggest issue is bandwidth. RTC streams at higher bandwidth than Flash. OBS streams at even much higher bandwidth than RTC. Just to put this into perspective I would like to give you some examples. Most RTC shows are broadcasted between 500 and 700 kbps. The OBS broadcasts depend on the setting the musician chooses. Even at our recommended setting the average broadcast is between 1100 and 1300 kbps. This explains why some viewers can watch RTC shows but have trouble viewing OBS shows. We have a few performers who exceed the recommended broadcast settings. That can lead to the performer losing connection during the show and/or a higher number of viewers not having enough bandwidth to watch the show. Another important thing to know for performers streaming in RTC is the necessity of a steady internet connection. I would like to address this because many times I see comments from musicians saying that they have sufficient bandwidth. RTC, in contrary to Flash (which used a steady stream), is a method which streams in packets. For exactly that reason not only the bandwidth but also the steadiness of the internet connection are very important.

The following troubleshooting tips are for viewers who have trouble watching a broadcast: If you have no video please check that you either selected auto play in your browser toolbar (instructions above the player) or press the play button inside the broadcast window. If you have no sound please check the sound meter inside the broadcast window and the sound setting on your computer. If your broadcast is cutting out please make sure all other windows on your device are closed, especially those which have a lot of video or graphics running like Facebook. This is also a tip for performers who lose connection during their broadcast. All the video or graphics opened will use up your bandwidth. Even other devices on the same internet connection can affect your own device in use. If a family member in your household watches a TV stream or social media videos, your own machine can be affected. If your internet capabilities are great but you still have trouble watching or broadcasting it can be the actual hardware of your computer, for example the CPU might simply not be powerful enough. In a scenario like that all you can really do is apply the same principles as with bandwidth issues and close all other windows.

Since I was talking about troubles watching a broadcast I would like to quickly address the topic of buffering. Buffering is a natural occurrence during the streaming process and not a defect. It should only be viewed as a problem when the buffering leads to frequent interruptions in the broadcast. StreetJelly is proud to offer a streaming quality which far exceeds the broadcast quality of other sites. This leads to slightly higher technical requirements for our users. It is our goal to offer excellent broadcast quality but also accommodate users with lower bandwidth and slower computers. Unfortunately there will be a very small number of people who will not be able to view or broadcast due to a lack of their personal technical capabilities.

Many of you have the 24hr-Replay function available to you. This will allow you to keep a DVR style performance of your show on the StreetJelly homepage for 24 hours. This function resets every 72 hours and needs to be turned on individually for each show. In case you need to restart your show for technical or any other reasons you can reuse the replay function within 3 hours of the original start time. In that case it also needs to be turned on again for the restarted broadcast.

For those of you watching StreetJelly on the phone, we want to let you know that we made no changes on our end. If your screen looks different than it used to or the chat is in a different spot, it is a change made by your phone company.

Some of you might have seen performers using the Jukebox function. This enables a musician to charge for a show. As a viewer you can stop in and catch a free sneak peek. After a short while you will be asked to pay a few tokens to watch the rest of the show. This feature was originally created for venues but we extended this option to some musicians.

It has been a joy over the recent months to watch the StreetJelly community grow. To provide this free streaming service is a labor of love and we are putting our time and hearts into this endeavor every single day. In a time of great division in the world, music is an international language and art form which unites so many of us. We are excited to offer shows of every style and length. Some musicians like to play for 30 minutes and others for hours. Certain shows feature a musician with an instrument and an often intimate connection to the audience. Others performances contain the use of backdrop technology and backtracks or offer shows directly from venues. We welcome and encourage various types of broadcasts and admire many StreetJelly artists for their skills regardless what their performance style is. No matter what your personal preference there will be a show for you. Diversity makes this world and StreetJelly a better place. We provide a free service which enables all of you to drop in on a show and check whether that is something you might like to watch and listen to for a while. If it’s not your cup of tea you can just leave and move on to the next performer.

