Getting Started

Creating MP3 and MP4 files to Upload 

I wanted to get back with you to clarify the things you need to do to make your Radio and TV active online.  Its very simple and I am including a video to show you.  All you have to do is load video or audio files into your account.  You will upload to the media section while logged into your account dashboard.  Once the files are uploaded you will need to create a playlist and assign the playlist to your channel.

Here is a video to show you how to upload: http://www.revmediatv.com/video/17485

Before you can upload files you will need to make sure your audio is in the MP3 format.  You can do this on any computer by using free software that rips CD or DVD to convert the audio to MP3.

Here are some YouTube videos that may help.  I know that you mentioned you have a Mac so I included tutorials for that Mac. They may give you some understanding:

https://youtu.be/a6MlvJ9VFno

https://youtu.be/j6T9rAMsYhA

If you can upload the files in RevMedia TV then I will login and help you the rest of the way. 


How to Encode a Video 

Once you have puchased Encoders, You can begin this process, They are very affordable.

Video encoding is the process of preparing the video for output, where the digital video is encoded to meet proper formats for playback.

Encoding is optional BUT any video that you want to be included on a Playlist, or for viewers to playback on Roku, STB (Set Top Boxes), mobile devices and ipad/iphone must be encoded using our built in system encoder.  It’s really simple and takes the guessing away from the broadcaster on the correct formats for each system.  You just select the video to encoder than which encodings and hit save. That’s it!

Encoding only relates to Video on Demand and Channel Playlist not Live Streaming...

Video Encoding and Publishing

Important: We support direct upload only for MP4 files, the FLV and F4V files (autorecorded files) needs to be encoded prior to publish them on the platform.

In order to edit the encoding and publishing settings of a video, you need to access My Videos page:

 

Select the video your want to edit, and click on the Edit button:

 

On Video Encoding and Publishing page you can manage the available encoding options:

1. Click here to open Encoding & Publishing page.

2. Check this box if you want to set the video to be part of the ad inventory. by doing this you will be able to use the video on the Channel Manager when you are building Ad Blocks.

3. Click here to save the video as part of the ad inventory.

4. Here you can see the video format: recorded, cropped, uploaded or encoded.

5. Here you can see the video type: mp4.

6. Here you can see the status of the video: recorded, cropped, uploaded or encoded.

7. Here you can see the video resolution.

8. Here you can see the size of the video file.

9. Here you can see the date when the video was added on the platform.

10. Click here to download the video file on your device.

11. Check this radio button to encode the video at 1080p (the video will be encoded to 1920×1080 at 4000kbps).

12. Check this radio button to encode the video at 720p (the video will be encoded to 1280×720 at 2000kbps).

13. Check this radio button to encode the video at 480p (the video will be encoded to 854×480 at 900kbps).

Note: Encoding a video to a higher resolution than its original one will not improve the video quality, it will just increase its size and therefore more storage will be used.

14. Check this box to encode the video at 360p (the video will be encoded to 640×360 at 650kbps).

15. Check this box to encode the video at 240p (the video will be encoded to 428×240 at 210kbps).

16. Check this box to encode the video at 144p (the video will be encoded to 256×144 at 130kbps).

Note: The additional encoding formats (no.14 to 16) is a feature that improves viewer’s experience by enabling you to deliver videos with the resolution and bit rate that best matches the viewer’s internet connection. The video playback can fluctuate from one quality to another without any interruptions or buffering (the quality of the video can be distinguishable only by a professional eye). These additional formats can be selected only after one primary format (no.10 to 12) is selected.

17. Here you can see the number of encodings you use for the selected encoding settings from the number of total encodings for your account subscription.

18. Click here to save the encoding options.

Note: Once you save the encoding options, the video will be sent to our server and encoded to the selected profiles.

19. Check this box to publish the video on the website.

20. Check this box to publish the video on Roku.

21. Check this box to publish the video on STB.

22. Check this box to set the video as unlisted. Only users with the video link or embed code will be able to watch the video.

