Going Live
A live feed takes over your channel. While it's on air, viewers see your live picture instead of your playlists and scheduled broadcasts. When it ends, the channel goes back to its programming by itself.
Ways to Go Live
| Method | Good for | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| OBS, vMix or another RTMP encoder | Studio productions, graphics and switching in software | How do I Stream from OBS or vMix? |
| Browser camera | A laptop or phone camera, with nothing to install | Stream from a Browser |
| Cecula Feeder app | Phones used as cameras, or streaming videos stored on a phone | Stream with the Cecula Feeder App |
You can use several at once. Every feed can join the channel's feeder pool, where you choose which one is on air. See How do I Switch Between Feeds?.
Before You Go Live
- Check the channel can broadcast. The subscription must be active, and the broadcasting switch on the Overview must be ON. Live feeds don't air while it's off. See Turn Broadcasting Off.
- Set the live event details. Enter the title, location and description on Live Stream. See How do I Set Live Stream Details?.
- Switch recording on, if you want a recording. Do it before you start: switching it on during a broadcast restarts the feed, and viewers see a brief cut. See How do I Record My Broadcasts?.
- Have your stream key or feeder link ready.
What Happens When You Go Live
- Your stream key's feed goes on air automatically. When an encoder connects with the channel's stream key, the channel cuts to it as soon as it sends video, usually within a few seconds. Whatever was playing is interrupted.
- Other feeds wait in the pool. Feeds from a feeder stream key, the browser feeder or the Cecula Feeder app go on air only when you select them on Feeders, or when Auto Feed is on.
- The screens show you're live. The Overview shows STREAMING, and Broadcast Status on Live Stream shows LIVE.
- Your details are published. The Channel API returns your live event title, location, description and show banner, and the recording is named after the title. The watch page shows your channel description, or the episode's details during a program episode. See How do I Set Live Stream Details?.
- Only one encoder can be the direct feed. If a second encoder connects with the same stream key, it doesn't take over. It joins the feeder pool as an extra feed, named FDR1, FDR2 and so on.
What Airs When
Your channel always plays the first of these that's available:
| Order | Source |
|---|---|
| 1 | The live feed on air |
| 2 | A scheduled broadcast whose start time has come |
| 3 | A program episode in its broadcast slot |
| 4 | The rotation playlist for the current time belt, or the default playlist |
| 5 | Your channel poster, or colour bars |
While broadcasting is switched off, only the poster or colour bars play. See Programming.
After the Broadcast
- The channel goes back to its programming. When the live feed stops, the channel waits a few seconds in case the encoder reconnects, then returns to whatever is next in What Airs When.
- Another live feed can take over. If another feed in the pool is selected and still connected, it stays on air instead.
- The recording is processed. If Auto-record Stream is on, the broadcast is added to your Media Library, processed, and appears in Catchup. See What Happens After a Broadcast.
- The session is logged. It's listed under Recent Live Streams on Live Stream.
- Your systems can be told. Webhooks can notify your server when a live show starts and ends. See How do I Set Up Webhooks?.