Stay safe and healthy
Martina

Optimize your Broadcasting and Viewing

Posted on March 5, 2018

Special guest post submitted by StreetJelly co-founder, Martina!

HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR BROADCASTING AND VIEWING EXPERIENCE ON STREETJELLY

StreetJelly offers multiple broadcasting options to accommodate various technical capabilities and preferences. Each broadcasting option is a different technology and requires certain settings on your computer. As addressed in previous blogs, there have been changes in streaming technology during the last year or two. The once widely common and very user friendly Flash-based method is being quickly replaced by WebRTC and OBS. While Flash broadcasts in a fairly continuous stream, WebRTC broadcasts in packets (picture them like chunks) and requires more bandwidth and very steady bandwidth. The overall steadiness is key to a smooth, uninterrupted broadcast. A musician can have overall very good bandwidth (600 to 700 kbps) but still experience broadcasting issues if there are drastic, sudden drops.

Over the course of the last year the overall, use of bandwidth across the internet has increased immensely. Many people are using more bandwidth than ever due to cultural changes like watching TV and movies streamed over the internet. The usage of other surrounding households can affect your personal bandwidth, especially if you are using cable internet. Being in an urban area is not a sure ticket to a great internet connection anymore. Densely populated areas, apartment complexes, hotels and schools are often a victim of huge swings in bandwidth usage. These fast increases by your neighbors can temporarily affect your own bandwidth. You might also be dealing with intentional throttling of bandwidth by your internet provider. Musicians and viewers can achieve an enjoyable and stress free musical experience with just a few clicks of your mouse that can make all the difference.

“Photon” app on iPhone, click the Flash icon

Depending on which broadcast method a musician chooses, a performance is either mobile ready or requires Flash to view. Most shows are mobile ready which means they can be viewed on mobile devices without any additional adjustments. Flash broadcasts require you to “allow” Flash on your mobile device. You can do this by installing an app like Photon or Puffin. After the app is installed Flash still needs to be activated by clicking on the Flash symbol. Depending on your device you might have to do this each time you view a show in Flash. Viewers using desktops also need to allow Flash. Since major browser companies turned off Flash, it needs to be turned on in your browser settings. Many times when browser updates are downloaded the Flash setting will be turned off and needs to be reset after each update. This is a browser imposed inconvenience and not initiated by StreetJelly. By hovering over the artist’s picture on our home page you can tell whether a performance requires Flash. If you see a mobile symbol, the show is mobile ready. If not, the show requires Flash.

Here are some small and simple adjustments you can try for a smooth broadcasting and viewing experience, especially those of you dealing with low or inconsistent bandwidth.

Check that you have Flash installed (a browser update might have uninstalled it even if you just checked a few days ago). You can do this in your browser settings (generally under Plugins) and enable Flash if necessary.

Turn off all other devices and programs in your household which affect your bandwidth, especially everything using large amounts like watching TV or programs like Facebook.

There are 2 volume meters, one on your computer and one on the bottom of the broadcast screen. If you have no sound, please check that neither one is turned off. For musicians broadcasting, check whether you selected the correct sound source. If you broadcast through a mixer this device will become your sound source.

If a viewer experiences issues with broadcasts cutting out, it can either be a bandwidth issue from the musician or an issue with viewer’s computer; such as a slow computer with little memory. You can try to switch to a different browser and see whether that might work better for you. It is very important to turn off all other programs which have a large amount of graphics or video features. Your computer might simply not be fast enough to handle the StreetJelly stream and Facebook feed at the same time. If multiple viewers have trouble watching a certain performer, the problem lies generally on the musician’s end. In this case a bandwidth issue is the most likely cause.

We are looking forward to your next visit to StreetJelly.com and would like to thank musicians and viewers alike for being part of this wonderful community.

5 Useful tips you need to know before buying wireless headphones

Posted on January 9, 2018

“Member Blog Series” guest post submitted by StreetJelly member: Vincent Hill

5 Useful tips you need to know before buying wireless headphones

In this guide, we will take a look at some of the useful tips you really need to know before buying wireless headphones. Wireless headphones offer multiple benefits to users; besides providing the listener with quality Bluetooth features, they also offer great audio capability.

