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Apply HN: Horde.tv – Live stream any show or YouTube video

11 points by brotaku ↗ HN
prototype: http://www.horde.tv

15 second gif walkthrough: http://i.imgur.com/7AGRMnF.gifv

Why:

Live streaming is everywhere (Livecoding, Meerkat, etc), and the interactive experience of watching live + realtime chat is great. But all these apps focus on live broadcasts when there are so many existing videos that would be exciting to watch with a live audience (ie: Bob Ross on Twitch). Not to mention, these existing videos tend to have much higher production value, compared to some live streams on periscope and others.

We’ve created a site where anyone can create a live channel of their favorite videos. Everyone is synced to the same second of the video as it plays so you can chat in realtime. Videos are embedded directly from YouTube and Vimeo (original creators still benefit from YouTube ads and revenue).

Growth:

We’ve partnered with a handful of popular YouTubers to create their own live channels from their YouTube videos. Many YouTubers love the idea of increasing viewership and having a chance to showcase their videos to a live audience.

Who’s behind it:

We’re a team of two engineers who have worked on several apps together. Hobby YouTuber with over 15 million views.

Progress:

We’ve built the prototype and are launching it for the first time right now. Neither of us are UI designers so please excuse the mess :) we’re open to comments & suggestions! Or you can email us: hello@horde.tv

TLDR: Horde lets you watch youtube videos and tv shows like you’re watching a tv channel (with realtime chat).

17 comments

[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 56.4 ms ] thread
Zekio
Not a fan of the lack of volume controls
brotaku
We're still figuring out which direction to go one several features. We disabled the controls bar (incl. vol) so each channel feels more like a live stream where you can't pause/skip through the video. However, you can still use the keyboard to control volume (up/down keys)

But we're going to give it try: we've re-enabled the control bar. Thanks for the feedback

10dpd
Be very careful about adding/removing features based on one comment in a forum.
brotaku
I agree. However, we're open to trying suggestions that are reasonable and feasible for us to implement without tying up too much time. His/her suggestion took less than 30 seconds and has a relatively minor impact on the site. We'll change it back if we don't feel its a good fit.
tasteup
As a fan of Vsauce, CGP, and several conference channels (JSConf) this looks promising. I definitely see the value in having live chat alongside the video.

But instead of YouTube videos, I think this is a better fit for watching shows like Netflix/Hulu live (not sure if they allow embedding). I regularly tune into new episodes on Hulu - this would fit perfectly.

brotaku
Thanks for the feedback. We're starting with YouTube & Vimeo videos because there's an endless pool of great content to start with and embedding is built-in. Not to mention, content creators continue to benefit from ad revenue.

We'd love to add Netflix shows for live streaming in the future. We've had a lot of people suggest the same.

johnsoncreek
Cool idea though I'm not seeing the chat on mobile
brotaku
The realtime chat is disabled on small mobile screens because there just isn't a lot of space. The chat is enabled for tablets and larger screens.
sajeevaravind
Can this be used for broadcasting small events live to people who couldn't attend physically? Although I'm not sure realtime chat will be of much use there.
brotaku
Yes, we even had a stream go up yesterday for Kobe's final NBA game. Realtime chat was fun to watch as the game unfolded.
ajsgarage
The concept is neat, had a chance to view briefly. Can you comment on any 'gatekeeping' type considerations for age/region/content in regards to either the videos being broadcast and/or the comments being written? In an ideal world I wouldn't be asking such things, but in context of the internet at large, I think it'd be neat to hear your perspective(s) and potential avenues to address them.
[deleted]
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brotaku
Currently channels are meant to be available to everyone with no age/content restrictions from our part. Any inappropriate content will be flagged and removed.

However, since videos are sourced from platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, they may impose their own restrictions such as unavailability in certain regions. We've started adding more video platforms to ensure there's content available for all regions.

chadnickbok
This sounds really fun - obviously Twitch's Bob Ross stream was an incredible experience. (I work at Twitch)

Do you think that youtube will provide enough engaging content for people to start getting into the platform? How could you go about getting 'real' popular content onto the platform, and if this works how can you compete with Twitch?

[deleted]
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brotaku
Awesome to hear feedback from someone at Twitch - to answer your questions:

- Absolutely. As the largest video platform, there's a ton of great content produced on YouTube everyday. Not to mention, a growing number of legally available shows (including Bob Ross!) on YT. YT is also just a starting point.

- We're working with several notable YT creators to bring them in as partners. In comparison to Twitch, we're focused on pre-existing content that can be watched as live channels.