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Comment by pg | Hacker News Reader

Man, those Ustream guys are such fakers. They don't have any technology; they just use a laptop with a webcam and a wireless connection. And yet reporters keep mentioning them as if they were comparable.

A bit like the seed funding business, come to think of it...

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I think this says more about reporters than it does about Ustream. Reporters all follow the same equation: controversial title, dissenting "industry expert", competitor, and hopeful conclusion. Justin.tv is so new that ingredient three is scarce.

How is Justin.tv any superior technology wise? He is still using a camera (a helmet cam) tied to a laptop which he carries on his back, right? And Justin uses EV-DO cards for wireless internet access. Admiditely, Justin.tv will probably trounce Ustream due to their content anyway but technology wise I dont see much difference..

I personally think there is a better way of doing this... Please see our YC app for more info ;-)

I agree that I'm skeptical of any significant technological advantage that Justin.tv possesses but they have a huge credibility advantage.

Compare Justin.tv to Ustream.tv. Justin immediately presents us with live video and even provides his real cell phone number. I was actually the first user to call, as far as I know :). On Ustream, I'm having trouble viewing any live video and even more trouble understanding what exactly I'm watching.

Comparing technology in Justin.tv and webcam with wireless connection is like comparing Lisp and Java..

Justin.tv created barrier by using the best mobile technology they know of. With that they can show contents that can not be achieved by users of Ustream.tv. The geeky gears give them branding, network effect and intangible assets, etc to widen the gap with other competitors

Well, I'm actually interested in the specific differences rather than speculation. In the end content wins, but my curiosity was more on the technology. I'd like to find out more but at the same time I understand the Justin.tv guys will want to protect their trade secrets.

I don't know how much detail I can go into without messing up potential patent applications, but their infrastructure took them about 6 months of very hard work to build, and they are first-rate hackers.

I met one founder of ustream at a conference this year, clueless faker for sure. Tall asian guy. Talked to my friend and I like he had a script memorized. Was easily confused by our questions. Explained to us how to set up an account we're both programmers btw in great detail. Talked about money. When asked about their technology he said its "proprietary" and then added some things that made no sense . Just a stupid asshole, why would they send him to interact with techies?

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