Streaming Basics
Even when all the content, cameras, lighting, and audio are sorted out, live streaming event or YouTube streaming service production is far from complete. The workflow to get the signal from the camera to the screening viewers can make or break the production.
Workflow Decisions
There is not just one way to do it. Don’t limit everything to a single workflow, and get to know the tools and technology that is available to you. With all the encoding and transmission options now available, one really can stream live and have on demand streaming providers from just about anywhere in the world on whatever budget you have and your content will be put up online. The prime thing to keep in mind is the cost and quality to select the optimum workflow for your event.
Video Switchers
The best practice is to use multiple cameras and a video switcher to create a visually interesting, dynamic show. When selecting a switcher, do not underestimate the number of inputs you will need. The best switcher for any project is the one that offers the features you need the most and possibly more notably, it is the one you are most comfortable using. Video switchers have two basic types; hardware-based switchers that run on devoted boxes with their own control surfaces and software-based switchers that run on a desktop or laptop computer with video capture cards or converters. Software switchers are more cost-effective and can deliver an unblemished production. However, software crashes are not in hands if it happens during the event.
Encoding
At some point you need to encode the video into a streaming format. While this usually happens at the event venue, we’ll see some examples later of how it can be done offsite. Just as with switchers, there is a large range of hardware and software encoders, as well as some switchers that also do software encoding. Adobe’s Flash Media Live Encoder, Livestream, Ustream, and YouTube offer free encoding software to stream to their own services. The best system is the one that you know, the one that you have tested extensively, and is stable in that environment with those inputs.
The Question of Numbers
Life would be simpler for live event streamers if there were one universal format and bitrate to encode and distribute in. At the event venue, one option is to encode at a single high bitrate stream that gets transcoded to many renditions in the cloud. Streaming services can take this single stream and transcode it in the cloud to support all kinds of streaming, so it can be viewed on computers, mobile devices, tablets, and set-top boxes. Another option is to generate multiple streams onsite. This requires more expensive encoders and a lot of bandwidth but the quality is higher as there in no re-encoding.
Output
One of the most important and potentially challenging decisions you need to make is how to backhaul or get the video signal from the live event venue to a remote streaming server. Using the public internet bandwidth is the most common and cheapest approach, but other options include using a satellite, fiber, or cellular technology. If you use an internet connection, use a wired connection rather than a Wi-Fi connection. Test the bandwidth, but also keep in mind the fact that pre-event test can be deceptive if you’ll be sharing bandwidth with an audience that hasn’t arrived yet. Bandwidth for the live stream should be dedicated and separate from any bandwidth used for the audience and the stage production.
At Dreamcast, we provide comprehensive online streaming services along with professional video surveillance and online surveillance system. Leave all the work to us and have yourself a successful and buzzing event.
Workflow Decisions
There is not just one way to do it. Don’t limit everything to a single workflow, and get to know the tools and technology that is available to you. With all the encoding and transmission options now available, one really can stream live and have on demand streaming providers from just about anywhere in the world on whatever budget you have and your content will be put up online. The prime thing to keep in mind is the cost and quality to select the optimum workflow for your event.
Video Switchers
The best practice is to use multiple cameras and a video switcher to create a visually interesting, dynamic show. When selecting a switcher, do not underestimate the number of inputs you will need. The best switcher for any project is the one that offers the features you need the most and possibly more notably, it is the one you are most comfortable using. Video switchers have two basic types; hardware-based switchers that run on devoted boxes with their own control surfaces and software-based switchers that run on a desktop or laptop computer with video capture cards or converters. Software switchers are more cost-effective and can deliver an unblemished production. However, software crashes are not in hands if it happens during the event.
Encoding
At some point you need to encode the video into a streaming format. While this usually happens at the event venue, we’ll see some examples later of how it can be done offsite. Just as with switchers, there is a large range of hardware and software encoders, as well as some switchers that also do software encoding. Adobe’s Flash Media Live Encoder, Livestream, Ustream, and YouTube offer free encoding software to stream to their own services. The best system is the one that you know, the one that you have tested extensively, and is stable in that environment with those inputs.
The Question of Numbers
Life would be simpler for live event streamers if there were one universal format and bitrate to encode and distribute in. At the event venue, one option is to encode at a single high bitrate stream that gets transcoded to many renditions in the cloud. Streaming services can take this single stream and transcode it in the cloud to support all kinds of streaming, so it can be viewed on computers, mobile devices, tablets, and set-top boxes. Another option is to generate multiple streams onsite. This requires more expensive encoders and a lot of bandwidth but the quality is higher as there in no re-encoding.
Output
One of the most important and potentially challenging decisions you need to make is how to backhaul or get the video signal from the live event venue to a remote streaming server. Using the public internet bandwidth is the most common and cheapest approach, but other options include using a satellite, fiber, or cellular technology. If you use an internet connection, use a wired connection rather than a Wi-Fi connection. Test the bandwidth, but also keep in mind the fact that pre-event test can be deceptive if you’ll be sharing bandwidth with an audience that hasn’t arrived yet. Bandwidth for the live stream should be dedicated and separate from any bandwidth used for the audience and the stage production.
At Dreamcast, we provide comprehensive online streaming services along with professional video surveillance and online surveillance system. Leave all the work to us and have yourself a successful and buzzing event.
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