23. Check this box to upload video to YouTube.

Note: By default, you can upload videos to YouTube that are up to 15 minutes long. You can increase your upload limit by following some simple steps.

24. Click here to save the publishing settings.

Important: Once the videos are encoded, the original file will be replaced by the encoded file and its size may be different than the original size. The original files are not saved on the servers.

http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/dashboard/account/billing-usage-package-details/ 

Video Tutorials 

 RevmediaTV offers support for our website, setup and recommended Broadcasters.

 

We will continue to update our video tutorials and expand this list.

If support is needed for any 3rd party Broadcasters, You will need to visit the 3rd party website for further support as Revmedia only provides the RTMP settings needed to connect your livestream to our website. 

Getting your RTMP Settings for OBS

https://www.revmediatv.com/video/104785

Encoding and Publishing

http://www.revmediatv.com/video/34180

Radio Broadcasting- Channel Setup and Configuring Winamp

http://www.revmediatv.com/video/30255


Purchasing more Storage, Encodes, And Bandwith 

Need more storage to archive your videos or Encodes to publish them. Here how. 

1. From your Account Dashboard, Go to Publishing Account. 

There you will see the amount of Bandwith, Storage and Encoders you have. 

2.Click the BUY MORE button to see view our options. 

 All purchases will go through Paypal. Once purchase is completed go back to your RevmediatTV account and refresh. 


RevmediaTV Quick Start Guide 

This is just a quick guide I wanted to give you some details on how to take full advantage of all the things to make your broadcast better and reach more people.  You will need to do a few things on your broadcaster and your videos to enable to play on all devices. 


For more information and further details visit our online manual for step by step instructions that covers everything you need to know on how to function through our site. http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/


Things you need to do first

1.    Update your email address so you can get update, send support tickets and bandwidth/storage warnings. 

2.   Update profile name and a picture of yourself.  The new system shows has a view broadcaster section.  This will be a great spot to highlight your pastor or minister.

3.   Update phone number

4. You can do this by Login>Account  Dashboard>My Account>My Profile

5.  Delete videos your not using to save storage ( I will give it a week before I start deleting videos not published from system

 

 

Several new options are available to broadcast.   Two new ones give you a great picture and are easy to use.  Make sure your auto record is turned “on” the channel you are broadcasting.  Login>Broadcast>Pick Channel to broadcast.



Broadcasting

Here are some links to check out about Broadcasting and settings for your channel. 


Before Broadcasting check out this Page

Broadcast Options for Video Channel

Edit channel details

Channel publishing details

Edit channel privacy

Recording Settings -Be sure the Auto record option is ON so your videos will be saved to your account after live streaming. Below is a photo of the auto record option. 


Web Based Flash Broadcaster

Has been discontinued due to issues with flash. Proceed to use at your own risk. 

Gives a great picture you can access it after going to broadcast in system and picking your channel.  This is a browser-based broadcaster if you don’t see a picture its not working.  I have seen it work on Internet Explorer but not Chrome.  Just test it out in a few browsers to see it works for you.  This one gives the best picture but only can be seen in flash based devices not all devices like ipad.

HD WAVE 

(the only way to stream to ipads, iphones, roku, set top boxes and all devices)

1.  Really simple just access it in broadcasting section after choosing a channel.  Download for free to your pc it only works on pc. 

2. After installing it will place a desktop icon on your pc.  Every time you open it you will login to it with your RevMedia TV login credentials. 

3.  You then pick the channel you want to use (if you have multiple channels), Video source and audio. 

4.  When your ready to broadcast just click on the broadcast button.

 

This is my favorite broadcaster because it’s easy to use and gives a great picture. One thing I have noticed is that the sound source can’t be changed other than the default settings microphone in/stereo mix (default).  In fact I tried using the audio Honestech device but the HD Wave would shut down showing error code not supported format.  I just used the mic on my computers and adjusted volume.  It worked fine after that.  Just play around with it and see what works.  I got reports from another church that did the same thing to make it work.

