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USA Today teams with Instagram to livestream the solar eclipse
The USA Today Network has announced that in collaboration with Instagram, it will livestream the total solar eclipse on August 21st. The feed will feature real-time video broadcasts by journalists in areas along the eclipse's path of totality. Reporters in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina will cover and record the event. You can see a schedule of who will be broadcasting from where and when here.
Facebook acquires a German computer vision startup
Facebook's latest startup acquisition is German computer vision company Fayteq, a company that develops plugins for editing applications like Adobe After Effects that let you add or remove objects from existing video. After the purchase, Fayteq added a note on its website notifying customers that its products and services were no longer available for purchase.
Snapchat video of alleged sexual assault leads to quick arrest
A man in Ohio is being held on a $1 million bond today after being charged with an alleged rape that was recorded and uploaded onto Snapchat by his victim. There aren't a lot of details about the situation as of now, but reports say that police were called to a residence for a welfare check early Tuesday morning. Everything seemed to be alright at the time. However, later in the morning, people as far away as Texas who had viewed the victim's Snapchat video began notifying the police that a sexual assault may have occurred at the residence, and the video was forwarded to the authorities. Based on the video content, which a detective involved with the arrest said were very "clear," the man, 77-year-old James D. Allen, was arrested.
This is how Doomfist invades 'Overwatch'
Doomfist is here. Overwatch's 25th character went live across PC and consoles today, finally making the game's most famed, punch-drunk villain playable for everyone. Doomfist is a damage-dealing offense character with a transhumanist twist: He has a cybernetic arm that deals incredible punching power, plus a small hand cannon that fires in bursts of four, no manual reload required. Fans have been waiting for Doomfist to hit Overwatch since the game's announcement video, which teased him as the most war-hungry menace the world had ever seen. Now that he's out in the wild, we (finally) went hands-on with Doomfist on Facebook Live. Here are our initial thoughts:
Jazz star Esperanza Spalding to record an album on Facebook Live
Other artists keep their music under lock and key until it's fully polished, but jazz star Esperanza Spalding wants to "rely on improvisation and first instinct" for her next album. That's why she's writing, recording and arranging 10 songs for it -- most with lyrics -- within a 77-hour period while streaming the whole process through Facebook Live. It'll be a tough three days, but based on Spalding's impressive résumé, she's more than qualified to accomplish her goal. The four-time Grammy Award-winning artist plays multiple instruments, has been a professional musician since she was 15 and has recently been named as a professor at Harvard University's Music Department.
Facebook Live gets its first Emmy nod for an ACLU telethon
2017 is truly the year of online video services at the Emmys. Following announcements that Netflix, Hulu and Amazon all nabbed a hefty number of nominations, Facebook has revealed that some of its Live events also scored an Emmy nod. Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU With Tom Hanks, a telethon that put Facebook's donate button to good use, has been nominated for outstanding creative achievement in interactive media within an unscripted program.
Acura is livestreaming an augmented reality race on Facebook
Honda's luxury car brand Acura is set to livestream an augmented reality race featuring its 2018 TLX A-Spec sedan. The event will see four drivers hit a real track while wearing AR helmets that will create new virtual environments for each lap. Aside from spectating, viewers will also be able to interact with the racers on Facebook Live.
Domino's will stream 'Ferris Bueller' for free on Facebook Live
In case you've been off the grid, ubiquitous pizza-chain-of-last-resort Domino's has been running a weird Ferris Bueller's Day Off ad campaign with Stranger Things actor Joe Keery. The attempt to tie itself with such a beloved film has met with mixed reviews, however, so it's taking another tack: Offering fans the entire movie for free on Facebook Live, June 11th at 7 PM EDT.
Facebook can keep your trash talk private during live events
Facebook wants to be a serious destination for online video, and it's fleshing out its Live streaming experience to help it get there. Consider the process of talking about up-to-the-minute events unfolding in a Facebook Live stream. Rather than just throwing your comments into a huge, messy pool of commingled conversations, you'll soon be able to privately chat with others in a separate space while the Live feed plays on.
Facebook will stream live 'Counter-Strike' eSports events
Gaming and eSports have definitely hit the mainstream media. In fact, you can find FIFA tournaments live on ESPN and TBS is hyping Counter Strike: Global Offensive games as if they were championship boxing events. With Twitter and Sony already jumping into the lucrative industry, it was only a matter of time before Facebook joined the fray. In an announcement today, eSports leader ESL announced it has cut a deal with the social networking behemoth to stream exclusive events and content in six languages, all of it centered around the elite Rank S Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition.
