Video production is particularly ripe for disruption. Historically, organizations have worked with agencies or production companies to develop high-end videos a few times a year. Large enterprises may have internal video teams and onsite studios. Not only is this approach expensive and time consuming, it’s limiting. No one wants to lug around heavy camera and lighting equipment, which creates geographical restrictions. And when only a select few possess the technical expertise required to use complex software, bottlenecks quickly pop up.

Many organizations embraced a more DIY approach during the pandemic, e.g, recording content on Zoom. But quality and workflow issues make this method unsustainable for enterprise use. That’s where cloud video production comes in.

The future of video production

An emerging technology category, cloud video production enables organizations to remotely record, produce, and distribute studio-quality video from a single, unified platform. This flexibility unlocks dozens of use cases across teams.

When it comes to remote recording, many organizations find themselves comparing OpenReel vs. Socialive, as they may be searching for an OpenReel Alternative. But, as we’ll explore below, recording is just one piece of the puzzle. To really transcend the old ways of work, you’ll need a unified solution.

OpenReel vs. Socialive: Technical comparison

OpenReel is a remote video creation platform. It’s great for recording in 4K, recording different frame rates, and remotely controlling cameras.

Socialive is a cloud video production platform. It’s built for remotely recording, producing, distributing, and repurposing studio-quality video at scale.

Still scratching your head? Let’s take a deeper look at how these offerings compare.

Remote recording

Both OpenReel and Socialive allow teams to remotely record up to 4K resolution video using the equipment they already have, i.e., a laptop, smartphone, or tablet — or an expensive professional camera, if you have one on hand. From a quality perspective, both platforms are good options. There are, however, some limitations with OpenReel:

  • With OpenReel, you can only capture isolated recordings (ISOs). We might be biased because our platform automatically captures both composites and ISOs, but we think composites are critical for post-production and repurposing content (more on both those later).
  • Due to its limited browser support, OpenReel recommends you stop recording after just 15 minutes to avoid dropped sessions. You can record on our platform until your computer runs out of space and you finally have to delete all those screenshots on your desktop.
  • You can only record up to 4 guests at a time on OpenReel. We don’t want to be like that one person you know who claims they have 20 best friends. But you can record up to 20 guests on Socialive, so…
  • Sometimes you don’t know how long a recording will take, or the perfect sound bite will come right as the time you planned is ending. OpenReel charges by the recording hour, which makes these situations difficult to accommodate (and cost you more). Socialive has unlimited recording hours and storage, because oftentimes spontaneity yields the best creative moments.

Virtual Green Room

You know how in-person studios have green rooms where performers can hang out when they’re not in front of the camera? We have that too, but in the cloud. Socialive’s Virtual Green Room is a digital space for behind-the-scenes communication, tech checks, and dry runs. Up to 20 guests can join from their desktop or mobile devices — anywhere in the world. We don’t have snacks, but if anyone knows how to get those in the cloud, please reach out.

Guess who doesn’t have a Virtual Green Room?

Why an all-in-one platform streamlines video creation

OK, we’ve covered the differences between OpenReel and Socialive in regards to remote recording. But delivering a great video involves more than just capturing your presenters. Namely, you’ll want to add some production elements like lower thirds and branded graphics, so your video doesn’t look… blah.

And you should obviously distribute your video so people actually see it — either live across channels (like for a virtual event) or later for a host of opportunities (like product demos, snackable clips on social media, you name it).

Many organizations rely on a complicated tech stack of disparate tools and technologies to do all of these things. For example, you’d use OpenReel to record your presenters, manually convert the file to MP4, import it into a video editing tool like Adobe Premiere Pro, then upload that gussied up version to a video hosting service like Vimeo. It’s a lot.

When we’re not envisioning a world where cloud snacks exist, we’re thinking up ways to streamline video workflows. We think teams should spend less time doing monotonous tasks so they can focus on the stuff that matters most. That’s why Socialive powers remote recording, production, and distribution — all in a single platform.

OpenReel is a solid remote recording option. But it lacks the bigger picture features we think teams need to work more efficiently, including:

  • In-platform production value: OpenReel only facilitates remote capture, which means you have to export your file and perform all the post-production work with other tools. With Socialive, you can combine multiple presenter feeds into layouts, then add overlays, recorded videos, branded graphics, and lower thirds — all directly in our platform.
  • ISOs and composite recordings: Socialive automatically records and transfers every broadcast and individual feed to your secure recordings library. By capturing both (remember: OpenReel only records ISOs), Socialive cuts down on the amount of post-production work required.
  • Integrations: Socialive integrations mean you can remotely capture ISOs in up to 4K in our platform, then send them to external applications like Frame.io, Vimeo, Kaltura, Google Drive, and more with one click. These integrations enable our users to spend less time downloading and uploading, and more time strategizing and ideating.
  • Clipping and repurposing: Our platform enables businesses to maximize the value of their content by repurposing it. Unlike OpenReel, Socialive users can clip highlights from any recording. These clips can be used as is, or pulled into Socialive Studio to add intros, outros and graphics. You can even add clips to a future run of show. Or, download the MP3 track and make that fledgling podcast idea a reality.

Socialive’s enterprise-grade features

One last thing you should consider: Socialive was built to meet the scale, flexibility, and security needs of the enterprise. Our video experts provide strategic value, going above and beyond successful onboarding and platform implementation.

Additionally, Socialive’s one-click integrations allow businesses to seamlessly connect with their preferred file hosting sites, marketing automation platforms, and video editing tools to streamline workflows, save time, and lower costs.

Last but not least, we’re dedicated to helping organizations maintain compliance. Socialive can be deployed swiftly and securely across the entire organization with a single-sign on (SSO) authentication method. We only capture strictly necessary PII, encrypt all video content, and have secured our SOC2 certification (note: OpenReel has not secured SOC2). You can also switch off certain features for specific clients. And our cloud-based recordings library provides a centralized space to review content before publication. These considerations ensure our platform meets or exceeds enterprise security and compliance requirements.

When considering OpenReel vs. Socialive, keep in mind: OpenReel only handles the recording aspect. We think an intuitive, all-in-one platform for recording, producing, and distributing video is essential to streamlining workflows while maintaining brand consistency and meeting compliance standards. That’s why we do it all!