 

**SVideo doesn’t work on any level of streaming.  Don’t waste time trying to use SVideo connections.  Use the RCA/Composite settings instead.  A church helped me find this out. It’s because SVideo is a different codec than what is normally coded to stream.**

 

Two other ways to stream are through your Ipad, Iphone/Android phones.  Just download the apps to your phone and enter your login information similar to using HD Wave.  But you will need to copy the RTMP Server Address and Stream Name to the device each time you use them.  This option is great for conventions, mobile and remote broadcasting on the go because you don’t need a camera and computer.  I used it in my conferences for live updates. 

 

You can find your Third Party Configuration Settings for you channel in the broadcasting section after picking a channel. 


**RevmediaTV does not offer support for 3rd Party Broadcasters. We will help you in getting your Broadcaster settings that you will need and try to help figure out your situation. But if any further issues with a broadcaster arises you’ll need to seek help through the Broadcasters website. **

 

Buffering and Stutter

Dropped Frames And General Connection Issues


This guide contains every piece of dropped frames / disconnect / network related advice we can give. If you really truly honestly super duper actually 100% tried everything in this guide (including replacing hardware), and you still have issues then the problem is somewhere along the route between you and whichever server you are trying to stream to. In this case, there will not be anything you can do to resolve the issue as an end user, and it is recommended that you contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

"Dropped frames" means that your connection to the server isn't stable, or you can't keep up with your set bitrate. Because of this, the program was forced to drop some of the video frames in order to compensate. If you drop too many frames, you may be disconnected from the streaming server. You may also have connection problems such as random disconnections due to firewall / anti-virus / security software, routers, etc. If you want a more detailed.

This guide covers the most common solutions to these issues.


Try lowering bitrate

The next thing to do is lower bitrate until the dropped frames stop. Network conditions aren't always the same from day to day, and what worked yesterday isn't guaranteed to work today. Sometimes there's just not much else you can do except lower bitrate to compensate for the poor connection at the given time.

Don't stream over wireless

In many cases, wireless connections can cause issues because of their unstable nature. Streaming really requires a stable connection. Often wireless connections are fine, but if you have problems, then we are going to be very unlikely to be able to help you diagnose it if you're on a wireless just because it adds yet another variable. We recommend streaming on wired connections.

Try another streaming service (Just as a test)

It can be helpful to try a different streaming service just to make sure the issue isn't with the provider you're trying to use. For example, if you are having connection problems with Revmediatv, try streaming on YouTube.com or another stream to see if you have the same issues. If the issues disappear, the problem might be with the streaming service. If the problem remains, then the issue is more likely with your connection in general.

Check your firewall / router

If you are getting disconnected and you've already tried other servers, then another thing to check is your firewall/router/antivirus software and make sure that they're not interfering with the connection. If you suspect the problem is your firewall/router, make sure outbound TCP port number 1935 (the default port used for RTMP, but note that your service may use a different port) is allowed. Note that you do NOT need to use any kind of port-forwarding to stream.

Check your anti-virus / internet security software

In some cases, anti-virus or firewall / security software can be a cause. You can usually temporarily disable it or add an exception to check to see whether it's the problem. If disabling it works, simply add an exception for your broadcaster program to your anti-virus and then re-enable it. (The process for adding an exception will vary, you will have to find out from the vendor's website or Google on how to do so. 

