i stream. u stream. we all stream.

Back in the 80s, one phone company tried to sell little video phone call devices with 2″ screens. People didn’t buy it. Now we have video calls via iChat or Skype video. But what if we could do video calls with more than 4 people at a time?

I’ve watched Chris Pirillo and and Robert Scoble on Ustream.tv. It’s a pretty nifty web app, and right now it’s being billed as “lifecasting”. Lifecasting can be a bit voyeuristic or exhibitionistic, depending on your perspective.

And dreaming big, I’d say Ustream.tv is on the verge of the next wave of communication — where multiple people can video chat with each other! As affordable bandwidth increases, and computer hardware keeps up with throughput for smooth audio and video, this has got to be just around the corner. Next best thing to being live face-to-face.

I’ve watched a few minutes of Justin Kan too (but not sure what tech setup he uses). He lets people embed his video on other websites, like below: