At Watchity, we are constantly evolving because we believe in innovation. It is our priority to enhance the functionalities of our platform and expand them to meet the new needs of our customers and the audiovisual market. Below, we explain the latest updates of the new version of Watchity that we have just released, and as a Watchity customer, it will be immediately available to you without any action required.
Template Manager
We have developed a template manager that allows you to configure the main elements of a live event and save them as a standard configuration to generate new events based on a template.
To access this new functionality, you need to go to the Templates menu available in the sidebar of the application. In this new section, you can create, edit, and duplicate your templates.
The templates currently include the following customization elements:
- Branding: button colors, backgrounds, banners, graphics, etc.
- Forms: registration fields, consent fields, and descriptive fields.
- Emails: design, logos, texts, automatic sending, etc.
- Live Studio Production Mode: manual mode (the current operating mode where the director has full control over the event production) and the new automatic mode described later in this article, where the system manages the live production autonomously.
- Pre-programmed event as a fake live (a new feature described later in the article).
- Speaking Room customization.
- Activation of Low Latency (a new feature that reduces the delay in the broadcast to milliseconds).
Automatic Production Mode: AutoStudio
The new AutoStudio feature allows users to activate automatic operation of the Live Studio, eliminating the need for an audiovisual director in the event.
This new operation mode is available for events with one or several cameras and it selects the most suitable scene mode based on the number of active cameras in the Speaking Room at any given time. It is also compatible with screen sharing functionality.
It allows users to choose a background, a logo (or “bug”), and a style of titling that will be activated by default when the broadcast starts.
In automatic mode, the speaker tags are activated autonomously according to the chosen style. Similarly, the scene composition is generated based on the number of connected cameras in the Speaking Room.
At the same time, the user can enable start/stop broadcast controls within the Speaking Room, giving autonomy to the speakers to control the event without accessing the Live Studio.
Pre-programming Fake Lives: AutoEvent
Another Watchity update addresses one of the most common use cases: the broadcasting of fake live events.
A fake live event consists of broadcasting pre-recorded content, simulating a real-time broadcast. This allows for content preparation in advance, editing, and readiness for broadcast, reducing the risks associated with live event streaming.
To facilitate the realization of events that only involve playing a recording, the new feature called AutoEvent allows you to create a future live event with a scheduled broadcast time and add the chosen file. Once the scheduled time arrives, the event will start automatically, launching the video playback.
Integration of Third-Party Interaction Tools
One of our tool’s priorities has always been to facilitate integrations with third-party tools and functionalities.
In line with this, we have created the concept of external tools, a new feature that allows you to integrate tools from other providers into the Event Room of an event, improving the viewer experience.
The first integrated tool is Kahoot, a gamification platform for events and audience engagement (a product category that includes other tools like Slido or Mentimeter), which offers various participatory features for the audience, including contests, polls, questions and answers, and interactive tests.
By integrating Kahoot into an event, the Kahoot screens will appear within the Event Room, allowing viewers to interact and participate while still watching the live stream of the session.
Ultra-Low Latency Streaming
We conclude this review of new features with the addition of ultra-low latency streaming for events.
Until now, the Watchity platform has used the HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol for streaming. This protocol has numerous advantages in terms of visual quality and viewer experience (it is the protocol used on platforms like YouTube). It is superior to other real-time protocols such as WebRTC, widely used in video conferencing tools like Zoom or Teams.
However, the weak point of HLS is the latency, or the time it takes for the event being broadcasted to reach the viewers in the Event Room. Currently, the latency in Watchity is around 12 seconds.
For most events, this 12-second latency is not an issue as it doesn’t significantly affect the user experience. However, there are specific use cases that require real-time interaction with the audience, such as time-limited voting.
To address this, we have developed the integration of a new streaming protocol called HESP (High Efficiency Stream Protocol), which has similar features to HLS but with a latency of less than 1 second.
This new feature will be available upon request and may involve an additional cost depending on the use case. Please contact the Watchity sales team to request its activation.
And that wraps up the explanation of the latest Watchity updates. If you would like more detailed information about any of these features or the platform in general, feel free to contact us through the provided form. You can also request a free trial to test the platform or schedule a demo with one of our experts.