Wireless headphones are simply those headphones that connect to a device like stereo speakers, a Smartphone, gaming console, television, computer and other electronic devices using a cable or wire.

Sound quality is good with latest Bluetooth versions
Over the years, some users have confirmed that Bluetooth headphones offer poor sound quality.
However, with growing demand, much emphasis was placed on making sure those latest versions of Bluetooth were produced with more quality digital sound.

Before you buy, check out for the sound quality of the Bluetooth versions, and see if it is something you can be comfortable with. Go ahead and make the purchase if you truly love the Bluetooth.

Battery Life is important
Every wireless headphone should have great power supply, which will come in the form of either standard disposable batteries or built-in rechargeable battery.

When searching for a Bluetooth headphone to buy, always go for the one that has a battery life of around 8-12 hours. There are some that may even give longer hours of service; some can last up to 40 hours of listening.

Normally, a battery will take less than 4 hours to charge, but can last for a longer period of time. So, battery life of the wireless headphone is very essential.

NFC (Near Field Communications)
It is extremely easy to set up Bluetooth headphones. It is easier for you to pair them with your audio device- laptop, tablet or Smartphone. This can be done through built-in Bluetooth software in the device.

During the set up process, you will have to enter a pass code. NFC is a powerful technology that enables many wireless systems to communicate better with each other. So, buy the wireless headphones that can be used with NFC-enabled device.

Remote in the earpieces
A lot of wired headphones come with a wired remote on the cable, which can be used to take and/or reject phone calls, and stop, start, skip music tracks. Often, they come with built-in microphones.

But, wireless headphones don’t have these features, instead they come with microphones on the earpieces and basic control features. Make sure you test the accessibility of these controls when buying wireless headphones. Research says that wireless headphones with remote in the earpieces perform better. So, feel free to buy them.

Usability is important
This is an essential requirement, when you are looking for a headphone to buy, make sure you determine the amount of money you can spend on it. If your budget is $100, then browse the internet for headphones that can be purchased at that price or under $100. Just like most products, you will get value for what you pay for.

Good wireless headphones under $100 will certainly perform better, and will come with good sound quality, but more expensive ones will surely come with advanced functions such as high resolution audio, extra bass and noise isolation.
Finally, for many reasons wireless headphones are easy to use, safe and highly convenient. Before buying a wireless headphone, make sure you consider the brand, style and price, so that you will make the right selection.

Research has proven that wireless headphones are more functional than wired headphones. If you are someone that likes watching television or listening to music, then wireless headphones is ideal for you.

Was this article truly helpful? Kindly share your ideas in the comment box below.
More headphone reviews here!

Fix Audio Sync in OBS

Posted on September 14, 2017

Ever notice a live stream that has audio a little off from the video?  We’ll help you fix that when broadcasting with OBS Studio.

You often hear audio issues called “lag.”  However, that term gets confusing since many people use it as a catch-all phrase.  Let’s define when people say lag, but really mean…

Latency  Latency is the term we use to describe the time it takes from the broadcaster to send his or her stream up to the internet, travel across the planet, and get pulled down to the viewer’s computer.  Many factors determine how long this can take, anywhere from a few seconds to 20 or more seconds.  This time is based on the internet speed of the broadcaster AND the viewer.  Different viewers will experience the live broadcast at different times than other viewers.  As a broadcaster, you all have experienced this when you ask your audience a question and have to wait until they respond.  Improving latency is a factor of improving your internet connection (upgrading to a better ISP or broadband connection); and reducing the amount of data your stream (turn down your broadcast quality).  We’ll go into more detail about improving latency in another blog.

Audio Sync  Audio Sync is today’s topic.  It is the synchronization of the audio with the video.  When the audio and video get “out of sync,” you witness the phenomenon where you see the lips move but hear the voice slightly later, or vice versa.  It is like watching a badly dubbed foreign movie.  There can be a number of contributing factors why this occurs, but the chief reason is a slow computer / CPU.  It takes more cycles, or computing power, to process video than it takes to process audio.  The audio is often ready to stream slightly ahead of the video.  When a chunk of audio data gets combined with a chunk of video data that represents two different points in time, the broadcast will be out of sync.

