Problem With the Stream
When it comes to live streaming, there are a lot of moving parts. Broadcasters need a workflow for filming the live event, encoding or transcoding the files, delivering the video to users, and allowing playback by viewers. While a modern live streaming platform makes it unproblematic to get started, problems tin can still pop up along the way.
Even though simply two.6% of alive streams neglect to commencement —the biggest trouble with live video correct now—businesses can still lose out on viewers when streams take issues. If something goes wrong, therefore, information technology's crucial that broadcasters respond with error handling best practices for streaming.
That's why nosotros'll have a deep dive into how to troubleshoot video streaming bug immediately. Our suggestions generally follow a typical streaming workflow from video encoding through to delivering and playback.
Let'south get right into it.
Table of Contents:
- Check Encoder Settings
- Confirm Bandwidth Availability
- Compare Upload Speed & Bitrate
- Plough Live Channel On
- Open Streaming Ports & Firewall
- Review CDN Status
- Verify Embed Lawmaking For Video Role player
- Ensure Video Histrion Compatibility
- Inspect Viewer Restrictions
- Switch Streams
- Decision
one. Check Encoder Settings
Most live streams require a hardware or software encoder to catechumen RAW video files into a format suitable for streaming. Modern encoders, still, have a lot of settings to cull from, and an improper configuration could crusade issues.
That'southward why at Dacast, we recommend the post-obit settings .
| VIDEO CODEC | H.264 (x264 may work) |
| FRAME Charge per unit | 25 or 30 |
| KEYFRAME INTERVAL | 2 secs (or 2x frame rate) |
| SCANNING | Progressive |
| ENCODING BITRATE | Abiding (CBR) |
| AUDIO CODEC | AAC |
| Sound BITRATE | 128 kbps |
| Sound CHANNELS | 2 (Stereo) |
| AUDIO SAMPLE RATE | 48 kHz (48,000 Hz) |
These settings are a baseline requirement for a live streaming setup with Dacast. That's considering they're ideal for ensuring compatibility with the Dacast video platform and a wide range of user devices.
If yous don't run into a message that indicates the encoding hardware or software is streaming to chief, in that location could exist an consequence with your encoder settings.
First, you'll want to ensure your live stream encoder is pointed at your streaming server, which delivers the stream to end-users. The encoder's "Stream Name" and "Stream URL" should match the values provided by your Online Video Platform (OVP) . If the encoder but has a single URL field, you'll need to employ the 'Backup URL' under the 'Other RTMP encoders' department of Dacast's encoder setup page.
If y'all're using encoding software that's not integrated with Dacast, you lot may need to enter a login and password during configuration as well. This information—which is different from your Dacast account—will also appear on the Dacast encoder setup folio.
When multi-bitrate streaming, some encoders require sure names for each stream. The requirements may be different, however, depending on which encoder you're using. If at that place nevertheless seems to be an issue with your encoder, we recommend trying another option like OBS Studio .
2. Ostend Bandwidth Availability
Bandwidth measures the charge per unit of data transfer, which varies depending on streaming quality, viewers, and more than. That means some streams will use more traffic than others, and you'll need to analyze your bandwidth usage and availability if you have a live streaming problem.
Every Dacast program has a limited amount of bandwidth bachelor for streaming. In one case you've hit the limit, your stream volition stop unless you've set up up overage protection. You can also upgrade your video bandwidth at any time, only it won't go into effect mid-stream.
You can check if you've striking the limit past viewing the "Upgrade my program" option within your Dacast account. You tin can also apply our figurer to determine which plan matches your bandwidth requirements based on broadcast frequency, viewers, stream length, and quality.
3. Compare Upload Speed & Bitrate
The bitrate of a stream is a measurement of the number of bits required to be transmitted per 2d. The speed of transferring the stream to your OVP needs to be at least as fast as the video stream's bitrate. Streams with bitrates that exceed bandwidth could suffer from lags, buffering, or outages.
If you're using adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming, your total bitrate is the sum of every bitrate you're streaming simultaneously. We recommend keeping this amount at less than half of your upload speed because network conditions often fluctuate throughout the day.
You can test your upload speed using https://testmy.internet/upload . If your stream is having functioning issues, compare your upload speed to the total bitrate. Then, make adjustments to the bitrates included in your streaming profile to run into if information technology helps.
You can besides improve your upload speed itself by using a wired connection, increasing your internet programme, moving your encoder closer to the router, or limiting WiFi usage of other devices on the network.
Y'all should brand adjustments to your full bitrate and upload speed until you find a balance that offers loftier-quality streams without issues.
iv. Plough Live Channel On
When broadcasting with Dacast, you'll need a live channel turned on and configured properly. The aqueduct settings decide which features are enabled, whatsoever viewer restrictions, the video player's branding, and more than.
For example, yous may want to prepare a channel to stream to an HTML5 video player , a low-latency live aqueduct, or a playlist channel for a continuous series of videos. Channels give broadcasters full command over how their video content reaches end-users.
Y'all'll demand to create a alive channel within the Dacast dashboard to deliver your encoded video stream to users. Live channels are set up to off by default, and so a simple mistake is forgetting to enable them before the stream starts.
If the encoder is running, but the video preview is black, make sure you've turned the correct live channel on within the Dacast dashboard.
5. Open Streaming Ports & Firewall
While about broadcasters can begin streaming immediately, sometimes certain ports are airtight by their IT team or a firewall. In some cases, your network or calculator may accept an integrated firewall that blocks the required ports automatically.
