Trouble Shooting My Livestream

If the livestream is not playing, here’s some quick tips that can help.

THE OBVIOUS. Make sure the Flash Media Server URL and Stream Name of the livestream is correct.

HIGH SPEED INTERNET. Make sure that the computer being used is on a normal high speed connection. There is no concrete bandwidth value that can be used to describe the absolute slowest speed over which a livestream will operate due to several constantly changing factors, but true high speed connections should have no problem playing livestreaming media. Most WI-Fi connections in businesses, malls, homes and at-large networks like AT&T can easily handle a normal livestream event view as long as the connection is good. The best profile is a cable connected to the computer for Internet connection at speeds that the provider describes as “high Speed internet”.

The better streaming media host providers deploy programming in multiple bandwidths that automatically match the device with the proper stream speed. Mobile devices are handed smaller streams and video window shapes, standard desktop and laptop computers are handed full size streaming capability and player shapes and sizes.

DELAYED START.  A delayed start of a livestream after hitting the Play button can be common, depending on the type of connection the end user is on. Waiting for up to 10-15 seconds should be allowed, especially if the user is on a wireless or satellite Internet connection. The average lag time however, is less than 5 seconds.

REBOOTING. If everything else fails, the first fix-all is closing down all browsers, clearing the cache and then opening the browser and trying the same link. The platform is commonly played successfully over all major browsers. Rebooting of the computer is also an option that can reset browser functionality.

UPDATES. Make sure that the computer or device that is viewing the livestream has the latest platforms installed. This means operating systems like Windows or Mac, browsers like Explorer, Safari, Firefox or Chrome, and plugins like Flash. Obviously this is good practice for all computer use issues, but it can be surprising how many computer users fail to check this issue regularly.

TRUSTED COMPUTER. A computer that has been proven to play videos well should be used. Computers that have faulty hardware or firmware can easily develop video playing issues, even though livestreaming video is not inherently the most difficult type of video to play.

LIMITED RESOURCES. Viewing any video should usually be done without any other memory hungry functions occurring. Most late model computers can actually handle playing streaming media while accomplishing other tasks, but if one is not familiar with the speed and acceleration capabilities of the computer being used, it is better to keep the computer “antiseptic” of all other functions like

• Uploading or downloading larger files
• Having several other browsers or browser tabs open simultaneously
• Trying to play more than one streaming media element at a time

DISCONNECTING FROM THE LIVESTREAM. Chances are that you are trying to livestream a video quality that is too large for your available internet connection’s upload speed to handle, resulting in a disconnection from the stream. The first step is to run a speed test to see what your available upload speed is from your current location. This will tell you the kind of quality of video you can expect to livestream from your location. You can then look at your livestream settings for the Video Bit Rate and Audio Bit Rate and add those two numbers together. You want this to be lower then your available Upload Speed.

video bits + audio bits = bandwidth required

video bits	.75
+ audio bits	.25
= bandwidth	1.00 MB/sec

We hope that this document helps you find quick solutions to your livestream issues. After starting up and operating a handful of livestream events, the process will become simple and second nature, like creating an email or any other standard feature on The Web. Literally thousands of livestream events are occurring at any given moment; your event is not a unique process. It is, however, unique in content, and that’s why it is important to use the custom branding and secure web video environment that fits your unique