OBS is great broadcasting software and handles many sophisticated internal features.  It typically requires more computing power than simple one-cam broadcasting from within a browser.  Audio Sync issues do appear more often when broadcasting with OBS.  However, there is an easy fix to this problem (without having to upgrade your computer to a monster size CPU and GPU).

In OBS, adjust the “Audio Delay” to bring the timing of the audio precisely in with the video.

On the main screen, click on the Audio Mixer.  (Below are two images, one from OBS v18 and one from v20. They slightly changed the way to open the Audio Mixer between updates.)

OBS v18 – click the Mixer gear icon in middle of screen

v18 – Audio Mixer Icon, click image to enlarge

 

OBS v20+ – click the Mixer gear icon next to your audio device, then choose Advanced Audio Properties

v20+ – Audio Mixer Icons, click image to enlarge

Audio Mixer Menu, click image to enlarge

 

Find the audio device you want to adjust and enter the number of milliseconds (MS) to slow down the sound.

Audio Delay, click image to enlarge

 

Recommended Approach:

  • First, fire up your webcam and microphone.  You should see the video output in the main screen of OBS.
  • Start Recording your stream locally. In other words, DO NOT START live streaming.
  • Perform a short bit by speaking slowly into the camera so you can watch your lip-sync closely later.  Clapping your hands is another good technique to dial in the sync.
  • Watch the recorded video to get a sense how far off the sync is.  Most likely, you will hear the audio first, and then see the video catch up.  It’s tricky at first to tell which way the sync is messed up (sometimes the video comes first and the audio is behind).  But you will get the hang of it.
  • Adjust the Audio Delay for your specific mic by adding a number of milliseconds.  Start with 30ms.
  • Record another video and check the sync again.
  • Repeat this process until you can not notice any sync problems.  Use 30ms increments when adjusting.  For instance, if on the first try 30ms did not fix the sync, next time try 60ms, then 90ms, etc.
  • Last, you can also adjust the Video Delay in OBS v20+. Same principle applies here, too.  Adjust small amounts, record, check, repeat.

When you are all done, you are ready to live stream.  OBS will remember your delay settings for the next broadcast.  But it is good practice to occasionally recheck as your audio/mic setup may have changed in your studio, your computer may have upgraded to newer software, and so on.

A note about “video delay” and your studio sound setup.  For musicians who use a sound board, mixers, auto-tuning, delay pedals, etc; the audio delay may be attributed to the processing in the sound system itself – and not in OBS or your computer.  This is generally the cause when video comes in first and the audio comes in behind.  The fix here is to delay the video so it slows down to match the audio.

Your Favorite Browser – Fantastic or Rocky?

Posted on April 14, 2017

Special guest post submitted by StreetJelly veteran, Martina!

Why using a certain browser can make all the difference between a fantastic broadcast and a rocky one.

Recently, Firefox and Chrome browsers made significant technical changes by disallowing plugins. This will affect musicians and viewers. I would like to explain this fairly complex subject in a condensed version. We understand that these changes have caused some StreetJelly users confusion and frustration. Hopefully, this blog will help all of you to have a much better and smoother streaming and viewing experience.

Not all browsers made changes at the same time and many updates will follow. This is the reason why we sometimes recommend one browser over another. Our recommendations go hand in hand with new developments in streaming technology and their direct impact on our broadcasting tools.

The Flash broadcaster
These developments have no effect on this broadcasting option. The only thing we noticed is that some viewers don’t realize that this change turned off Flash on their computer and it needs to be turned on in the browser settings. This might be necessary each time there is a new browser version. Internet Explorer still allows plugins but for a limited time.

The old plugin Jellycaster
Chrome and Firefox do not allow plugins anymore and therefore the old Jellycaster is not functional on those browsers.