Check bundled network software

In rare cases, some software/drivers/programs claiming to "optimize" or "enhance" your network connection can actually cause more problems. Try uninstalling any extra software / drivers related to your network card other than the core driver that needs to be installed for Windows. Avoid using any "optimization" or "tweak" programs. Certain network cards come with custom configuration utilities (most notably Killer Networks) that can cause issues and need to be removed for a drivers only install

Speed Testing

Speed tests are a very rough estimate - they mean very little with regards to streaming. Just because a speed test says you have 5Mb/s upload doesn't mean you can upload to anything at a stable 5Mb/s. That's just not how the internet works unfortunately. You're never guaranteed to be able to maintain a stable connection to a server if the server or routing points to the server are unstable. Your "stable" bitrate is more likely about 70-75% of your "estimated" speed test upload (and that's only if you're not being throttled). If anything, a speed test will tell you the theoretical maximum speed that you could stream at under perfectly ideal conditions, but conditions are never perfect.

Update Network Adapter Driver

In some rare cases, dropped frames can be caused by an old network adapter driver doing a poor job of handing the high speeds being consumed. It's not a bad idea to just check to see if there are any new drivers for your network adapter, just to be sure.

Bad router or bad networking hardware

Faulty hardware is usually quite rare, but if you suspect your hardware is malfunctioning, plug in to your modem directly, bypassing the router, so you can check to see if that's the issue. If you have another network card available (including the one in a laptop or other PC you might have lying around) try that plugged into the modem to check for network card problems on your streaming PC. Try using different Ethernet cables too.

Contact your ISP

Lastly, it is common for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to run maintenance or change things on their end that can cause you as a subscriber to have issues. If you've tried everything in this guide already, and none of it as helped, we recommend calling your ISP and explaining the issue to them. Be detailed. This means telling them exactly what you're trying to do (stream to your streaming service (Revmedia/YouTube/etc.) and what's happening (connection is unstable and dropping packets). They should help you to determine any issues. 





Adobe Flash Live Encoder 3.2 Only on MAC

Will broadcast to all devices, Roku, Set Top boxes and iphone/ipad as well as androids and pc’s.  You will need to change a few settings to make it work.  While in AFMLE change your video format to H.264 and audio format to ACC.  Both these settings must be selected for server to recognize where to send it.

Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder on PC

On pc will only broadcast to Flash devices due to not being able to change the audio format.  A third party sells a plugin ACC but it cost way to much.  Each ministry could decide for yourself if you want to pursue that at your own cost.  We decided to move on since we have Macs.


Encoding 

Is optional All videos that want to be included on Roku, STB (Set Top Boxes), mobile devices and ipad/iphone must be encoded using our built in system encoder.  It’s really simple and takes the guessing away from the broadcaster on the correct formats for each system.  You just select the video to encoder than which encodings and hit save. That’s it!


Encoding only relates to Video on Demand and Channel Playlist not Live Streaming...

 

What you need to know about Encoding?

1.  Go to Published Videos >Manage my Videos

2.  Click on Edit on the Video you want to Encode

3.  Below your video image select Encoding & Publishing

From the screenshot below you can see the Encoding & Publishing Button in blue below the video area, Next to the Video details 

4.  Select the Encodes you want and save encode settings, Be sure to click the Save Encoding options button.

5.  Your video will be encoded and available for broadcast


Follow the link below for more details on the encoding page. Again, You can get to encoding videos by going to Published videos>Manage my videos the select edit on the videos you want to encode. Under the video preview player your will see the Publishing/Encoding option. Click on that then scroll down to the encoding options. 

http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/dashboard/upload-video/video-encoding-and-publishing/


Encode Choices

1.  Encoding to HTML 5 will make your video available to all devices, mobile, Roku, STB and Iphone/Ipad.

2.  Encoding to 480 is a default setting.  Anything over will not be seen on iphone/ipad. 

3.  720/1080 use these if you want a larger file format on other devices. My suggestion is just to use 480p.  Unless your broadcasting a motion picture this size really won’t make a difference on all the devices.  I watched a lot of videos with different formats this week on all types of devices and tv.  None made a difference compared to 480p.  Plus iphone/ipad doesn’t see these formats.

4.  144p, 240p & 360p are different size formats to all mobile devices.  If you want to broadcast to all mobiles you will need to encode to all three formats.

