YouTube Friday began hosting live streams. But don't go looking for how to get your basement version of Wayne's World on the internet just yet: For now, this power is reserved for pre-approved "trusted partners," not for the kitten-on-the-keyboard masses.
YouTube isn't saying just how many live casters it will enable from day one but that it intends "to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead." It's clear from the new YouTube Live page that there is more than enough to get the ball rolling with quantity and variety.
An especially nice touch? You can add an upcoming live stream to your calendar.
YouTube has hosted a small number of "event" live streams, but this is the first time it is getting into territory pioneered by such players as uStream, Qik and Justin.tv. Unlike these services, however, there is no mobile functionality for YouTube streamers yet, so nothing will come from smartphones or tablets.
Limiting participants, requiring a certain kind of encoder and keeping it out of the mobile space are all part of what Google says in an attempt to ensure a level of quality. But it will also help minimize the chances of "Chatroulette moments" for a service which, despite the vast volume of material it accepts and hosts, still studiously tries to keep NSFW material off its site.
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