Ravnur Media Services (RMS) handles the technical infrastructure for live streaming so you can focus on your content. Choose RMS if you want reliable live streaming without building and maintaining your own infrastructure.

You provide:

• A streaming encoder (like Open Broadcast Software (OBS), or Wirecast).

• Your video source.

RMS provides:

• Stream ingest processing.

• Multi-quality encoding (optional).

• HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) and MPEG-DASH output for broad compatibility.

• Live recording and DVR (rewind) playback.

• Streaming delivery using RMS’s built-in CDN or your own CDN.

In this article:

How RMS live streaming works

Live event types

How RMS live streaming works

RMS delivers scalable cloud-based live streaming with built-in DVR, multi-bitrate encoding, and automatic packaging to HLS and MPEG-DASH formats.

Before diving into the workflow, understand these core distinctions:

• Ingest vs playback URLs
  Your encoder pushes to the ingest URL; viewers consume from playback URLs (HLS/DASH manifests). These are never the same URL and never interchangeable.

• Live event vs live output vs asset
  Three separate objects in one pipeline. The live event ingests and processes the incoming stream. The live output connects that running event to an asset, writing the stream into it as it arrives. The asset is the storage container that ends up holding the recording. 

• Streaming locator vs streaming endpoint
  The streaming endpoint is the single delivery service on your account; it can't be removed, and every account has it by default. The streaming locator is what exposes a specific asset through that endpoint and is what actually generates playback URLs. 

• DVR vs live archive vs VOD (finalized asset)
  During the event, RMS continuously writes the stream into live archive storage. DVR uses that live archive to let viewers rewind while the event is still running. When the event ends, RMS finalizes the recording into a VOD asset - this is the "instant live-to-VOD" behavior. Learn more: DVR, live archive, and recording behavior.

For detailed definitions and API references, see Live streaming glossary.

The diagram below shows the complete live streaming pipeline from encoder to viewer:

How it works:

1. Your encoder sends the live feed to RMS using Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Secure Reliable Transport (SRT), or Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).
2. The live event ingests and validates the stream.
3. RMS applies Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) encoding (or no encoding for passthrough) based on your configuration.

4. During the live event, the live output writes the live archive to an asset. At the same time, the streaming endpoint packages and delivers HLS/DASH to viewers.

5. After the event ends, the live archive becomes available as VOD.

With RMS, you can preview and broadcast your live streams in HLS and MPEG-DASH formats. Your viewers can play back the live stream with any HLS- or DASH-compatible players. We recommend using Ravnur Media Player.

Live event types

RMS offers two live event types: passthrough and Adaptive Bitrate (ABR). Choose the type based on your latency, quality, and cost requirements. 

• Passthrough - delivers your stream as-is without re-encoding, 

• ABR - transcodes it into multiple quality levels for adaptive playback. 

Choose based on your latency, quality, and cost requirements. See Live streaming: event types and compatibility for a full breakdown and protocol compatibility matrix.

Next steps

1. Live streaming quickstart - create your first live event.

2. Live streaming glossary  - learn about other aspects of streaming.