This guide walks you through starting, previewing, going live, and stopping a live stream from the Control Room.
In this article:
Before you begin
- Set up your encoder. This involves two parts:
- The encoder settings, such as bitrate and keyframe interval. Learn about the encoder setup.
- The ingest URL setup, based on the source type you selected:
- Schedule a live event using one of these options:
- Create an Event from the Schedule events page.
- Create an Event from the Event templates page if you run an Event regularly.
Find the Go live button
The Go live button is in the Control Room for your live event.
- Open the Schedule events page and select your Event.
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Click Go to Control Room.
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In the Control Room, locate the Preview and Go live buttons, along with broadcast and source status information.
The Control Room has two tabs:
- Ingest settings tab: contains technical streaming configuration, including channel URL, ingest URLs (RTMP/RTMPS), and stream keys needed to set up your encoder.
- On-screen overlay tab: lets you add scrolling text that appears at the bottom of your live stream as a looping crawl message, visible to viewers across some devices (except for iOS) and platforms during playback.
If your selected source is already streaming another event, the Control Room displays the details of that active event instead.
This can happen when using the same source for multiple concurrent events. To run simultaneous live streams on separate channels or events, use a dedicated source for each one.
Start the live source
If you're using RMS or MUX source, start by clicking Preview (recommended) or Go live. RMP Live Streaming isn't an "always on" service: you must activate the live source before sending your stream, or you won't see your contribution feed.
Don't leave the channel running for more than 15 minutes without input from your encoder, or the streaming server may become unstable.
Click Preview once your setup is complete.
Previewing ensures your stream is fully captured and nothing is lost for the viewer.
You can also start a stream automatically. Learn about auto-start.
Preview the stream
Click Preview to start the live source. It takes about 60-90 seconds for the live source to start and become ready for input.
If you're starting from a "cold state" (no activity in the last 30 minutes), allow an additional 5 minutes for the servers to warm up and become fully operational.
In the header of the Control Room, the Live source state changes from Stopped to Starting, then to Running when it's ready for data. In the player, you'll also see "Waiting for stream data" once the live source is ready to receive your encoder data.
Preview doesn't send the stream to the public; it's visible only in the Control Room. Use it to verify the stream is stable and your inputs are correct. The system doesn't record the stream during preview, and preview content isn't available in the Digital Video Recording (DVR) feature.
Go live
When you're ready to go live, click Go live.
Your preview disconnects and the player stops showing the preview stream - this is normal. It can take up to one minute for the live stream to start, though 30 seconds is typical.
The live stream begins from the moment you click Go live, but the recording for Video on Demand (VOD) starts only from when the stream actually begins broadcasting. The VOD captures only what was actually streamed live.
Without using Preview, you may lose up to 10 seconds of the initial input when the stream starts.
The player in the Control Room shows the same stream the public sees on the channel page.
Stop the stream
RMS and MUX live sources shut down automatically after 12 hours of continuous streaming; this limit doesn't apply to HTTP live stream URL sources. Contact Ravnur Support to discuss extending this limit.
When you're done streaming, click End live stream in the Control Room.
Wait until the media appears in the player in the Control Room (not in your streaming software, such as OBS) before clicking End Stream. Allow extra time for data to process fully after streaming to avoid content loss.
This Event appears in Schedule events with an On Air status.
The recording stops. As long as the viewer doesn't refresh the page, they can continue viewing the stream using the DVR feature. The Live source state changes from Running to Stopping, then to Stopped.
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