Capture it, encode it, stream it!
Live streaming is the process of taking audio and video from a live event and sharing it in real time with one or more end viewers using the internet. This article explains when you would use live streaming and what live streaming hardware and software may be required to enable a great viewing experience for your audience.
When would I use live streaming?
Legal
- Stream and record courtroom proceedings
- Stream evidence to jurors
- Live stream remote depositions
Live streaming case studies
- Live event video streaming with Epiphan Pearl – a Case Study
- How to live stream to a YouTube Live event
- Stream video to Wowza Streaming Engine from any source
- Capture Air Traffic Control (ATC) Audio/Video with VGA Grid
- How to capture lectures, stream them and upload them to LMSs
- Stream evidence to tablets for judge and jurors using VGA Grid
How does Epiphan enable live streaming?
Solution 1: Use a video grabber & streaming software to stream from your laptop.
Step 1: Capture and encode the audio and video sources with a video grabber external capture card. Epiphan has video grabbers that capture audio and video from SDI and HDMI™, or video from nearly any other video source with audio added to the streaming software from a microphone or line-in to the computer.
Step 2: Use software to stream to viewers (or record for future video on demand streaming). Epiphan’s video grabbers work with software like Telestream Wirecast, Skpye, Lync, GoToMeeting, Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder, Cisco WebEx. Use these software solutions to stream to the web, to a CDN, or to a YouTube Live Event.
Solution 2: Use an Epiphan streaming and recording system
Step 1: Connect your audio and video sources to the streaming and recording system. Epiphan has product models that capture, stream and record anywhere from one or two sources all the way up to models that can scale to capture up to 64 HD sources simultaneously.
Step 2: (Optional) Create layouts to organize your video into picture in picture or to add background images and logos.
Step 3: Stream and record. Epiphan’s streaming and recording systems have built-in support for point-to-point streaming to individuals, streaming to enterprise streaming servers and for streaming to CDN providers including Wowza Streaming Cloud, Livestream, YouTube.
Reaching your viewers
There are three common ways that live streaming is done:
- Point to point streaming: Each viewer connects directly
- Enterprise streaming servers: Provide transcoding and user authentication for viewers on a local network
- CDN Streaming: Scales to a large number of viewers on the Internet and can be monetized
Point to point streaming
- Each viewer connects directly to the streaming system
- Performed on a local network or over the internet with correct network setup
Enterprise streaming server
- One connection from the streaming system to the server, your viewers connect to the server
- Transcoding and scaling done by the enterprise streaming server
- Typically performed on a local or campus network
CDN streaming
- One connection from the streaming system to the CDN, viewers connect to the CDN
- Transcoding, scaling and geographic dispersal of the stream done by CDN
- Monetization possible