Facebook fights bogus live streams with stricter rules
Ever run into a Facebook Live stream that's little more than an attention grabber for something that could have been done with an ordinary post? Facebook has -- and it's fed up. The social network has updated its developer policies to explicitly forbid live videos that are "only images" (including animated images) or polls linked to largely inanimate material. In essence, it wants truly live video, whether it's professional news or an impromptu feed from your friend's party.
Facebook's live video problem is only getting worse
Facebook's struggle with livestreams of terrible crimes is still very real, and appears to be worsening. Local media report that a young Thai man used Facebook Live to broadcast a murder-suicide where he hanged his baby daughter before taking his own life. The social network cooperated with police and took the two archived video clips down, but only after they were online for roughly a full day. Officials won't be pressing charges against Facebook, which called the crime an "appalling incident" that had "absolutely no place" on its service.
Livestream's Mevo camera can broadcast to YouTube Live
Last year, Livestream's Mevo became the first camera with integrated Facebook Live streaming. Now the video streaming platform is giving its device a few more major upgrades, including support for Android and YouTube Live. The camera can now broadcast to four platforms: its creator's website (Livestream), Facebook Live, Periscope and YouTube Live. Plus, it can do so in 1080p, something it wasn't capable of, since it used to be locked to 720p. So long as you upgrade its software and get the latest version of its iOS app or its new Android app, you can also use it to record 4K videos.
Facebook sprinkles GIFs everywhere with Giphy
Facebook is bloated. It's slowly morphing into the iTunes of the social media world. At F8, the company's annual developers' conference, the company added even more features to its core apps and said that many more are on the way. But there's one partnership that makes the increasingly confusing social network a bit more fun: Giphy in nearly everything.
Murders, suicides and rapes: Facebook's major video problem
A nationwide manhunt for Steve Stephens, the 37-year-old from Cleveland who uploaded a video to Facebook of himself shooting an elderly stranger in the head, came to an end today. Stephens committed suicide after a brief car chase with state police in Erie, Pennsylvania. His crime, which took place this past Sunday, sparked outrage not only because of the violence itself, but also the way Facebook handled the situation. It took the social network over two hours to take the video down, although it claims this was because it wasn't flagged immediately by other users. Facebook says Stephens' actions weren't reported until he used the Live feature to stream his murder confession, about an hour and 45 minutes after the shooting video was uploaded. His account has since been suspended.
Facebook reviews reporting process following livestream confession
On Sunday a man posted a video to Facebook detailing his intent to kill another man. Two minutes later he posted another video of the murder. That video was available on the social media site for over two hours before the suspect's account was disabled and the video was no longer visible. Today Facebook says it is reviewing its reporting flows in order to help people inform the site about content like this.
Cleveland police seek suspect in murder streamed on Facebook
The Cleveland Police Department has confirmed it's looking for a suspect, Steve Stephens who committed a homicide and streamed the crime on Facebook Live. Sadly, this isn't the first homicide broadcast on the platform, however, in this case, it was intentional. According to Heavy.com, the video showed Stephens speaking to an elderly man before shooting him through the window of a car. On the stream, Stephens claimed to have killed others and threatened to continue. Police report that he is armed and dangerous and are warning people not to approach if they see him.
Police make first arrest in Facebook Live sexual assault case
Law enforcement is taking sweeping action following a horrific sexual assault streamed on Facebook Live. Chicago police report that they've made the first arrest in the case, bringing a 14-year-old boy into custody. There will be more arrests soon, according to the CPD, including a 15-year-old who's next in line. Details of the case are mostly under wraps beyond a connection between the victim and one of her attackers (their age prevents disclosing some of the facts). However, it's already clear that the livestream wasn't the end to the internet-based trauma -- in fact, it's still ongoing.
Facebook opens up donations for personal needs
Last year, Facebook announced a tool to help you create fundraisers for 501c3 nonprofits verified by the company. The social network even extended those donations to live videos. Today, Facebook is giving you the chance to raise money for causes that hit a little closer to home. With what it's calling personal fundraisers, the company will allow you to accept donations to cover expenses for education, medical, pet medical, crisis relief, personal emergency and a funeral or loss.
Facebook opens up 360-degree livestreaming to everyone
One of the most useful things that Facebook has done with Oculus is (ironically) make it work on Samsung's GearVR and host 360 degree photos and videos that users can check out on the headset. The social network has now expanded that idea greatly with the wide launch of Live 360, a VR-like way for users to stream and consume live content. Provided you have the tech and bandwidth, the new app gives "your audience a chance to be in the moment through both place and time," Facebook says.