5.  Every time you encode you will see directly below the encoding choices a blue bar displaying how many encodes it will take to perform your choices. 

 **You will need to purchase encoders to Encode.**  

Purchasing Encodes 

1.  Login>Account Dashboard>Publishing Account>My Publishing Account

2.  You will see where you can purchase additional Bandwidth, Storage and Encodes.  It will also show you how many encodings you have left.

3.  Under Encodes click on Buy More.

4.  Select the amount you want to buy $14/20 additional Encodings, $20/30 additional Encodings or $25/50 additional Encodings.

5. Check out through your Paypal account. (Paypal is the only way to purchase encoders at the moment.)

6.  The encodings will be available in your account immediately after purchase.   Replenish only when you need.




Set Publishing Details

1.  Go to My Published Videos>Manage My Videos

2.  Click on Edit on the Video you want to Publishing

3.  Below your video image select Publishing/Encoding

4. Click the Check box for Website (Website means that it will be published to the RevmediaTV website not your church website. You will need to share the video via embed code to your website if you would like it to show on there.) Roku (option only is available after encoding to html 5) and STB

5. Save… Your videos are now available on selected broadcasters

You can see what a video is published to on Manage Videos.  You will see the devices logos beside your video which indicates the broadcaster your video is available on.


Bootstrap Technology

Our system is equipped with bootstrap technology it will send the correctly encoded video to the correct device, Roku and so on, automatically.

Roku 

Is available now to anyone that owns a Roku device which has 4 million subscribers in the USA.  They will need to add RevMedia to their roku device via adding a private channel.  Our Vanity code is revmediatv.  They will be asked after entering vanity code.  Roku will direct them how to finish adding the channel by sending them online to a specific url to add a auto populated code to confirm.  After that they will see RevMedia in their channel listings. 

 

A few things you need to know about Roku that will make a better experience for your viewers. 

1.  Your channel image must be a JPG not a PNG.  Roku darkens the PNG.  Make sure size of the image fits in Video channel if image is to big your channel will have the RM logo.

2.  Another thing is that all live streams must be with either the HD Wave or Adobe Flash on a Mac with correct settings.

3.  To broadcast your Channel Playlist on Roku you will need to encode each video including auto recordings through our encoder in system. If one video in the playlist is not encoded the entire playlist won’t play.  It’s easy to see which videos has been encoded when your creating a playlist.  Encoded videos will have a blue ME in the video thumbnail selection. 

4.   Once you encoded a video it will be available on Roku if your selected that for it to be available.

 

Set Top Boxes

1.  Follow all the same protocol as Roku

2.  Almost any Set Top Box (Amazon, Apple, Google Play etc…)will pull your channel up by entering the URL of your channel page. 

 

Create a playlist to be available to be seen on Roku, STB, all devices, mobiles and ipad/iphone.  It’s simple and exactly like creating a regular flash based playlists.  Just include encoded videos in your HTML 5 playlist.  That’s it. 

 

Channel Playlist HTML 5

1.  Login>Schedule Calendar>My Video Playlists

2.  To create a playlist click +New Playlist

3.  Add videos by pressing selecting videos and either dragging or pressing + on video.  Remember add only videos that show a small ME on Video Thumbnail to be able to play on Roku.

4.  Click save playlist.

**If you do not see any videos listed to add to your playlist timeline then that means your videos were not properly encoded or the video is still in the process of being encoded. **



Assign Live Playlist

1.  Account Dashboard>Schedule Calendar>My Video Playlists

2.  Find the Playlists you want to assign.  Under Actions click on pull down menu choose Assign. 

3.  Choose the channel you want to assign playlist.

4.  Select Start playing from publishing time and Endless Loop.

5.  Save and your done.

6.  You can add a playlist to start at a specific date and time.  Make sure endless loop is not selected for this feature.


Further information on creating and assigning playlist see our online manual. 

About Playlist  <This will link to other articles concerning Playlist. 

