Live streaming with Zype 101 - Streaming Your First Live Event Live streaming with Zype 101 - Streaming Your First Live Event

Live streaming with Zype 101 - Streaming Your First Live Event

This article is a step-by-step guide on the expected workflow to create and start an OnDemand Live event using ZypeLive.

There are 3 main elements involved in a ZypeLive event: 

  • The Live event object is created on Zype's dashboard, which will be linked to a video object on your library. 
  • The account's ZypeLive 'Cloud Encoder', which you can manage from encoder.zype.com
  • Your 'Source encoder', is the software or hardware on the venue from where the stream originates. 

Now let's create the first live event, we are going to follow a 4 step process:

  1. Create the event live event on Zype
  2. Start the Cloud encoder
  3. Configure and Start the local encoder
  4. Review the stream and Start the broadcast

 

1. Create the Live Event

Let start by creating a new OnDemand live event, from the Navigation menu, click on Live Events and then on 'Create A Live Event'. 

 

Create Live Event 1.png

 

Go through the wizard set up a title, description and leave the event type as 'OnDemand' and click 'Continue' on the next screens you can set up monetization options and categories just like with any other VOD asset.

 

Create Live Event2.png

For this test event, we can skip adding any monetization or categories, Click continue again a couple of times until you reach the time of event section, here you can schedule future events to start and/or end at a specific time. For this test event, we will use the 'Broadcast Now' option. The actual event won't start just yet.

Create Live Event3.png

Before we start the event -by clicking on the red Start Broadcast button-, we need to turn ON the cloud encoder and set the source encoder using the encoder detail from this page, we'll need the RTMP URL, username, password, and the stream key.

 

2. Turn on ZypeLive Cloud Encoder 

One of the benefits of the ZypeLive product is that you get your own personal encoder, which is not shared with any other user, this allows for persistent advanced configuration and a static URL RTMP address, however, you are responsible for turning your encoder ON and OFF before and after each event. 

 

The most common option to turn your encoder ON and OFF is from encode.zype.com, which you can reach from the manage encoder button on the main Live Events section.

 

Create Live Event4.png

 

On encoder.zype.com we need to click on the 'Status' toggle to Turn ON the encoder, the Publish username and password are also available on this website, as with the RTMP URL, are persistent and won't change. 

Create Live Event5.png

Note: While the toggle changes state instantly, it take about a minute for the encoder to become online, it's recommended to wait a couple of minutes before toggling the switch again. 

 

3. Setup and Start the Local encoder

In this guide we are using OBS Studio as a source encoder, It's open-source software for video streaming and capture, but you can use most hardware or software encoders that support broadcasting to custom RTMP servers.

Since the encoder settings won't change, the encoder setup only needs to be done once, and usually, there is no need to update the configuration for future events.

Depending on the encoder, the required details might have a different name or form, at the end all that is needed are the details we already have from step 1. 

Create Live Event6.png

If the encoder doesn't have a separate field for the App name or the streamkey/streamname, it can also be included on the URL like this:

Create Live Event7.png

Note: If you encoder doesn't support authentication send a message to support@zype.com

 

Using OBS as source encoder, our sample configuration looks similar to this:

Create Live Event8.png

As mentioned before, it's important to wait a couple of minutes after the cloud encoder is started before we can start the stream on the local encoder. Once the conjuration is in place we start the stream on the source encoder. 

 

4. Review the stream and Start the broadcast

With both encoders up and running, the last step is to review the stream and verify it's reaching the platform before we start the broadcast, The stream can be reviewed from the live event, by clicking on the 'show stream' option. 

Create Live Event9.png

If the live indicator is present and the event looks good you can click the START BROADCAST button to send the stream to the player!

That's it the event is now live, you can use the event on the library as with any other video asset, for example, embedding the event on your website

Finally, After the event is done, you will have the option to archive the live event and keep it as a VOD asset