All The World’s A Screen

If you create screencasts or software training tutorials, you’ve probably been using Ambrosia Software’s Snapz Pro, which has been the go-to product for this specialized task for many years. Well, there’s a new kid in town, and it’s fair to say that Vara Software’s ScreenFlow offers some significant advantages over Snapz Pro, to the extent that it’s in a category all by itself.

Video Chat Six-Pack

Instant messaging used to be the most convenient way to have a conversation online. Then along came audio chatting to free us from all that typing. Today video chatting is the best way to feel directly connected to others over the Internet—it’s the next best thing to being there. And while iChat can pull off amazing video chats, it has two main drawbacks: It only supports video chats with up to four people, and it’s Mac only.

After a very public dissagreement concerning pricing, Apple and NBC Universal parted ways a few months back. NBC wanted to experiment with pricing, Apple didn't. In the wake of the break-up, NBC announced it was creating a video portal named, Hulu. Hulu would allow NBC to control its content and sell ads much the same way traditional television does.

On the surface, Hulu seems like the knee-jerk reaction of a spoiled child who, when it couldn't get its way with Apple and the iTunes store, went off and created its own video site. In fact, Hulu is a good start at offering video on demand on the internet. Once you begin exploring the site you get sucked into watching television shows, film and TV clips and full length films. All for free.

Video sites that are full of user-generated content have made producers out of anyone with an internet connection -- but uploading a video of your dachshund barking the theme to Night Court is a far cry from broadcasting live. Up until very recently, live web video was more akin to a jittery slide show.

Fortunately, the Advanced Products team at Yahoo! quietly launched Yahoo! Live, a free web app that allows you to use your Mac’s built in camera and microphone to broadcast your own live video and audio. Since its launch, Yahoo Live! has been streaming all sorts of content, from an Obama rally to a live episode of Diggnation (which proved to be a bit too popular, temporarily crashing the still-experimental service). Read on and we’ll show you how to get started broadcasting your own show.