Please note that the following article is intended for advanced users who are comfortable with the technical aspects of setting up a live event with 3rd party tools. If you're not familiar with these technicalities, we suggest that you use Uscreen Live Studio to go live.
There are tons of different 3rd Party Tools that you can use to go live. You may want to use these 3rd party tools for greater control over your live event and advanced features like Overlays, transitions, etc. We highly recommend utilizing OBS Studio.
OBS Studio is a free open-source recording and live-streaming software that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux! It's just one of the tools you might use if you want to create a Live Event in Uscreen.
As far as streaming software goes, it's our number one recommendation for ensuring you get the best quality that your mic and camera can stream into Uscreen.
Think of OBS as a switchboard where you plug in all the mics and cameras you want to use. You get total control over the quality and can switch between video and audio sources like a DJ.
Creating a Live Stream Event
From your admin dashboard select Content > Live Streaming
Click on Add New
Give your Live Stream a Title, Description, and Organize it by categories.
Select the Start Date and Time if you're going live in the future.
Decide which purchase options you want available.
You can make it available to active subscribers and also allow for one-time purchase access.
Select any other settings you want to enable such as Live Chat or Donations.
Don't forget to publish your live stream to make it available in your catalog and open pre-registration for your members!
Click Save
Setting Up Your Stream Key
The instructions below are specifically for OBS, but can be adapted for use with other tools.
On the Live Event editor, you're going to see a section called RTMP. Here you'll find your Stream URL and Stream Key. This key is needed so OBS can link with Uscreen.
Copy it by clicking on the Copy key button next to the Stream Key.
Note: Stream keys can be reused for future events. You will have to wait at least 5 minutes from event to event to reuse the same key. If you are creating a completely new live event, then you won't need to worry about that.
Setting Up OBS
We recommend you review OBS' quick start guide.
In OBS, navigate to Settings and click the Stream tab. Under Service, click Show All, find Uscreen, and click on it, then you can paste in your Stream Key on the Stream Key bar. Click OK to save the changes.
On the OBS control panel, select Start Streaming.
Testing Your Live Event
Now Uscreen should be receiving your stream from OBS, but before you go live, make sure you give your Live Event a test.
Go to Content and click Live Events. Select the Live Event you want to stream and click Edit. Then under the RTMP section, click on Test Player. If you see your video/content from OBS you are ready to go live.
Note: You will have to wait at least 60 seconds to see your content when trying to test it.
You should see your video feed appear in the test player similar to below:
Latency Mode
Latency mode allows you to change your latency which has an impact on the delay between you and what your viewers see.
Going Live
Once you're ready and have fully tested your event, you can click "Start Live Stream" in the RTMP Section to begin your live stream!
Warning: You need to test your player at least 5 minutes BEFORE going live to prevent it from being visible to your audience.
Ending your Live Event
Once your live event is over you'll need to end the event in the Live Event Editor.
Click on Finish Event to end the live stream.
After the Live Stream Ends
Once you end your live event you'll be taken back out to the Live Stream listing page. You'll notice that your event is now listed as processing. This status indicates that your live event recording is being processed and will be available as a video for your catalog soon.
You'll also be able to view a list of attendees. Please allow up to 48 hours after completion of the live event for this list to be available.
Where is the recording of my event?
Head over to Content > Videos and you'll see the recording of your event as unpublished. Once the video has finished processing you'll be able to make it available for replay in your catalog.
Other Popular Live Streaming Tools
Although we cannot give specific instructions for every tool, the above instructions can be adapted to fit other tools as they generally have similar functionality.
Restream
ScaleEngine
StreamYard
Wirecast
XSplit
Zoom
Note: Our support team can only provide limited support for 3rd Party Streaming tools. If you're encountering issues with other tools we recommend switching to OBS and following this guide, or using Uscreen Studio.
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
FPS - 30 or 60 FPS
Uscreen is best optimized for 30 or 60 FPS. If you stream with any other frame rate, you may encounter issues.
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
Common Issues
Seeing "The stream is currently not active. Attempting to establish a connection..." ?
This message indicates that you have started your live stream inside of Uscreen however your 3rd party tool such as OBS is not sending the signal to Uscreen. Please double-check that you have started your stream inside of your 3rd party tool and that you have all of the correct information such as the streaming key.