How to Create Playlist

How to Assign Video Playlist to channel

**If you do not see any videos listed to add to your playlist timeline then that means your videos were not properly encoded or the video is still in the process of being encoded. **

 

Enable Channel for HTML 5, Roku & STB

Every Channel created must be enabled to broadcast to all devices by the broadcaster.  You can do this by going to edit channel and selecting publishing.  Enable the Roku, STB and HTML 5 playback for your channel.



Radio Channels

You can now create 3 radio channels on our new HD Radio Streaming Platform.  You can either do a live broadcast or create a playlists with your favorite MP3 format collection.  System only plays MP3’s and Live shows can’t record for archive at this time. We are working with IT developers to see if we can offer archiving your broadcast in future. 

 

HD Radio broadcasts on our internet station, mobile devices, ipad/iphone/android and shoutcast servers (millions listen daily)..


Creating Radio Channels and Audio Library

1.  Account Dashboard>Published Radios>+New Channel

2.  Name Channel/Upload image/Description then Save

3.  Media/Audio File Library

4.  Click on Choose an audio file to upload

5.  After files uploaded you can change name, artist, genre (use Other for now until we get some new ones in there) and Save.

6.  Choose audio files by clicking box beside them then click Build Playlist.

7.  Save Playlist



Assign Radio Playlist

1.  Account Dashboard>Schedule Calendar>Radio Playlists

2.  Find the Playlists you want to assign.  Under Actions click on pull down menu choose Assign. 

3.  Choose the radio channel you want to assign playlist.

4.  Once you save it will automatically publish

5.  Save and your done.

6.  You can add a playlist to start at a specific date and time.  Make sure endless loop is not selected for this feature.

 

Broadcasting Live Radio

1.  Published Radios>Pick the Radio Channel you want to broadcasting.

2.  Option 3 gives you several broadcasting app to choose from for your show. Download application into the computer you will use.

3.  On the right side of application is Information tab that will give you system requirements and broadcast settings for the app you choose. 

4.  Follow instructions to setup your application after install.  If you use Winamp or Virtual Dj you will need to add a dj name/password to the Radio channel.  Just go to edit channel settings to add a custom dj name/password. (It's up to you what you want to put)

5.  When broadcasting please be sure to set the broadcaster WinAmp/Virtual Dj to record a copy of the show for you. (Currently we are unable to auto record in Radio platform live shows.)


Links to our Online Manual for Setting Up Radio Channels:

Get to your Radio by going to Account Dashboard>Published Radios

About Radio Channels 

Livestreaming to Social Media sites

We get this question often regarding live streaming to Facebook. At the moment you cannot live stream directly to facebook but you are able to share your livestream to facebook. 

Meaning, Facebook will not go live within the app. You can Share your video link to facebook so that others can click on the link and watch the livestream but it will not stream directly through facebook. Our provided Broadcasted and 3rd party Broadcasters are not capable of sending the stream to multiple sources at once., However you can share a link to your stream that will play within facebook. 

Below is an example of how the Share this page looks. Go to your Public Channel page then click the blue Share this page button, Once you click you will see the page below. You can click on the icons to login to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. Or you can just copy your DIRECT LINK and paste it where ever you like. 

**This is also where you can find the HTML code for your channel to be embedded to your church website page. You have the option to choose a player size and if you want the chat box on your site as well. Select your options and then copy and paste the EMBED CHANNEL code to your website where you want the livestream to show. 

 




Other Notes:


Pay per View:

This simply allows you to set a price for viewers to watch a video you have published. This is OPTIONAL. You don’t have to set a price but if you have a special event you would like to livestream for a certain price for others to view then you have that option. Again, This is up to you, If you don’t want this no worries just leave your settings as is.  

  

Below is a screenshot of how this page looks. You can Navigate there by going to Account Dashboard>Published Videos>Manage My Videos.

