This article discusses how to configure your live stream on OTT.
In this article:
General
After creating your Event, go to the General tab to configure stream settings. Depending on your Production Mode, you'll see fields to connect encoding software via Server URL and Stream Key or a button to access the Web-Based Studio. Enable Live Engagement (Chat, Polls, Q&A) and configure descriptions and thumbnails, similar to adding information for any other video.
To configure your stream via RTMP:
- Copy the Stream key and Server URL and open up your encoding software.
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Next, open up your encoding software of choice that supports RTMP Streams (Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), Wirecast, XSplit Broadcaster, & Livestream Studio). Paste the Stream URL and Key into your encoding software fields for those.
⚠️Note: If your encoder does not have a field for the Key, put a forward slash (/) at the end of your RTMP URL, then paste the key immediately following it with no spaces.
- To configure your stream via Web-Based Studio:
**An earlier version of Vimeo Events required going into Vimeo.com to connect OTT as a destination but with the updated process, your Vimeo.com event has been created and linked to OTT and no additional steps are needed.
Vimeo event settings
- Record Event - If you want your event to be available on your site after the stream concludes, enable this setting.
- DVR - The DVR (Digital Video Recording) feature allows your viewers to rewatch, catch up on missed content, or pause the live stream to resume watching it later while it is streaming.
- Extended Stream - Live Events are limited to 12-hour durations. If Extended Stream is enabled, you will be able to stream for an unlimited duration.
*Extended Stream is only supported for RTMP events.
**Extended Stream is available as a paid add-on feature. If you do not see the Extended Stream option, talk to your Account Manager about adding it to your contract.
Live Engagement
Below the Full Description field, you will see the Live Engagement section. You can choose whether your event will have a live engagement component (Chat, Polls, Q&A) by enabling or disabling the toggle to Include a live engagement room. You can also choose whether or not to require users to log in before participating in the live engagement. Read about using Live Engagement tools on OTT.
Distribution
The Distribution tab provides comprehensive control over your video's accessibility and visibility. This is where you can determine who is able to view your video, the specific locations where it will be displayed, and whether viewers are permitted to leave comments. Importantly, you have the ability to customize these settings differently for the live event itself and the VOD version that will be available after the live event concludes. This allows for flexibility in managing the audience and engagement for both the real-time broadcast and the archived recording.e.
- Select Archives.
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Determine your end of stream behavior
- If you select Replace stream when your event ends, the VOD of your just concluded event will appear on the live event page so viewers can watch on demand.
- If you are only running a one-time event and don’t plan on re-streaming this event, you should select this option.
- If not selected, when your event ends, the event thumbnail will appear on the live event page and you will be ready to stream your next event.
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You will then be given the option to Use live event settings or Custom settings.
- By enabling the Use live event settings option, the archived live event will have the same distribution settings as the live event.
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By enabling Custom settings, you can change the way the archived live event is distributed by editing the Distribution settings, such as editing which Subscription plans can access, adding it to Collections, Categories, and Products, and selecting which Regions it's available in.
Notify followers
To notify all followers of the start of a live event, select the Notify followers when the broadcast begins option. If you do not want to send notifications, deselect this option. The notification email can be customized by clicking Notification Settings. Email notifications may take up to 30 minutes to be received. Therefore, it is recommended to begin the live stream with a slate image or send a notification manually 30-60 minutes before the event. In-app push notifications will be delivered more quickly.
⚠️Note: This is only an email notification; if you have branded apps, a push notification does not get sent out.
Discovery
Under the Discovery tab, you can configure various metadata for your event to make your event easier to find in search results such as Tags, Genres, Cast, Crew, Rating, Advisory, License, Media ID, and other Advanced Image and Custom Metadata.
💡Tip: Read here about creating, starting, and ending a live stream.