Google's Hangouts Changes To P2P

Many artists and bands use Google's Hangouts On Air to engage with their fans. This includes everything from mini-concerts to online meet and greets (I use it as part of Webinarjam for my webinars), and while it was reliable, there was always a question with its audio quality, especially when it came to music.

Google has now rolled out Hangouts 7.0, and while it has a number of cool features, the main upgrade is that it now uses a peer-to-peer connection, or P2P, between Hangout users who are on the call.

The reason is to make the calls more efficient, and as a result, take the audio and video quality up a notch to generally improve the experience.

Previously, the call would go through Google's servers, and while the company has what many consider one of the most robust backbone's in the world, the connection was always as solid as you'd expect, hence the move to P2P.

One of the potential downsides of using the P2P connection though is that each user's IP address is revealed, which means their location could be discovered and their privacy compromised as a result.

There's talk that the P2P feature may be selectively disabled in the future, but that's not the case at the moment.

So if you're a Hangouts users, enjoy the new features and increased quality. If you live in an area where you'd like to protect your IP address and privacy, maybe it's better to use another platform for the time being.

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Skype Releases Its Version Of Hangouts

If Google+ has a killer feature, its Hangouts, which allows you to connect with up to 9 other people on a video conference call. Connect YouTube to it and now you have a Hangout On Air that can broadcast the conference to thousands more.

Hangouts are a nice feature, but far more people use Skype for their video calls. The problems was that if you wanted a multi-person call it would cost $8.99 per month for a premium subscription.

Skype has now seen the light and has introduced group video calling as part of the free package with anywhere from 3 to 10 participants (just like Hangouts), although Skype recommends a max of 5 for best results. The new feature is available on Windows, Mac and XBox platforms.

Another new and welcome feature is what's called "deep integration" that allows you to seamlessly transfer a voice call over to video chat. The performance of the platform on mobile devices is also said to be improved

Although Hangouts On Air is tough to beat for an artist, band or musician, Skype is definitely making headway with free group calling. You can't beat it for staying in touch while on the road, no matter where in the world you are.

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6 Tips For Better Google+ Hangouts

Google+ has a unique feature called Hangouts On Air that's like a video conference with 9 other people except for the fact that you can broadcast it to the world simultaneously on YouTube, your blog or website as well. It's a great way to connect with fans and clients for either a chat or for an intimate concert. That said, your Hangout will be a failure unless you use some basic broadcast techniques so that you actually look good on camera. Follow these tips and your Hangout partners will thank you.

1. Pay attention to the lighting. Unless you're using a video camera with a larger lens, built-in computer and web cameras have a small sensor that need more light than you think is necessary. For best results, make sure that most of the light comes from in front of you at about a 45 degree angle off to one side, and from slightly above your head. Avoid any lights behind you that can be seen by the camera.

2. Pay attention to the audio. The closer the mic is to you, the better you'll sound and the less ambient noise will be broadcast. Of course, great audio gear always helps, but you'd be surprised what even cheap gear can sound like if used properly.

3. Use headphones. An echo can occur when your playback is loud enough to leak into your microphone, which can be very distracting to the others on the Hangout. If you must listen loudly, use a set of headphones or earbuds to hear what's going on.

4. Pay attention to what you wear. Because webcams are fairly inexpensive devices, they don't respond like larger cameras do, which means they have some quirks that you must work around. Therefore, try to wear solid colors, since any patterns on your clothing will be distracting. Also, lighter colors work better than dark, since dark requires more light.

5. Look at the camera. This can be tough because we all want to look at who we're speaking with and the camera is never ideally located. Just remember that when it's your time to speak, avoid the temptation of looking at the other Hangout attendees and look directly into your camera instead. They'll feel your eye contact and your connection will be deeper as a result.

6. Pay attention to your position. If you're too far away, then people can't see your eyes and you lose any connection with them. The correct distance is when they can see your shoulders in the frame.

Just follow these quick tips and you'll find that you'll have much better results on your next Hangout.

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How To ScreenCast Live On YouTube

Here's a great video about how to do a live screencast using the Hangouts On Air feature of Google+ that can be accessed via YouTube. The video demo shows how to broadcast a screen on your computer, but you can eliminate that and just do a live Hangout using your computer's camera in the same manner. The cool thing is that YouTube saves your Hangout and turns it into a video on your YouTube channel so people who missed it can watch later.

Keep in mind that Google announced a full screen mode for Hangouts just a few weeks ago.

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Interested in the Music 3.0 archives? Buy The Music 3.0 Guide To Social Media. The best of over 800 posts.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Google+'s "New Hangouts On Air" Feature

One of the more intriguing features of Google+ was Hangouts, which was a sort of video conference where you could broadcast to up to 10 users. This was a cool thing for many artists, who got around the 10 viewer max by rotating them during their broadcast, which is obviously not the ideal way to connect with your fans.

Today Google finally took the wraps off the new and improved version, called Hangouts on Air, that lifts the 10 person limit and basically allows you to stream what might be considered your very own TV channel. Of course, this was possible before with services like Ustream, Justin.TV and Livestream, but HOA supposedly has a terrific video codec and a lossless audio codec, so the quality of the broadcast is said to be terrific.

Another advantage is that the HOA stream is automatically recorded to your YouTube channel, so it can be viewed later or embedded on blogs or websites outside of Google+. In other words, you can broadcast to the entire world, not just those within Google+. You have to link your Google+ account to your YouTube account to do so, but I think this is a no brainer. Users also have to upgrade their Google Voice and video plugins before they can begin streaming.

Although we don't know what the limits are yet, Hangouts on Air just might be the killer app for Google+. It has the potential to become a great promotional tool that can allow artists to connect with their fans in real time in ways that weren't as easy or possible until now. While all apps are great when they're first introduced, lets see how it actually pans out after it's in use for a while. First indications are promising, however.

Here's a video that shows HOA in operation.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.