The new Jellycaster WebRTC
This is an entirely different streaming technology and expected to totally replace Flash in the future. Currently, this method of streaming is still going through some growing pains. Flash works very well for people with lower bandwidth, but all the new streaming technologies require higher bandwidth. It is not only the amount of bandwidth which is important but also the steadiness. RTC is a technology which streams chunks of data, also known as packets. Flash streams more like a continuous stream, like water in garden hose. Currently, Chrome is using a different type of packets than Firefox and both browsers have a different way of letting the stream go through firewall ports. Which browser works better depends on each individual network setup, steadiness of internet connection and other factors.

We currently recommend to try Chrome first since its approach to RTC appears to work better for a lot of people. Ultimately, it is a matter of trying it out. It is extremely important to always have the latest version of any browser when using RTC since there are significant updates on a regular basis.

For anyone who is struggling with low bandwidth, it is important to maximize what you have available. Check that all other devices in your streaming location which use bandwidth are turned off and programs are closed. Sometimes we might not think of it that very common pages like Facebook can be a strain on your bandwidth. This is just one of many examples. Generally, anything with video falls in this category and, of course, watching TV on the computer.

I hope this helps a little to explain why browsers can make all the difference and why we change our recommendations to adjust to all the rapid developments in technology.

Fighting WebRTC Audio Sync Issues

Posted on March 29, 2017

Fighting WebRTC Audio Sync Issues
Subtitle:  Mainly with Chrome

Audio Sync issues are when the audio and video get out of “lip-sync.”  The sound does not line up with what you see.  Many folks call it a “lag.”  (We also have heard people call it a “latency” problem, but that is an incorrect description.)  This problem can happen with any broadcasting software, but it appears to happen more often on Chrome streaming with WebRTC.  This does not mean, “Firefox is better than Chrome,” or any one browser is superior.  We are only saying this one specific problem happens to a few broadcasters while on Chrome.

The guts of how WebRTC streams, also known as the encoder, processes the audio and video separately. They are streamed separately, they travel across the internet separately, and it is your computer at home that has to put it back together in-sync.  When a moment in time of the audio and video are sent across the internet too far apart from one another, the result is audio that does not match video.  That’s just the way it works!

Processing audio is easy from a computer’s point of view, there is less data to manage.  Video, on the other hand, takes massive amount of data and processing to produce a video signal.  The CPU (central processing unit) of the computer, a.k.a. the brain, can only handle so many calculations at one time.  When there is too much data to process when streaming, it is generally the video that gets processed slower than the audio.

The result: the audio is encoded first, and the video lags behind.  Look closely at a sync problem broadcast – you will almost always hear the sound / voice first, then witness the video catch up.

How to fix this problem?  Start by understanding that anything that can free up your computer’s CPU from tasks, or reduce the amount of video data to process, will help:

  • Make sure your browser is running the latest version. We will say this a 1,000 times… it’s very important with WebRTC to be on the latest version because the browser makers release significant changes with each new release.  To check / update Firefox or Chrome, go to Help >> About.
  • Turn off any software running on your computer you do not need for streaming.  Anything to free up your CPU will help.  Close multiple browser windows and tabs, close music recording software, close any games and video intensive software, and so on.  And close dang Facebook!
  • Choose 4:3 SD (standard def) streaming on StreetJelly.  Obviously, 720p HD takes way more CPU cycles to stream.
  • Adjust your webcam to the lowest decent quality.  Your webcam may be set at very high HD settings. The encoder then has to convert that video to lower quality for streaming.  That takes a lot of CPU power to do that.  In the hardware settings for your camera (not on StreetJelly):
    • Match the screen size of the webcam to the screen size chosen for broadcasting on StreetJelly.  For example: 640 x 480
    • Set the frame rate (if available) to 15fps, frames per second.  The WebRTC encoder defaults to 15fps, so it will get converted anyway.
    • Set quality (if available) to medium, or somewhere around 80%.  Different webcam vendors approach this setting differently, but the key is to dial it off the very top, but don’t go all the way to the bottom.
  • Remove any webcam effects from your broadcast.  This includes extra graphics embedded into the video (snowflakes, alien heads, swirly do-dahs, etc). All these require massive CPU processing to generate.
  • Remove any lighting effects in your home studio.  Yes, we mean swirly lights in your room in the real world.  This affects compression. The more areas within your video frame that do not change over time, the more your video gets compressed into smaller data chunks.  This reduces the amount of bandwidth needed to stream and process.
  • In your computer’s video settings (at the hardware level):  make sure any “hardware acceleration” settings are turned on.  I’m sure that sounds vague, but there are far too many video card drivers, manufacturers, scenarios, etc. to write about in a single blog.  The key here is to maximize the CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) settings.
  • Get a faster computer! 🙂

