Since the beginning of 2011 I have been broadcasting video to Ustream and Justin.tv using iPhone apps. Both are very similar and have their strengths and weaknesses. I would like to list what I like, and don't like, about both.
From the beginning I have had problems with both apps. I would frequently get disconnected, which might be blamed on AT&T's notoriously bad cellular reception in San Francisco. I notice that it happens more in some areas than others. Both apps also sometimes crash, that is, close unexpectedly, or otherwise malfunction. Both have been updated a number of times, sometimes improving things, sometimes making them worse. For several months I could not use Justin.tv at all, because the current version of the app simply did not work, and I was not the only broadcaster with that problem. Now the Justin app is working fairly well, but I must say that the current version of the Ustream app is far more reliable. It does not disconnect or crash nearly as much as before, or as Justin does. I can now broadcast on Ustream for hours without interruption.
However, I do not get very many viewers on Ustream. Sometimes I don't on Justin, either, but at other times I attract quite a crowd. I definitely get more viewers on Justin. I prefer not to broadcast if there are no viewers to interact with, so even though Ustream has the better app, I tend to be on Justin more often. I do maintain a regularly scheduled show on Ustream, at 5:00 pm Pacific Time on Sundays and Mondays, but am lucky sometimes if even on viewer shows up.
But interaction is key for me. Both apps have issues with seeing the chat room, although that's improved somewhat. But sometimes I will not see anybody typing in the chat room, and I cannot tell if they're just all quiet, or if it's not working. The only way for sure to fix it is to quit the app I'm in and "force quit" it in the iPhone Switcher, then restart the app and hope it reconnects quickly. Fortunately, Ustream has two chat rooms, the second one being called the Social Stream, which they want you to cross-post to Facebook and Twitter. Viewers can uncheck the Facebook and Twitter boxes, but if I type there I am forced to cross-post, which would be confusing if there was anybody following my on Twitter. There is also a forced delay of 30 seconds between posts there. However, it does come in handy when I cannot view the chat room, which at one time was happening for months.
Another thing I like about Justin is the option for high-quality video. The problem with that is that it is often very choppy and annoying for viewers. The only way to get high-quality video on Ustream is to record it offline and upload it afterwards, which I usually do at the end of my broadcast, since the last video I upload plays whenever I'm offline.
Another thing I like about Ustream is that I have the option of seeing the iPhone status bar. This tells me things like, what time it is, my battery status (very important if the cord comes loose), signal strength, whether my GPS app is still running in the background, etc.
Another major advantage of Ustream is that I can switch cameras on the fly. My iPhone has cameras on both sides, so I can switch from forward to interior view, and record what happens inside the cab. The only way to do that on Justin is to stop the broadcast and try to restart it, which sometimes does not work smoothly.
Otherwise, the two apps are very similar to each other, and I will likely continue to use both.
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