Comedian Sinbad, ‘Miami Ink’ Star Ami James Leverage LiveU Solo for Facebook Live Streaming

LiveU Solo has provided stand-up comedian Sinbad with reliable Facebook live streams while he is on tour. In addition, Miami Ink star, Ami James, took his talents to Facebook Live for a unique interactive game show using LiveU Solo. 

Sinbad on the Road with Solo
Stand-up comedian and actor, former cable guy and self-proclaimed tech nerd, Sinbad, was on the hunt for the latest and greatest gadgets to use on his upcoming 15-city U.S. Comedy Tour. He wanted to add a live component to his social media repertoire and understood the value of doing his research when it comes to making sure his fans get to see the same quality content in his live streams as they do in his live performances.

Sinbad and his co-producer (and son), Royce, wanted a device that was easy to use and extremely reliable – especially while live streaming from backstage at one of his shows or in his car. They chose LiveU Solo for the ease of use and the ability to go live from a phone to a high quality camera. But more especially important what the ability to go live from anywhere – including a cell congested JFK Airport terminal.

“My son and I jumped on the LiveU Solo train and picked up a couple of units. We have been streaming backstage at shows, in airports, hotels, in the car…you name it.”

How Ami James Brought Mystery Tattoo Live to Fans on Facebook
Miami Ink star Ami James, took his talents to Facebook Live for a unique interactive game show. James’ tattoo culture website Tattoodo.com and Danish production company Drive Studios partnered with the social media platform to deliver eight 50-minute live episodes of “Mystery Tattoo” on Tatoodo’s Facebook Page. LiveU partner, Midtown Video, consulted and provided the live streaming services, a critical component of the show.

Drive Studios designed the shoot with two Canon C300’s, a Roland VR50HD switcher, wireless HD-SDI links for the cameras, and an accompaniment of wireless audio for host Ami James and the Love Hate Tattoo Artists. To maximize upstream bandwidth, Midtown used LiveU Solo since the small space did not have reliable internet access. The outbound stream was split across multiple network interfaces, including 4G LTE. “LiveU was crucial for the production as the tattoo parlor where we were streaming had low bandwidth,” notes Jesse Miller, CTO, Midtown Video.

“We didn’t know what to expect from the Solo going into production,” notes Kasper Dahl Verner, Head of Production, Drive Studios. “It took me about two minutes to understand and in the end, it was stable and performed flawlessly.”

The show broke boundaries of interactivity between the viewer and the media.  Facebook viewers voted in real-time to decide which tattoo designs would be  inked on contestants knocked out after each round of competition. Clicking  surprise, love, or other face-emoji’s, registered a vote for the corresponding  tattoo design. Mojo, the shop bulldog, even made an appearance to tip the scales of fate in some games. The winning contestant after 3 rounds of elimination earned a free tattoo from Ami, valued at up to $1,000. Mystery Tattoo episodes garnered more than a million views. “This live streaming phenomenon is resonating with our customers and we have been getting many requests to provide reliable streaming services, as well as creating studios for them to produce on their own,” adds Miller.