Speedify LIVE: How Reporters Use Livestreaming with Nick Garnett

Nick Garnett is a reporter and videographer for BBC. He's been in broadcasting since 1986, truly an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to reporting from the field and technology related to this.

This episode of Speedify Live is a must watch - it will take you through the history of equipment used by reporters in live broadcasting in the last 30 years. From vans transmitting to the studio to satellite setups and finally smartphones, Nick takes us through a crash course in live broadcasting.

Here are our 5 takeaways from our interview with Nick Garnett:

1. In the past 30 or so years Nick has seen how livestreaming developed. It's gone from needing a radio car with a pneumatic mast, to using satellite dishes like his Hughes 9202 and ISDN codecs, to eventually being able to run broadcasts from a single cell phone using apps like Luci Live and Speedify.
2. According to Nick, one of the key factors in creating efficient livestreaming technology is keeping it simple! There’s no need for an overabundance of buttons like his old ISDN codec. Make it as simple as possible so everyone could use it!
3. Nick has found the perfect broadcasting device: a Raspberry Pi attached to a small screen, portable in a small custom Peli case, also running Speedify! It has Wi-Fi, an Ethernet port, USB ports for dongles and microphones, while also using Speedify to combine multiple connections in the CLI, so it uses as little resources as possible.
4. The best advice Nick has to offer to fellow livestreamers: have a USP – a Unique Selling Point! Think about how you can monetize what you do and make a living off it; think about what else you have to offer that’s more than just a journalist, and use it!   
5. Naturally, throughout his career Nick has seen many Streamergencies. One such case happened to his wife, who’s also a TV reporter. She was about to report on the weather and the waves from the coastline, but the wind blew the satellite off course so they lost connection completely. If only they had the ability to use online livestreaming with Speedify then!