What are needed for a live streaming in 2020?

Live streaming has been favored by the market for its being immediate in connection, interactive with audience, and more engaging with people not only for personal use, but also for enterprises. To do live streaming has been a keen need and surge in the recent world, especially in the year of 2020.

To stream your production, you need Internet connection, a streaming device, a video source, and a CDN (Content Delivery Network). Streaming needs a fast Internet connection with enough uploading bandwidth in order to effectively deliver your stream to the CDN. In prior to streaming, check with your Internet provider or do a speed test to find out what your upload speed is. A typical internet service will provide about half of your upload speed compared to what your download speed is.

Your upload speed is measured in megabits per seconds. Best streaming practices suggest that you want your upload speed to be two and a half times of what your streaming bit rate is. For example, Facebook Live recommends that your streaming bit rate is 4 Mbps, so you would want your Internet upload speed to be 10 Mbps. That way, it compensates for any dips in the connection because it’s not a constant upload.

Then comes to a streaming device. Get a camera with a stand-alone hardware encoder will be a strong back-up for high definition video presentation. The hardware encoders convert a video signal from a camera or a video switcher (if using multiple cameras) and send the data to a CDN. You could have different choices in video encoders, for example, you would prefer fast and strong cooperation in local area network(LAN), then you could choose encoders supporting NDI High Bandwidth (See Kiloview‘s offers for NDI High Bandwidth protocol); Or you prefer long distant cooperation regarding video’s post-production from teams in different cities or countries, encoders supporting SRT protocol will be a sound one（What encoders do Kiloview support SRT protocol on?)

Also you could have a software encoder along with a camera. As mentioned above OBS is an example of a software encoder. There are others such as WireCast and MimoLive.  See What are the benefits of video encoder? 

After you have acquired a solid Internet connection and streaming device, the next thing on the list is a video source. A video source can come from a camera or a video switcher. If you are going to have multiple cameras in your production, you need a video switcher to switch from one camera input to the next. The program output of the switcher is connected to an encoder for streaming. Another type of video source can be from a media player. If you have pre- produced video content that you want to stream, you can use a media player to send the video/audio content into an encoder. 

The last thing needed to stream is a CDN or a content delivery network. A CDN is a distribution point for your stream. A CDN is an integral piece to reach a larger audience. If you are hosting a stream to 100 people on your network, the amount of bandwidth that is needed to push the stream to 100 people is high enough that it is not feasible for most Internet connections. The most common free CDN’s are Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. These platforms provide a cost-effective way to reach your audience and deliver your message.

Another popular CDN is WOWZA. WOWZA has different streaming options from  software encoding to hardware encoding and cloud servers. Depending on your needs, you can select a service or software that fits your application. (See Operation Manual of SRT with Wowza Stream Server )