An optional chat feature, for live and VOD streaming, is built into the media player for an interactive viewing experience. Chats can be themed, matching the look of a website, with low barriers for getting viewers up and chatting.
DaCast has developed an all-in-one media player solution. Everything a viewer needs is conveniently found in the player itself, from the ability to purchase pay per view monetization content to being able to select between associated viewing channels. This includes the ability to live chat with others currently watching a stream.
To start a live chat, a viewer only has to scroll over the player. This will cause the bottom player controls, which includes playback features and the ability to make a broadcast full screen, to appear along with a tab to the right. Clicking this tab will open up a pane within the video player. This pane can, depending on options enabled, contain several features. This might include channel information, the ability to change between different channels or the ability to live chat.
By selecting live chat, the user only has to select a chat handle that they will be associated with before being able to join an existing chat or start the conversation themselves.
To do live chatting, there is no need for a unique account or lengthy sign up process. The service is established on getting viewers up and chatting as quickly as possible, so they won’t have to miss a beat in a live stream and can participate in conversations.
Live chat on DaCast includes built-in support for emoticons, or smileys. This means when a participant enters in a sequence of characters that is compatible, they will be replaced by a corresponding icon to make the flash appear more visually appealing. A supported icon list includes:
:-) = Smile
:-( = Frown
:-o = Shock
;-) = Wink
:-P = Tongue
:-D = Very Happy
These icons can also be used without the dash, such as ":)" or ":P". Icons are also not case sensitive, except "Very Happy" which must use an upper case "D".
The live chat over the DaCast media player is set up with user privacy and protection in mind. Important user details, such as an e-mail address or even full names, are not revealed during the chatting process to peers. Viewers can sign on and chat freely knowing that their details are secure and not being revealed to others, beyond a user designated chat handle that is selected before chatting.
The DaCast media player is a fully customizable solution that can be themed based on broadcaster preferences. Color and look are editable and can be saved as themes that are stored, making it easy to use a theme across many different channels so a consistent look is maintained.
The customization alters all aspects of the media player, including the built-in Pay-in-Play interface for monetizing video and also the live chat. Theming impacts all facets of the player, creating a seamless look across the media player's many features and to ensure it can be seamlessly integrated as embedded videos on other sites.
The chat functionality is an optional utility. Broadcasters can turn off this feature if they don't want it to appear on a stream through the channel manager.
