Live Podcasts

Macula channels can be shared by streaming over RTMP and thus be used for live casting - either with popular streaming services or with your own RTMP server. This manual covers examples of how to set up live streaming for Youtube and Wowza live casts - working with other RTMP servers is similar.

To access shared channel management in Macula Console, go to the Configuration section in the bottom left panel and select the Live Podcasts component in the menu on the left.

Click the + New live podcast button in the upper panel to bring up the shared channel creation dialog box.

First, choose where you are going to stream the channel: it can be a specific public service or generic RTMP streaming to a service that is not listed, including your own RTMP server; depending on your choice, settings may vary to suit the specific service. Then, enter streaming configuration.

The table below explains the settings in details.

Setting
Description
Default value

Sharing type

Choose between Youtube, Wowza or generic RTMP streaming

Generic RTMP

Channel

Target channel to be streamed

[none]

Use substream

When not enabled, main (higher resolution) stream will be used; enable this option if you want to cast the lower resolution stream

Disabled

Enable audio

Enable this option to include sound for the shared channel, works both for main and secondary streams

Enabled

RTMP URL

Full URL to be used for casting, the link is normally provided by the RTMP streaming engine

[empty]

Youtube Live Streaming

Youtube live casting can use RTMP streams from your Macula server for further streaming.

In order to set up live streaming with Youtube, log in to your account on youtube.com and go to Creator Studio tools -> Live streaming -> Stream now. If you have never created any live casts before, you may have to verify your account - just follow the guidelines on the website.

Scroll down to the Encoder Setup section: you will need the link and the secret stream key in order to build the RTMP link.

In Macula Console, open the Shared Channels section and add a new shared channel, fill in the settings as follows:

  • Sharing type: Youtube

  • Channel: target channel from the list of existing channels

  • Use substream: up to you

  • Enable audio: up to you

  • RTMP URL: rtmp://<server_URL>/<stream_key>, where

    • rtmp:// indicates that RTMP protocol will be used for streaming

    • <server_URL> is Server URL link provided by Youtube, e.g., a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/

    • <stream_key> is Stream Name/Key generated by Youtube in the form of xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

Wowza Streaming

Alike Youtube, Wowza streaming engine can receive video feeds from Macula server and stream them out to any device. You need to install Wowza Streaming Engine first and then configure live streaming as described below.

First, go to your Wowza Streaming Engine Manager and create a new application of the Live type.

Then, go to Macula Console, open the Shared Channels section and add a new shared channel, then fill in the settings as follows:

  • Sharing type: Wowza

  • Channel: target channel from the list of existing channels

  • Use substream: up to you

  • Enable audio: up to you

  • RTMP URL: rtmp://<ip>:<port>/<app_name>/<stream_name>, where

    • rtmp:// indicates that RTMP protocol will be used for streaming

    • <ip> is Wowza Streaming Engine server address - either IP or domain name

    • <port> is target (remote) RTMP port, 1935 by default

    • <app_name> is the name of the application you have created in Wowza

    • <stream_name> is a custom name for the RTMP stream (can be any name, use underscores instead of spaces), will appear in Wowza automatically

When you have finished, click OK to save and exit; the newly created channel share will appear in the item list and Macula server will attempt to stream the data to the target URL at once. If you wish to pause the streaming, use the Disable button on the top panel. After sharing the channel, you should be able to view the stream on the RTMP server side and start the casting, if it has not started automatically.

If you have trouble receiving the stream on the RTMP server side, check the following:

  • make sure all used software is allowed through the firewall(s),

  • restart the RTMP server,

  • refresh connection list on the RTMP server side or refresh the webpage;

  • remove the shared channel in Macula Console and try sharing the channel anew.

To edit any of the previously created channel shares, double-click it in the item list or select any with single mouse click and then hit the Edit button on the upper panel. Use the Search field in the upper-right-hand corner to quickly find the existing items, and the Disable button to disable and enable channel sharing. Use the recycle bin button in the upper-right-hand corner to remove one or multiple shares: hold CTRL or Shift to select several items at once, or CTRL+A to select all (actual original channels will not be affected).

When you remove the original channel (with or without its originating device), all shared channels based on it are removed from the configuration automatically as well.

Filters in the bottom panel allow you to load recently added/modified items.

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