UPDATE APRIL 19th, 2017

So we know Chrome can be a CPU hog, and these issues can get the audio out of sync.  One thing to try – and definitely check – is the Chrome “use hardware acceleration” setting.  Hardware Acceleration is a feature on most computers to use the GPU (graphics processing unit) for video processing. In Chrome, this can be controlled with an Advanced Setting called:  “Use hardware acceleration when available.”

Normally, this setting should be checked.  Check it now with these instructions:  http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/internet/how-turn-off-gpu-hardware-acceleration-in-google-chrome-3605455/

For some with audio sync issues, UNCHECKING this setting may help.  It’s not a guarantee, but worth a try.  Sometimes a computer’s video card drivers could be out of whack (I literally had that problem with an old Lenevo laptop).  Using software to process the video software can possibly fix (or avoid) a hardware issue.

For a bit more detail about Chrome and Hardware Acceleration, here’s another nice article:  https://www.lifewire.com/hardware-acceleration-in-chrome-4125122

Firefox v52 Turns Off Plugins

Posted on March 8, 2017

On March 7th, 2017, Firefox released browser version 52 that turns off all access to (npapi) plugins, except Flash.

That’s a very loaded statement as it affects a huge amount of websites, systems, and people all over the world.  This is not breaking news, however.  It has been in the works and made public for a very long time.  Chrome has already turned off plugins on its browser back in 2016.

What does this mean for the old style Jellycaster (with the nanoCosmos plugin) on StreetJelly?  It means the old Jellycaster will no longer work in Firefox.  We recommend that musicians migrate over to our WebRTC stereo version of the Jellycaster.  WebRTC is a non-plugin technology new for browsers.  Read more about WebRTC here.

Do you still want to use the old style Jellycaster?  That’s ok, we understand that different computers work better with different technology.  And when you have one thing setup, it’s a pain to switch over to something new.  That being said, the old style Jellycaster is still available in Safari and Microsoft’s old IE “Internet Explorer” browser.  (Note, this is not the new MS Edge browser found in Windows 10.  That does not support npapi plugins, either.  The IE browser is installed on Windows 10, it’s just not readily visible.  To launch IE, go to the Win10 search bar and type “IE”.  Best to pin the icon to your desktop or menu so you can easily find it the next time.)

There is a TEMPORARY workaround in Firefox to still use the npapi plugins.  But this workaround will last you only about a month until v53 is launched on April 18th, 2017.  In v53, plugins will be turned off permanently (except Flash).  The fix involves messing with the Firefox config settings.  If you so desire, here are all the instructions:  http://winaero.com/blog/firefox-52-npapi-plugins-support-disabled/

 

Don’t hesitate to Contact Us if you need help.

 

WebRTC and Live Streaming

Posted on December 23, 2016

What is WebRTC and how it applies to live streaming in 2017?
Subtitle – The Rise and Fall of Plugins.

By definition, WebRTC stands for “Web Real Time Communications.” Wikipedia defines it as: a collection of communications protocols and application programming interfaces that enable real-time communication over peer-to-peer connections. That makes a whole lot of sense, right? In practical terms, it means that browsers and mobile devices can talk with each other, hardware on your computer, and other websites in a gee-whiz cool new way. This improves live streaming by making it easier to access your webcam and microphone, and efficiently broadcast crisp clear video and audio across the internet. WebRTC is easier to understand by explaining what it’s not – it is NOT a plugin.

