Justin.tv

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Justin Kan speaking at Gnomedex in 2007

Justin.tv, founded in San Francisco by Justin Kan, is a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. The original Justin.tv was a single channel that evolved into the Justin.tv network of thousands of diverse channels. Paul Graham, of the seed capital firm Y Combinator, initially funded US$50,000 to Justin.tv.^[1]

Justin.tv has been compared to EDtv, Being John Malkovich, and The Truman Show.^[2] Wearing a webcam attached to a cap, Kan decided he would wear the camera 24/7, and he began streaming continuous live video and audio at midnight March 19, 2007.^[3] The novelty of the concept attracted media attention, and the resulting interviews included Ann Curry on the Today Show (April 2, 2007), Tom Merritt on the first episode of CNET Live, Nightline (April 6, 2007) and World News Tonight (April 8, 2007).

1 Background
2 Technical details
3 Expansion
4 Pranks
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Background

Justin.tv follows the tradition of sousveillance, i.e. the recording of an activity from the perspective of a participant in the activity. Justin.tv builds upon other previous similar projects also featuring 24/7 live Internet streaming including:

Steve Mann's Wearable Wireless Webcam (simultaneous video broadcast and reception over the Internet with an EyeTap) in 1994;
JenniCam in 1996;
DotComGuy in 2000;
Joi Ito's moblog (description and historical background) in 2002; and
Gordon Bell in 2004. (Microsoft held an Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) academic conference workshop entitled Continuous Archival and Retrieval of Personal Experiences (CARPE) featuring an opening keynote address by Steve Mann and a talk by Gordon Bell, about 24/7 live streaming, via the internet, of one's everyday life.)^[4]

[edit] Technical details

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Originally, the mobile broadcasting hardware consisted of a proprietary Linux-based computer in a box, four Evolution-Data Optimized USB networking adapters, a commercially produced analog to mpeg-4 video encoder and a large Lithium-Ion battery with eight hours of running time. The setup currently used is one wireless EVDO networking card and a wearable computer (a Sony Vaio TX in a backpack)^[5] the video is streamed at ten frames per second from Kan's location using a commercial off-the-shelf product from on2 (Flix(R) Publisher for Live Broadcasting)^[6] Justin described his project as "lifecasting."^[3]

The computer is responsible for taking an encoded video stream from the camera and sending it to the main website. The backpack and system was developed by Kyle Vogt, one of the four Justin.tv founders. At times in the past, the computer overheated in the backpack, and the video feed stopped. This was mitigated by a switch to standard laptop hardware, running Windows and the Adobe Media Encoder. While Justin.tv claimed to be live 24/7, the stream frequently went down. Kan removed the capcam at night, switching to a camcorder on a tripod. The Office Cam, run in 640x480 high resolution (usually minus audio), shows the main office area where the Justin.tv staff works.

[edit] Expansion

Justine Ezarik lifecasting on Justin.tv.

On April 18, 2007, Kan took a one-day vacation, and the capcam was worn by 23-year-old Pittsburgh graphic designer Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine)^[7] as she explored San Francisco with her friend Desiree (who also briefly wore the capcam). On May 29, 2007, Justin.tv expanded to the East Coast with a second 24/7 feed hosted by iJustine in Pittsburgh.^[8]

In the summer of 2007, Justin.tv became a platform for more than 60 different channels.^[7] Beginning July 21, 2007, channels were listed by popularity, starting with the most popular on the left. The "Directory" at the top of each channel in the Justin.tv network shows which channels are live and which are not broadcasting. Depending on the entry time, a visitor might see only a small selection of the available channels.

By August 2007, channels were being added at an average rate of two a day, with content covering both lifecasters and event streaming. The international locations range from Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and France to the Netherlands and Sweden. In some cases, a lifecaster might travel from one country to another, as was the case when Lisa Batey traveled from Brooklyn to Tokyo and Kyoto in August 2007. Not all the participants have mobile equipment, however, and most simply transmit an image of themselves sitting at their computer. During this same time frame, singer-songwriter Jody Marie Gnant and others began lifecasting independent of Justin.tv on Ustream.tv and elsewhere.

On October 2, 2007, Justin.tv became an open network, allowing members of the public to register and broadcast.^[9] By April 10, 2008, Kan stated in an Interview with Tom Merritt that Justin.tv had signed 30,000 broadcasting accounts.^[10]

[edit] Pranks

Justin.tv has been targeted by pranksters. Because the site released its call-in number, a user was able to spoof the caller ID on phone calls, using an IP Relay service. On March 21, 2007, a user called the San Francisco Police Department and filed a false report about a stabbing in the apartment. Viewers witnessed two police officers entering the apartment minutes later. The following day, someone reported a fire at the apartment. Six firetrucks immediately responded, but because this occurred outside, it was not caught on camera. The San Francisco emergency services then put Justin.tv's number on a list which requires a confirmation call before responding to any emergencies.^[11] Kan changed his number and kept the new one private. Other Justin.tv lifecasters have also been victims of pranks.^{[citation needed]}