A tiny wireless streaming camera controlled from your iGadget, Livestream's Mevo puts you on the world stage.
Not so long ago live video streaming was beyond the reach of your average punter but it's gone mainstream in the last few years as social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have baked it into their mobile apps. These days it's easy to stream live video directly from your smartphone or tablet, but the Mevo is aimed at people who want to take things to the next level.
The palm-sized $652 Livestream Mevo is a wireless video camera controlled by an iPhone or iPad, making it easy to stream live video to Livestream or Facebook as well as record to a microSD card. The camera features a Sony 4K video sensor, accompanied by a slightly fish-eyed lens to give it a 150-degree horizontal field of view, as well as an impressive omni-directional stereo microphone.
There's a microSD slot on the back (the camera comes with a 16GB card) along with a microUSB port for charging – with the battery good for roughly 1 hour of live streaming which is a little disappointing considering that it's designed for live events. There's an AC adaptor in the box along with a 3-metre USB cable.
The camera comes with a small clip-on mount which adds a tripod thread to the bottom, but there's also the optional $407 Mevo Boost stand. The Boost triples the height of the camera and adds another 10 hours of battery life, plus it features Ethernet, USB and a tripod thread. If you need the extra battery life for outdoor events then the Boost isn't really all that optional and you can buy it and the camera in a bundle for $977.
Get in the picture
The Mevo is simple to set-up and link to your streaming account once you've downloaded the Mevo app to your iGadget, but make sure you go the extra step of connecting the camera to your Wi-Fi network unless you're prepared to stream video via 3G/4G mobile broadband.
While the camera features a 4K sensor it only streams and records MP4 video in 720p, but of course you're at the mercy of your upload speeds. These days you probably get faster upload speeds over mobile broadband than your home connection, but keep in mind that live streaming via 3G/4G could get very expensive very quickly.
The fact the Mevo is totally reliant on the iOS app is obviously an instant deal-breaker for some people, all the manufacturer has to say about Android support is "not yet". In Mevo's defence the app offers far more than a remote on/off button for the camera, it's actually a video mixing desk which lets you play camera operator and director while starring in your live stream.
The Mevo app shows you the camera's wide-angle view, with a red box indicating which section of the picture is currently being broadcast. You can drag your finger around the screen to zoom in and out as well as pan around, resulting in smooth professional-looking camera movements rather than wobbly handheld efforts.
The app makes it easy to control everything yourself, plus you can program the camera's physical on/off button to automatically start streaming to your service of choice. You can also save several camera angles in a grid, perhaps close ups of the drummer and lead guitarist, and easily jump between them as if you had a multi-camera studio. The app supports face detection and motion tracking for lead singers who like to jump around the stage.
While the app lets you run a one-man show, to get the most from it you'll probably want to be the off-camera director. Along with controlling the camera angles, the app's advanced options let you adjust the video settings, as well as the audio using a mix of sound from the camera's onboard mic as well as the iGadget's mic. The app only controls one camera at a time, but if you're keen to go pro you can integrate Mevo as one of several remote cameras in the Livestream Studio production switcher.
So how does it look?
Surprisingly good, with respectable colours and contrast, although not on par with a GoPro when it comes to dynamic range and low-light performance.
The camera is set to auto-exposure by default and if you're standing in direct sunlight the highlights of your face can blow out, but thankfully you can take manual control of settings like such as brightness, exposure and white balance. Remember the Mevo isn't intended to be carried around, rather you mount it in one spot and then adjust the video settings to taste.
The Mevo's resolution can also be underwhelming at times, as the camera doesn't actually move when you change camera angles, nor does the lens adjust when you zoom. Instead these tricks rely on digital zoom, so the tighter the shot the grainier the picture. It's not too bad in the right lighting conditions but is particularly noticeable if the camera's contrast is struggling in the bright sunshine.
While close-ups are still very watchable, the Mevo is better-suited to covering events – using a wide shot to take in a stage or sports field – rather than close ups of people talking directly to the camera. It could work well with a studio talk show, jumping between different people on the couch. The omni-directional mic is great for capturing ambient noise, whether it's sound of the people in the audience or the birds in the trees. There's no mic jack on the camera, but you could attach a mic to your iGadget.
Of course you're also at the mercy of your upload speeds and live streaming service. The camera uses adaptive streaming to allow for network conditions but Mevo recommends minimum upload speeds of 5 to 10 Mbps, which most Australians could only access via 4G mobile broadband. Thankfully the picture still looks pretty good when connected via Wi-Fi to Telstra cable with 2 Mbps upload speeds, streaming on Facebook on roughly a 12-second delay.
The camera can be fussy when it comes to Wi-Fi signal strength – with the picture quality dropping and the app spitting out a "slow internet, stop and restart the system" warning a few times when I was outside on the other side of the wall from the Wi-Fi router.
While the stream stuttered and even froze as I moved the camera into a poor coverage area, to its credit the stream didn't drop out and the quality improved as soon as I moved the camera back into range. The Mevo Boost's Ethernet port can help the situation, assuming you can run an Ethernet cable to the camera and there's fast broadband on the other end.
You need to monitor the Mevo's bandwidth demands and thankfully you can manually limit the camera's video resolution and upload speeds. You tap the screen to access this option, it's not in the settings where you'd expect to find it. It's set to HD 720p by default but you can opt for Medium 480p or Low 360p.
Mevo recommends an absolute minimum of .5 Mbps upload speed and at least 1 Mbps for HD, but with access to 5 Mbps upload speeds it could chew through 2 GB per hour so keep a close eye on your data usage.
So what's the verdict?
It's an amazing bit of kit and the picture quality is great in the right conditions, but the Mevo isn't for everyone. Everyday users might balk at the camera's price and required upload speeds, while professionals might not be satisfied with the limitations of digital zoom.
Livestream's Mevo is really designed for pro-sumers who are looking to lift their game when it comes to live event coverage while still keeping things simple. If you're keen to carry an outside broadcast van in your pocket this summer then there might be a spot for the Mevo under your Christmas tree.
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