2. Click Edit on the video you want to adjust.

3. Once the video page shows you can the select Pay per view. 


More information regarding pay per view: http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/dashboard/user-faq/how-to-monetize-ppv-and-vods/#video




Trim Video: 

Logged in your account, click on Published Videos> Manage My Videos>Edit Video. Click the Trim button below the video player. 

http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/dashboard/upload-video/trim-video/



**Due to Flash you may receive an error when trying to trim the video. Here is a video Tutorial on how to Fix that error through Google Chrome. **



Channel Chat Page:  

http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/website-frontend/channel-chat-page/


Connect Facebook/ Twitter Account: 

http://www.revmediatv.com/manual/dashboard/account/connected-accounts/


Once logged in, Go to My Account>My Social account.

Click on Facebook or Twitter then login. 

**You cannot connect to a facebook fan page, Only to your personal account.. **


SD, HD and 4K – Streaming Video Resolutions Explained 

The dynamics of video delivery and consumption are changing rapidly in today’s world and keeping pace with the constantly evolving video streaming standards is becoming a challenging job not for just content owners but broadcasting and streaming distributors as well.

One of the key aspects of delivering a good quality video is understanding and determining the correct video resolution of an on-demand video or live stream. Alongside frame rate, it’s the top-most feature to keep in mind to determine video quality.

 

Why does Video Resolution matter?

Although various factors affect the quality of video streaming like frame rate, compression processes etc, video resolution is the most basic and most dominating parameter because it reflects the detail of the frames of the video. 

Resolution greatly influences the viewing experience, particularly when the video is played on large screens. As a content creator, you should start caring about video resolutions if you want your on-demand video or live streams to reach a wider audience.

So, without further ado, lets jump right into the basics of video resolution. In the next 5 minutes you are going to get a detailed overview of streaming video resolutions i.e. SD (480p + 480i), HD (720p, 1080i, + 1080p) and 4K video resolutions.

 

Some quick FAQs about Video Resolution

 

What is video resolution?

 

 

Simply put, video resolution is the number of pixels that make up a single frame in your video and pixels are the smallest units that make up a picture in a video frame. Ideally, the more pixels the image has, the better is the clarity of the image.

 

480p | 720p | 1080p – What’s with the numbers?

When you hear labels of these sort, remember that they are pixels displayed in the video, width by height. For example, when you see “1920p x 1080p” in a video description, you can know it’s saying the image is 1920 pixels wide, and 1080 pixels tall.

Generally, when we define a video resolution, we refer to the height of the pixels. For example when we talk about 1080p, we mean that the quantity of pixels displayed by height is 1080p while the quantity of pixels displayed by width is 1920p (1920p X 1080p)

 

What is Aspect Ratio?

Aspect ratio is the proportional relation between the width and height of an image. For example, a 16:9 aspect ratio means that for every 16 inches wide, the image must be 9 inches tall. The aspect ratio tends to be wider than taller for sharper definition.

 

What is ‘i’ and ‘p’ in video resolution?

We often come across the letters ‘i’ and ‘p’ after the numbers 720, 1080 and so on. These letters refer to the method in which the video has been recorded where ‘i’ stands for ‘interlaced’ and ‘p’ stands for ‘progressive’  or ‘non-interlaced’. 

Interlacing video is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without consuming extra bandwidth.  What happens in interlacing is that your eyes in reality gauge every alternative line of a picture frame. However,  your eyes while perceiving the full image in motion, start filling in the gaps making a complete picture out of it. 

As opposed to interlacing, Progressive scanning is a technique of displaying or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence, without alteration. Progressive method delivers a better resolution in general, as the motion appears more fluid.

So, it’s clear that- the more horizontal lines of resolution used to make each frame of video, the more detailed the picture will appear making progressive scanning much better than interlacing.

 

Storage and bandwidth

The amount of space your video files occupy will determine how much bandwidth they will consume.

It’s simple. The more detailed the video, the larger and heavier the file will be and the more bandwidth they will consume. For example, 1 hour of HD video on average will require 8GB of storage. 4K files will require much more storage and bandwidth.

