Live Streaming Overview
Mark Weisberg avatar
Written by Mark Weisberg
Updated over a week ago

Uscreen allows you to create engaging live streams on both the web and apps where you can chat with your members and even collect donations. We'll also auto-record a VOD for you that you can publish in your catalog as a replay.

Getting up and running can be quick and easy. Use your existing video recording setup and pair it with an encoding software to send us the stream and we'll do the rest. If you've streamed on YouTube or Twitch you might already have software you like to stream with and you can use the RTMP option to stream to Uscreen.

If you don't have a favorite software see the list of apps below; we've successfully run streams with all these softwares, so feel free to explore and find one that suits your needs. There are many more options available to you that aren't listed, just ensure they allow streaming via the RTMP protocol.

Web Browser Apps

Web browser apps don't require any software to install and can get you up in running in minutes. They may have some limitations around number of cameras you can use in a stream or the max quality allowed to stream on certain plans.

Desktop Apps

Desktop apps can allow you much greater control over your stream. Custom overlays, multi-cam setup, multi-mic setup, and fine tuning quality settings and more are possible with most apps.

Mobile Apps

While mobile apps offer a lot of convenience for streaming, they are also pretty power hungry. Ensure you've got a super stable WiFi connection and check that your phone isn't getting too hot.

If you're simply looking to use your phone camera to stream you can look into connecting your phone to a desktop app listed above for increased stability. This will allow you the benefit of using a really great camera while offloading the power requirements to your computer which is much more suited to streaming.

Technical Recommendations

The software you choose may ask you to set the quality settings for your stream. Usually the defaults don't need to be changed, but if you run into stream issues have a look at the settings below and see if you can adjust your settings to match:

  • Video Codec - H.264 (Main Profile)

  • Audio Codec - AAC

If these aren't options in your encoding software, no problem. Their default profiles are likely fine.

Great Quality - 1080p 30fps

  • Bitrate - 5000 kbps

  • Keyframe Interval - 2 seconds

  • Minimum upload speed - 7.5 Mbps

Good Quality - 720p 30fps

  • Bitrate - 3500 kbps

  • Keyframe Interval - 2 seconds

  • Minimum upload speed - 5 Mbps

Works Okay - 480p 30fps

  • Bitrate - 1000 kbps

  • Keyframe Interval - 5 seconds

  • Minimum upload speed - 3.5 Mbps

When you navigate to Live Streaming, under the Content tab, you can add Live Streams by clicking the Add New button.

In the Live Details Editor, you can set up all of the details for your stream:

Once set up, you can make it available for pre-registration by publishing it to the catalog so that customers can view it in your catalog before the event goes live.

Finally, when you are ready to go live, navigate to the Go Live card and press Start Stream.

Make sure to test your connection first by clicking the Test Player! After the event is finished, the video of your live event will automatically appear in your list of videos on the content tab, so you can publish it to your catalog after the event.

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