“Howdy, plugin pardner.”
When the wacky web world (www) first started, it was mainly text, with some basic images and logos to make it look pretty. The “browser” was invented to read this text. That’s all it needed to do, browse and display “pages” over the “web.” Hence, the webpage was born. By its very nature, a browser can not – and should not – do anything but read a webpage and display it to the viewer. It could not in anyway have writing capabilities or access anything on your computer. This was a major security feature built into all browsers from day one. A webpage anywhere in the world, presumably even a webpage made by nasty people, could be read. But it could not access your hard-drive and delete everything you owned. Makes sense, right?! That very basic notion of a browser being unable to access any of your hardware, webcams and microphones included, made surfing the internet safe.

In the early days of live streaming, ‘er web-camming, we had to download and install specific software onto our computers to get video to stream. Adobe’s Live Media Encoder (FMLE) was one of the originals. Most of the webcam hardware companies, on the other hand, would also include their own software to get their cams to broadcast. These proprietary bundles usually only worked peer-to-peer with another webcam from the same manufacturer and same software. Sneaky! By the way, this was all before Skype and even the first generation of cam sites. Installing specific software on your computer (remember .exe’s?) was the only way this all worked.

Then along came the brilliant idea of running a mini software program INSIDE a browser and not as stand alone software. We call these gunslingers “plugins.” They still had to be downloaded and installed, but they were a powerful solution that allowed webpages to do more than just display text and images. For us web programmers, the plugin was our hero! We could now make a webpage, and an entire website, act like a real piece of software. We could change an “application” by the next time you returned to our website, without having you to buy or download an entire new version of our software. Oh, the potential we had with the dawn of “Web 2.0.”

Adobe Flash Player was one of the first and most successful plugins for many reasons. The Flash plugin did 99% of all the work we ever wanted to do in a website application. As a programmer, why would you write your own plugin to override the video-card graphics accelerator to smoothly animate a cartoon bird? This was already written and available in Flash, for free! It made our lives much easier. And it made your life better, too. Overnight, websites were no longer static pages, but full fledged software applications. Did Flash do everything we needed for programmers? No. But for the few things we needed extra, we wrote our own tiny plugins. The beauty of it all was that the plugins we created could live side by side with the main Flash plugin that did the heavy lifting.

“This town ain’t big enough for the two of us.”
[Queue the creepy western villain whistling]
As we all enjoyed this web gold-rush of possibilities, the scoundrels out there realized how easy it was to take-over-your-computer with a plugin. After all, a plugin is real software you downloaded from God-knows-where and you gave access to everything holy inside your computer. Yikes. And yes, real exploits existed in this set up. More and more, we learned never to accept a plugin from any website that felt shady. And more and more, Adobe released version updates to make their Flash player – the head-honcho plugin of all plugins – to be safer. To this day, Adobe makes a version update on a regular monthly schedule. It’s remarkable due diligence when you think about it.

The days of the plugin are nearing an end, though. History will recycle them off into the trash heap along with 8-tracks, betamax, and transistor radios. There is a better way, it’s called WebRTC and its brother HTML5. The browser manufacturers have agreed on a common protocol where all browsers, eventually, will be able to access certain hardware on your computer (webcams and microphones in our case) in a safe and secure way. They also will be able to communicate across the internet in a safe and secure way. All this behavior will be built-in and part of the browser itself – nothing to download and install. Plugins are considered so potentially unsafe, that the browser makers agree that they will disable all use of plugins in the very near future. WebRTC has been in the making for a number of years and will replace plugins. WebRTC is currently mature enough to use in a commercial application website …in Chrome.

Wait, what? This only works in Chrome? Not exactly. Firefox and the other main browsers are right up there in implementing WebRTC / HTLM5 with all its features and security. However, the web giant Google makes Chrome. They are the leader and driving force behind this (my opinion). What they create and perfect first in Chrome, like it or not, becomes the de facto standard. StreetJelly is re-writing its broadcasting software with WebRTC first in Chrome. The Firefox configurations and settings are slightly different. We want to make sure all is running smoothly in Chrome, then we’ll tackle Firefox and the rest. In other words, we’ll be broadcasting WebRTC in Firefox, MS Edge, and Safari real soon!

