One of the most amazing aspects of live streaming is the way in which it brings people together from all over the world. Been fortunate enough to have viewers make a positive impact on the show from the US, Mexico, South Africa, England, France, Australia, Germany, and more. I make it a point to celebrate our cultural differences while bonding over a common love of gaming. Wherever you are, I want you to feel like there’s a place for you here.
Up until this point, we’ve been able to maintain a positive environment with little moderation. However, I was put into a dilemma when an enthusiastic viewer caught me by surprise with a racially-insensitive comment.
Our first look at the Xbox Series X, an assortment of new game reveals, and dope music underscore our Game Awards watch party! It may not have been the most appealing show for us, but we had a great time hanging out with each other and adding our own commentary!
Unfortunately, I won’t have the time to cut highlights out of this broadcast. Instead, I hope you watch the whole thing from front-to-back! 😉 Ok, onto the shoutouts!
Gaming’s most prestigious awards show airs tonight and you can watch it with me! Let’s hang out @ twitch.tv/inthirdperson starting at 8pm EST and get hype over the big reveals, live performances, and award winners. Of course you can watch it here too, but I’d love to hear from you in the chat. Either way, fingers crossed that we have a great celebration of gaming ahead!
Streaming equipment can be addictive. As soon as you get one piece, the desire to get more and better stuff doesn’t stop gnawing at your consciousness. Around this time of year, there’s a glimmer of hope that Saint Nick has also binged on the same Alpha Gaming videos you watched and is ready to trick out your streaming setup with everything you’ve been longing for.
Or, you could just write it out in a list for him like this!
I love my Logitech C920. Considered by many to be the go-to webcam for entry-level streamers, it delivers a lot of bang for your buck. However, its limitations became more obvious with time and knowledge. The camera needs a lot of light in order to squeeze out the most optimal image. Even with my studio lights, the picture still comes out a bit grainy when using my full-screen intermission scene on stream. The camera caps out at 1080p 30fps, which may be a hinderance for streamers or video creators in need of more visual fidelity. Also, when compared to higher-end DSLR cameras, the difference in quality is undeniable.
As much as I would love to upgrade to a DSLR setup, it’s quite the expensive path almost any way you slice it. Between the DSLR camera itself, an Elgato Cam Link or an equivalent signal adapter, a wall adapter for the camera, and a tripod or other mounting solution, the cost is orders of magnitude above any webcam. Add in additional lenses, and the sticker shock stings even more. Despite my desire to improve my image quality, I can’t justify spending upwards of $1,000 on a complete DSLR rig at this point in my streaming career.
By happenstance, I got the opportunity to test out the Logitech BRIO 4K Webcam. It became immediately apparent that this is the middle step I’ve been looking for.
The BRIO is Logitech’s most premium webcam to-date. At its ceiling, it can capture footage at a 4K resolution and at 30 frames per second. It can also do 1080p at 60 fps; something that the C920 is incapable of doing. Housed in a casing that’s a bit larger than a C920, it can still clip comfortably on most monitors. This one also features a detachable USB 3.0 cable, making it a bit easier to move or stow away.
At more than double the price, it’s almost a given that the BRIO would be better than a C920. But how much better? I put the two cameras to the test.
The first test I did was a direct side-by-side comparison. Both cameras are in 1080p, using default settings, and with the same lighting. Immediately, the difference is staggering. My C920 looks washed out, while the BRIO provides colour that is more vibrant and accurate.
After that, I did a test of the two cameras at full-width, flipping between the two. Again, the C920 looks incredibly washed out compared to the BRIO. Also, you can see more of the details in view, such as the details in my face and how I’m using black duct tape to hold my busted headset together. In retrospect, you could always see the tape, but it’s even more apparent with the BRIO. Note to self: get new headphones.
One more test between the two cameras. This time, it’s in my 720p streaming layout with all of the same colour correction settings. There were no noticeable differences in CPU performance, and the BRIO is still a cut above. However, the colour correction settings I use for the C920 make the BRIO look a bit more yellow than I would like. Nothing that I couldn’t adjust for next time.
The Logitech BRIO is a cut above the C920 and could very well could be the best webcam on the market. I love the way it outputs video while also supporting 1080p 60 fps. It’s going to look great on my stream and even better if/when I finally get around to creating original content for YouTube. Right after the testing was over, I purchased one for myself.
Even though I jumped at the first opportunity to grab this camera, the BRIO won’t be for everyone. For those just starting out, the Logitech C920 is still the best place to start. The image quality is good enough with some colour correction and it won’t hurt your bank account too much if fall out of streaming. If you’ve got the funds and the reasoning to justify a full DSLR rig, the BRIO can’t match that in terms of image quality or flexibility. But if you need a middle step with improved image quality without the hefty expenses of a high-end camera rig, the BRIO is a great option.
Video has grown to become a primary method of creating and consuming video game content. It makes perfect sense, as gaming in itself is a video-based medium. Though In Third Person has had a YouTube channel for a very long time, I squandered it with crappy webcam videos and rips of Street Fighter match vids for many years.
Many mistakes were made, but it wasn’t until this year where I was truly in a position to make the video content I wanted at an acceptable level of production quality. That said, some of the earliest videos I made with my shoestring equipment budget are still some of my faves! Here’s a few choice cuts!
Developing my streaming process has been…a process. For a long time, I failed to see the forest through the trees. Trying to squeeze the most performance out of my underpowered hardware, I spent too much time figuring out how to present a technically-competent stream and not enough time thinking about everything else that goes into it. Didn’t have a plan to promote my stream. Didn’t think about what type of content I wanted to create once I got things working. Didn’t even think about why I was doing this in the first place beyond seeing whether I could do it at all.
My aimlessness came back to haunt me when I came up just short of reaching Twitch Affiliate status. Even though it wasn’t a goal I was actively targeting, missing the mark forced me to really think about what I wanted and the steps required to get there. Streaming is still a struggle, but having a better handle on my goals has really helped me define my approach to this demanding hobby.
As of now, this is the process I go through to make each stream happen.
A while back, I was perusing r/twitch on Reddit when I stumbled on a thread from a user who was struggling to rebuild the audience he once had after taking an eight-month hiatus. At the time, the thread only had one response, but it strongly resonated with me while summarizing the biggest lesson I’ve learned as a streamer.
In what seems like a lifetime ago, I was once deeply-entrenched in the radio industry. Graduated from college with a certificate in radio broadcasting, where I specialized in on-air announcing. For a few months, you could hear me on the radio doing the overnight shift and the weather on weekends at a country radio station.
Though I’m far removed from the radio industry nowadays, many of the skills have proven useful outside of the industry. Having trained to speak on the air has gone a long way towards being able to communicate better as a human being. These days, it’s helped give me a sense of direction for how to approach my on-camera presence when I’m streaming.
How do you keep a conversation going for hours at a time? This is a challenge that many streamers face, especially since most of the time, they’re in a room by themselves with no one to speak to voice-to-voice. Having experience as an on-air radio personality, I’ve taken this aspect for granted in the past. I know I can speak eloquently and have a few cool stories to tell. However, more often than not, I had a good 10 minutes of material in me before dragging on the stream for another two hours with nothing to say.
Even when streaming to an audience of 0, it’s still important to talk to yourself. Your next fan might be the person who watches the VOD after the fact. I get a number of subscribers on Twitch and YouTube that way, so I know this phenomenon is real.
As someone who isn’t going to wow most viewers with his top-tier gameplay or handsome looks (lol), what I have to say is the most valuable thing I have to offer. Of late, I’ve taken steps to try and have more to talk about. Maybe some of these conversation starters can help you keep your stream engaging for all involved!
