Broadcast Facebook Live from your Desktop
May 19, 2017 /
On the 22 March 2017 Facebook announced that users can now broadcast live video from their desktop or laptop computers. Previously the Facebook Live tool was only available on your smart phone or through third party tools.
How to Broadcast on Facebook Live from your desktop without using Third Party Tools
To get started on your live broadcast from a computer, click “Live Video” from the top of your News Feed or Timeline, then follow the prompts to add a description and choose your audience. You will need to download streaming software in order for this to work.
New Streaming Software
Facebook has stated with this new Facebook feature “People can seamlessly share their screens, insert graphics, switch cameras, or use professional equipment in Facebook Live videos. They also have the option to broadcast to Facebook Groups they belong to, Facebook Events they’re part of, or Facebook Pages they manage.”
Before you can live stream to Facebook, you’ll need to download streaming software.
Other Facebook Live Tools
There are various other new Facebook Live tools that you can use:
NEW eCamm Live. Only $29.95 one-time fee! Only for Macs, a desktop app that is easy to use, you can screen share, add media, add text, image overlays and can broadcast to your profile or your pages or groups. However, it doesn’t allow you to set up scenes in advance, can’t bring in guests, doesn’t allow you to stream to multiple platforms, no integration with Facebook Events pages, and you can’t schedule live broadcasts.
Third party apps:
BeLive.tv = currently in FREE public beta! Contains Q&A mode where you can display viewer questions and 2-person interview mode; talk-show mode coming.
BlueJeans Network = multi-person video conferencing (up to 100, unlimited on Facebook Live) with desktop and media sharing. $39.95/mo
Zoom Video Communications = multi-person video conferencing (up to 50, unlimited on Facebook Live) with desktop and media sharing. Starting at $54.99/mo
Open Broadcaster Software = Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Download and start streaming quickly and easily on Windows, Mac or Linux.