Connect an SRT stream as an input

Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) is a low-latency protocol used to stream over the Internet to SRT destinations (decoders), such as CDNs and other SRT decoders such as a Pearl-2.

You can configure Pearl-2 as an SRT destination (decoder) and ingest SRT streams as video inputs that you can add to custom layouts for switching, recording, and streaming.

Up to six of the video inputs configured for Pearl-2 can come from SRT sources (or one 4K SRT input).

When adding an SRT input on Pearl-2, be sure to select the correct SRT mode. For example, if the SRT source stream is using rendezvous mode, ensure you set the SRT input on Pearl-2 to rendezvous mode. If the SRT source stream is using caller mode, then set the SRT input on Pearl-2 to listener mode. For more information about SRT modes, see About streaming using SRT.

What's needed for this setup

  • The IP address and SRT port of the SRT source (encoder) is needed for caller mode and rendezvous mode.
  • For rendezvous mode, you must configure the SRT input on Pearl-2 to use the same port value as the SRT source. For an example SRT stream using rendezvous mode, see Set up an SRT stream using rendezvous mode.
  • For caller/listener modes, you must know which mode the SRT source uses and configure the SRT input on Pearl-2 to use the corresponding mode. For example, if the SRT source is in caller mode, then the input must be in listener mode. For an example SRT stream using caller/listener modes, see Set up an SRT stream using caller and listener modes.
  • If AES encryption and a passphrase is required. Consult your IT administrator for this information. Pearl-2 supports 128 bits, 192 bits, and 256 bits AES encryption. Special characters are not supported in the passphrase.

If AES encryption and a passphrase is configured, ensure this information is provided to the SRT source. The SRT stream from the source must use the same AES and passphrase values, see Set AES encryption and a passphrase for SRT.

Add an SRT stream as an input using the Admin panel

  1. Login to the Admin panel as admin, see Connect to Admin panel.
  1. From the Inputs menu, select Add input and select Add SRT input. The SRT input configuration page opens.

  2. In the Connection mode field, select the SRT mode to use for this input.
    1. If Caller mode is selected, do the following:
      1. Enter the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format srt://<encoder-ip-address>:<port>, where the <encoder-ip-address> and <port> could be another Pearl-2 device sending an SRT stream.
      2. (Optional) In the Source port field, enter the port number for this device to use for SRT traffic.
    1. If Listener mode is selected, enter the Port number for this device to use for SRT traffic. See Network ports used by Pearl-2 to determine available ports.
    2. If Rendezvous mode is selected, enter the URL of the SRT source (encoder) using the format srt://<encoder-ip-address>:<port>, where the <encoder-ip-address> and <port> values are provided by the SRT encoder device such as a second Pearl-2.

  3. (Optional) Check Encryption and choose the AES key length if the SRT destination requires AES encryption. These settings must match the encryption settings of the destination device.
  4. (Optional) If a security Passphrase is required along with AES encryption, you can enter that here.
  5. Click Apply.

We recommend using the default latency value for an initial test stream. After you perform a test stream, you can determine the Quality of Service (QoS) and calculate the latency requirements. To set the SRT stream latency, see Adjust latency and view the SRT stream status.