Don’t roll the sunset clip yet…
What about Adobe Flash? How can it go away? Half the web still uses it! That is very true. The browser makers are making concessions to our aging hero. Chrome has already blocked all old-style plugins, but has built in their own version of Flash player internal to Chrome. Whether you refuse to download Flash from Adobe’s website or not, Chrome has its own version already on your computer. Google and Adobe are in a close relationship to make sure it’s safe. Firefox will be cutting all access to old-style plugins by 2017. It, too, will have its own internal version of Flash like Chrome. But eventually, our hero – the Adobe Flash plugin – will fade away forever.

It’s a brave new world …again.

Frank Podlaha
CEO and Founder
…and Chief Propeller-Head

Ok, now queue the sunset…

UPDATE about Firefox: As of today, 1/3/17, Firefox is at Version 50 for the general public. In Version 52, they will turn off the old style plugins (npapi). But you will still be able to turn them back on in the browser settings (type about:config in the address bar). Version 52 is scheduled to be released March 7, 2017. In Version 53, they will turn off old style plugins completely! Version 53 is scheduled for release on April 18, 2017.

First Concert – The Perfect Guide

Posted on November 14, 2016

“Member Blog Series” guest post submitted by StreetJelly memeber: Vincent Hill

First Concert – The Perfect Guide

Introduction to Holding a Concert
Going to a concert is one thing, holding a concert is totally another thing. One must understand that one of the most complex and difficult jobs is to organize and hold a concert. Consider a concert to be a 1000 pieces puzzle, and each of those jigsaw pieces must fit in properly. Here are just some of the aspects on which you must pay attention to the most.First Concert

Get Ready and Be Comfortable
All you need to do is practice well and organize your playlist for the concert. Also practice all of the songs, not just the ones you’re about to play because you’ll never know what will you feel like playing at the moment. Being comfortable is very important because if you’re not then the audience will not be as well. You want to look natural.

Practice Before Going On a Concert
As it was already suggested above, you will have to practice, a lot. Even when you think you have practiced enough, you haven’t. It’s never enough, and you need to be a perfectionist if you want to be extraordinary. Nothing is better than a band which functions like a machine. Keep up to date with music trends, the industry, software, and instruments with an online tool like MusicSkanner. This can really help you spot a problem before you go on stage.

Take Feedback from Others
Listening to what your audience has to say about you is essential to your success. Be that good or bad a critic is something that can be a great motivator. When they say good things about you, then that means you’re doing a great job, and when they talk badly about you, then you know you have to improve your performance or music.

Get To the Concert on Time
Of course, you have to get to the concert on time, because you will have to set things up and have a final rehearsal before the main event. The concert is going to start a bit late of course like always, but you would like to be on time. The audience will not respect you if you’re late.

Stay Cool in the Crowd
No matter how crazy the audience is, you must not let it mess with your brain. Stay cool and keep calm. If you lose your head, then everything will fall apart, and this is a fact. You need to focus on your performance. Get Involved and Stay Excited Your audience is everything to you. For you, they must feel like the most important thing in the world. Interact with them, communicate and listen to them. Take some pictures and throw some equipment like a guitar pick and so on. Keep your euphoria until the very end. With your music, you will easily transfer the positive energy over to your audience.

first_concert2Be Aware of the Brand
The brand of you music equipment is of the imperative. You will have to choose only those of the best quality if you want to be exceptional. Same goes for the instruments. Mind you brands!

Try To Use Social Media
The best way for you to raise awareness about the event you’re holding is to use the power of social media. That way you will reach far more people than you would usually with just flyers and posters.

To Sum Up
These are just some useful tips about how you can succeed in holding a perfect concert. Of course, there are many other things about which you must consult professionals and ask for their help.

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