 

What is SD (Standard Definition)?

As its name suggests, the quality of SD resolution (640 X 480) refers to the standard for most of distribution/reproduction channels and screens.The resolution refers to a pixel height of 480 in a single image.

For broadcasters, it’s the starting point. In the US, only interlaced (480i) is available and tends to have a square-ish aspect ratio, ie, 4:3. Generally speaking, SD quality tends to look blurry and much less defined, particularly when compared to HD. 

You can identify SD video files with the following specifications:

 

Is it okay to go for SD?

As a content creator, if you want to start streaming in SD before upgrading to HD version, you are not alone. Although it is okay for you to start with SD, you should remember that HD is the new standard and sooner or later you have to start producing videos in HD resolution. 

 

 

What is HD (High Definition)?

HD or high definition resolution is the new resolution streaming standard and refers to a pixel height of either 720 or 1080 pixels. HD delivers more details per pixel, and hence, the image is much clearer, sharper, and more “real”. 

HD has two variants- 720 (HD Ready) or 1080 (Full HD) pixels tall, each with its corresponding display resolution. While its available in both progressive and interlaced scanning, the progressive variant produces a superior quality image than interlacing which causes blurry images not much different than SD.

1080p, the progressive format of 1080, is used widely across internet content especially on platforms like YouTube and Netflix. 

 

Should I stream my videos in HD?

It completely depends on your resources, intention and upload speed. Streaming in HD does not necessarily guarantee that your viewers are going to watch your high quality videos as it completely depends on the network conditions and internet speed of their playback devices.

Quality streaming also requires resources. Consider YouTube- to stream the highest possible resolution at the highest possible framerate you would require an upload speed of 51 Mbps. Also, a higher resolution stream would require more processing power.

However, having said that, you should always strive to create the best viewing experience for everyone who stops by your stream. Usually, content owners stream at least 720p. 

 

What is 4K?

4K or Ultra HD is the new kid on the block and everyone is gushing about it. So 4K is actually 2160 X 3840 pixels, but by ‘4K’ we refer not to the height of the pixels but the width of the pixels (3840p from which the name ‘4K’ is derived). 

There are two variants of 4K:

 

 

Many TV broadcasters, streaming platforms and cinema projecting companies have adopted this definition already, but 4K-capable viewing devices are not yet used on a large scale. However, Ultra HD in all its variants is expected to be the new standard in the next 10 years, just as HD is the most popular format now.

 

Overview of SD, HD, Full HD and 4K Resolution

 

 

What Resolution to Use for Streaming Videos?

The higher the resolution, the better is the quality of viewing experience on any given platform. However, as already mentioned earlier,  higher resolution also requires higher bandwidth to stream the video effectively.

The two most preferred resolution settings for live streaming are HD ready at 720 x 1080 pixels (720p) and Full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p).

It is best to either match your original video source, or scale it down. For example you can capture at HD 720 and stream at either HD 720 or 480p.

Scaling up and streaming at a higher resolution than your original video source is never a good option as there will be no gain in quality and in turn you will be losing more bandwidth than what is necessary for you and your viewers.

For example, it does not make sense to capture at 720p and stream at 1080p as higher resolutions require greater processing power to encode the stream. Attempting too high of a resolution on too little or poor processing power can result in degraded image quality and interrupted streams.

 


Setting up Facebook Live stream through Vmix 


https://www.vmix.com/knowledgebase/article.aspx/272/streaming-to-facebook-live-manually-using-custom-rtmp-server?fbclid=IwAR0hdC6TFJsByRiXI6l3-4QtplZO7VzmfiszFKxm-gcMIMM03lMVr1J029I 

Obtaining RTMP Stream Settings for OBS 

For more info on setting up and utilizing OBS, Click the Link below. 

https://obsproject.com/wiki/OBS-Studio-Quickstart