If there are issues, you should first check if port 1935 is open up when streaming troubleshooting. This is the default port for RTMP and is necessary for your encoder to transfer the stream to Dacast. In addition, the video platform will attempt to use port fourscore or 443 equally a backup too. That's why it'due south a good thought to ensure all 3 ports remain open.
For Mac users, you can check which ports are open by opening the Network Utility. From there, enter your IP accost and click scan. Afterward a few moments, you'll meet a list of open up TCP ports.
Windows users can check their open ports using the Command Prompt. Blazon in the command 'netstart -a' and press enter. Whatever ports that appear with the LISTENING country are open up already.
If you encounter that 1 or more of the necessary ports are airtight, you'll probable need to contact your It team to become them opened manually.
6. Review CDN Condition
A content commitment network (CDN) is a prepare of worldwide servers used to distribute content. These servers cache the video content (or other information) close to users to shorten the transfer distance or last-mile commitment. This tin can greatly reduce the latency of streaming video.
While content delivery networks (CDNs) are meant to improve the performance of streaming video, they tin even so take bug. In fact, some CDNs like Cloudflare take experienced outages in the by .
Once video content is sent to the Dacast platform, it's transferred to a CDN and distributed amongst its servers automatically. That means Dacast users have little to worry about when it comes to managing the CDN.
You tin cheque downdetector or a similar site if your viewers in sure regions are experiencing issues, as there could be CDN servers down. If you practice believe the CDN is down or it'due south not functioning correctly, contact us and we tin can investigate the issue.
7. Verify Embed Code For Video Actor
When using an OVP like Dacast, information technology'due south ordinarily straightforward to embed videos across the Internet on websites or within social media posts. For nigh broadcasters, copying and pasting the embed code provided within the Dacast dashboard is all information technology takes to share video content.
In that location are 2 types of embed codes available: iFrame and JavaScript. Either of these tin can exist inserted into HTML to integrate alive streaming nearly anywhere around the web.
You can verify that the embed lawmaking was copied correctly by checking the page source code. Right-click on the folio and cull 'View Page Source', and so search for 'Dacast' within the markup. Compare this to the embed code inside the Dacast dashboard and recopy it if necessary.
8. Ensure Video Role player Compatibility
Today'due south viewers sentinel live streams beyond a broad array of devices with different video histrion implementations. That means you lot need to use a streaming protocol that is uniform with a broad range of video players and devices.
For well-nigh broadcasters, that ways using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), which is compatible with whatever HTML5 or Video.js-based video actor . This includes Dacast's ain video player that'due south fix for virtually whatsoever device also.
In improver, almost browsers are phasing out the Wink Player , and then if you're streaming over the RTMP protocol some users may not be able to lookout. If you lot're getting user complaints, check which browser and device they're using to access your stream.
Ensure your streaming contour is uniform with the video players that your viewers use so that you're capable of reaching your unabridged audience.
9. Inspect Viewer Restrictions
Geographical or domain-specific restrictions are critical for preventing piracy and complying with regulations in a item region. Broadcasters can limit where the stream is viewed from and which websites the video tin can be embedded.
If viewers can't see your alive stream that should be able to, however, you should ensure your restrictions are configured properly. Y'all may exist inadvertently preventing your audition from accessing the stream.
Within Dacast, all countries tin access a stream unless you create a list of item countries that you want to receive the broadcast. Make sure you haven't left off any country your target audition may be viewing from.
Similarly, you lot'll want to confirm that whatever sites yous want to brandish the live stream are included on the list of allowed referrers inside Dacast. Information technology's also important to note that these restrictions only piece of work with JavaScript players and not with iFrame embeds.
10. Switch Streams
If none of the previous solutions fix your live broadcast, we recommend trying a backup stream or creating a new one from scratch.
Dacast provides a fill-in stream URL that's nearly identical to the primary URL, only in that location'due south 'b' at the beginning instead of 'p'. Supersede this in your embed codes and test the backup stream's playback again.
If the fill-in stream doesn't work, we advise creating a new stream from scratch. In some cases, you may notice settings you misconfigured the beginning time effectually.
Finally, if all your alive streaming troubleshooting doesn't assist, experience free to contact technical support, which is available to Dacast users 24/7. The Starter Plan includes chat support, while the Pro and Premium Plans provide telephone support also.
Conclusion
Brands should implement a robust and resilient live streaming workflow they tin can rely on in the futurity. The last thing a broadcaster wants is bug during a live stream that touch the user experience. That said, knowing how to troubleshoot live streams is disquisitional for companies.
Luckily, Dacast'south streaming platform makes setting upwardly and managing live streams as easy as possible. That's why the video streaming solution was nominated as the Best Small/Medium Business organisation Platform in the 2019 Streaming Media Readers' Option Awards .
Dacast is an end-to-terminate video streaming solution that gives broadcasters everything they demand to evangelize high-quality live streaming events to their audiences. It's compatible with most encoders and provides a powerful video role player that's congenital to deliver live streams around the web.
If you lot think Dacast may be a fit for your system, attempt our xxx-twenty-four hours free trial now (no credit carte required). Find out for yourself how straightforward hosting professional video can be.
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Thanks for reading, and good luck with your troubleshooting efforts!
Source: https://www.dacast.com/blog/troubleshoot-live-streaming/
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