Entrepreneur Valentin Ivanov (pictured below) is launching a service in the spring that will allow users to livecast HD video to computers, notebooks and smartphones.

One aspect of the Yaika 2 HD video streaming service that Ivanov emphasizes most is that the simultaneous number of viewers can be over 10,000. Video will be streamed at a higher volume for computers, and at a lower rate in the case of telephones.

Ivanov demoed the new service this past December at the company’s new headquarters in Ülemiste City.

The entrepreneur says that Yaika 2 is being aimed at organizers of conferences, seminars, workshops and concerts. The service allows events to be carried out and transmitted (sold) at significantly lower cost.

“Organizing a conference for thousands of people online is much cheaper than renting rooms, sending out invitations, paying for security, catering and everything else. At the same time, the quality is just as good,” says Ivanov.

How it works

The process is as simple as pie. First, register as a Yaika.com user and describe your event. Then specify the method of payment – whether the organizer will spring for the costs of the event and the livecast and it will be free for viewers, or vice versa: pay-per-view for the audience on their computers or smartphones. The price of admission should also be specified and whether it is to be paid by Paypal, credit card or SMS. Yaika takes care of the rest, including the livecast.

Ivanov says that the idea of such a service has been making the rounds for years. But first testing had to be conducted on how people actually use videos on the Web. Back in 2008, Ivanov launched the social network Yaika, which is similar to Ustream.tv or Justing.tv. Yaika has close to 7,000 users, most of them in Latin America.

Mainstream service

Ivanov says Yaika 2’s competitors include QIK, Usteam.tv and livecasting.com, but notes that they are primarily for pros. Yaika 2 positions itself more as an everyman’s kind of service.

Yaika 2 is part of Ivanov’s Winning Technology Group – WTG9 – where the number 9 stands for the entrepreneur’s personal lucky number. The same group includes a slew of other companies, such as the digital private archival service provider Eesti Arhivaar, the consultancy WinTech, the Information Technology Law and Expert Office, and others.