How do I Simulcast to Other Platforms?
Simulcast sends your channel to other platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitch, at the same time as your watch page. Owners and administrators can set it up.
How Simulcast Works
- No extra encoding: each destination gets a copy of one of the resolutions your channel already produces. Cecula Stream sends the highest one that fits the destination's limits.
- Your whole channel is sent: destinations receive whatever your channel is airing, including playlists, scheduled broadcasts and program episodes as well as live feeds.
- A little behind: destinations run a few seconds behind your watch page.
- Changes apply quickly: adding, pausing or editing a destination takes effect within about 10 seconds, without restarting the channel.
⚠️ Destinations get your channel around the clock
If your channel plays playlists all day, your destinations receive them all day too. For platforms where you only want live events, pause the destination until the event starts. See Pause, Edit or Remove a Destination.
Before You Start
- Get the stream key from the platform's live streaming settings. Some platforms also give you an ingest (server) URL.
- Check the key is current. Some platforms issue a new key for each event.
- Set up the platform to receive a live stream, if it needs that first.
Add a Destination
- In the channel menu, click Simulcast.
- Click Add Destination.
- Choose the Platform.
- Optionally, enter a Label, such as Main YouTube channel.
- Paste the Stream Key.
- Check the Ingest URL:
- Platforms that publish one: it's filled in. Change it only if your account uses a different one. The stream key is added on the end.
- Platforms that don't: paste the URL the platform gave you, without the stream key.
- Optionally, open Override this destination's limits to change Max height (px) or Max bitrate (kbps). Leave a field blank for no limit.
- Click Add Destination. Cecula Stream confirms Destination added.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| The ingest URL must start with rtmp:// or rtmps://. | Use the RTMP or RTMPS address from the platform |
| … does not publish a fixed ingest URL, so this destination needs its own. | Paste the ingest URL from the platform |
Platforms
| Platform | Ingest URL | Limits it starts with |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Live | Filled in | None |
| Facebook Live | Filled in | 720p, 4,000 kbps |
| Twitch | Filled in | 1080p, 6,000 kbps |
| TikTok Live, Instagram Live, X (Twitter) | Paste your own | 720p, 4,000 kbps |
| LinkedIn Live, Rumble, Dailymotion | Paste your own | 1080p, 4,000 kbps |
| Kick, Vimeo | Paste your own | 1080p, 6,000 kbps |
| Cecula Stream | Paste the other channel's RTMP Server URL | None |
| Other (custom RTMP) | Paste your own | None |
- Cecula Stream: forwards your channel to another Cecula Stream channel. Use that channel's stream key.
- Other (custom RTMP): for services such as Restream or Castr, or your own receiver.
The list of platforms and their starting limits can change. The Add Destination form always shows the current ones.
Check a Destination's Status
The card at the top of Simulcast shows either:
- On air — forwarding to … of … destinations, with the channel's top resolution, while broadcasting is switched on
- Off air — destinations start forwarding when this channel goes live, while broadcasting is switched off. See Turn Broadcasting Off
Each destination shows its platform and label, its ingest URL (never the key), the resolution it's being sent, and its status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Live | Receiving your stream, with how long for, such as Live 5m |
| Connecting | Starting. It becomes Live once the connection has held for a few seconds |
| Retrying | The platform dropped or refused the stream. Cecula Stream keeps trying, waiting longer between attempts, up to a minute. The error appears under the destination |
| No rendition fits | None of your channel's resolutions fits the destination's limits |
| Paused | Not forwarding |
| Idle | Waiting for your channel to go on air |
Under the resolution, a note says why it was chosen:
| Note | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| channel's best | The destination gets your top resolution | Nothing |
| capped by resolution | The destination's Max height rules out higher resolutions | Raise Max height, if the platform accepts more |
| capped by bitrate | The destination's Max bitrate rules out higher resolutions | Raise Max bitrate, if the platform accepts more |
| nothing fits | None of your channel's resolutions fits. The resolution shows -- | Raise the destination's limits, or switch on a lower resolution in Settings |
If a Destination Keeps Retrying
Read the error under the destination, then check:
- The stream key: is it correct, and still current?
- The ingest URL: does it match what the platform gave you?
- The platform account: is live streaming enabled, and is it ready to receive?
- The limits: are they within what the platform accepts?
Pause, Edit or Remove a Destination
- Pause: click Pause. The destination moves to Paused (Paused — won't forward until resumed) and keeps its settings. Click Resume to start forwarding again.
- Edit: click Edit, change the Label, Ingest URL, Stream key, Max height (px) or Max bitrate (kbps), then click Save. Cecula Stream confirms Destination updated. Leave the stream key blank to keep the current one.
- Remove: click Remove, confirm Stop forwarding to …?, and Cecula Stream confirms Destination removed.
Stream keys are stored securely and never shown again. To change one, type the new key when you edit the destination.
Choose the Right Limits
- Start with the defaults. They come from the platform's published limits. Raise them only if your account accepts more.
- Your channel's resolutions set the range. Destinations can only receive resolutions switched on under Stream Output Resolutions.