There are many products that enable you to broadcast a live feed into Workvivo via our RTMPS server. This document covers general guidelines on how to configure apps to stream live to Workvivo.
Device(s): Desktop only to broadcast the livestream
Roles / Permissions: Livestreamer
Minimizing Latency
Workvivo supports low latency (< 5 second) livestreaming that is compatible with most streaming applications with minimal configuration required. The following are the recommended settings for the lowest latency on your livestreams:
- For the video encoding, set the “Keyframe” or “IDR” to a 2 second interval (you can also set to 1 second for even lower latency, but you may see more buffering or dropped frames for viewers due to increased resolution switching on the adaptive bitrate streaming player we use for viewing Workvivo livestreams.
- If an option is available for “zero-latency tuning” within an x246 configuration, enable this.
- Ensure that buffer size (VBV) does not exceed the average bitrate (kbps) of the stream.
We strongly recommend you don’t use stream forwarding services to broadcast to Workvivo as these will cause significantly higher latency on your streams.
Always stream directly to Workvivo via RTMPS for the best results.
Encoder Settings
We support H.264 for video and AAC (LC) for audio, ingested over RTMPS using TLS 1.2 or later. Your encoder must connect to our endpoint over the TCP port 443. We recommend always including the port number in the RTMPS URL. We do not support broadcasting over a non-encrypted RTMP port.
The following are our recommendations for optimal bitrate, FPS and keyframe intervals:
- Full HD 1080p quality (1920x1080) Up to 8500 Kbps bitrate 30 or 60 fps 2 seconds keyframe interval
- HD 720p quality (1280x720) Up to 4500 Kbps bitrate 30 or 60 fps 2 seconds keyframe interval
- SD 480p quality (852x480) Up to 1500 Kbps bitrate 30 fps 2 seconds keyframe interval
For streaming video, we highly recommend 30 fps or 60 fps. If you are broadcasting a screen or motion video, we recommend 60 fps.
For video settings, we recommend the following options where available:
- H.264 level: Main
- Scene change: Off (preferred)
- Chroma subsample: YUV420P
- CABAC: Preferred
- ColorSpace: BT.709
For audio settings, we support the following:
- Codec: AAC (LC)
- Bitrate: 96 kbps to 320 kbps
- Sample rate: 44.1 Khz or 48 Khz
- Channels: Maximum 2 - Stereo (1 - Mono or 2 - Stereo)
We recommend using CBR (constant bitrate) over VBR (variable bitrate) to produce more predictable results. VBR will result in more frequent buffering and jittery playback.
Use progressive signal flows and avoid any interlaced video in production flow and/or encoding for best results.
Bandwidth Requirements
A fast stable internet connection is an absolute must for high quality and stable livestreams. We recommend using wired connections over Wi-Fi and LTE connections for reliability. Avoid using a bitrate that is higher than 50% of what your total network connection speed can handle. For example, if you have an 8 Mbps network connection, don’t use a bitrate higher than 4 Mbps.
Livestream Playback Experience
Please note: The following immersive playback experience only applies to RTMPS Livestreams. It does not apply to mobile playback, livestreams attached to events, or any Native livestreams.
When your Livestream ends, the playback recording will be posted to the activity feed and will be visible to everyone in your original Livestream audience. As shown below, you can clearly see a count of ‘Live Reactions’ and ‘Live Chat Messages’ on the activity feed item. These counts refer to engagement during the actual livestream itself, as opposed to reactions and comments on the activity feed item that come in after the livestream has ended. You can also easily access Livestream analytics via the ‘Analytics’ button (more on analytics below).
Click on the preview thumbnail to open the full livestream player experience shown below. This URL is the same as the URL from when the stream was live, so if a user clicks on a notification after the livestream has ended they will be brought straight into the playback experience. You can also see the livestream title, description, and quick action ‘copy URL’ button within the playback experience. Reactions appear in sync with the live event itself, at the exact same time they would have appeared in the live event itself. This gives a more real-time feel when watching the livestream recording.
The messaging on the right hand side is split into ‘Livestream Chat’ and ‘Comments’. ‘Livestream Chat’ contains all the messages that were posted during the live event. ‘Comments’ contains all the comments that were posted on the Livestream after it ended, either via the activity feed update or within this new messaging panel.
Similar to reactions, the Livestream Chat messages appear in sync with the live event itself. This gives the user more context into what livestream chat messages were referring to within the stream itself. Users also have the option to view a flat list of all livestream chat messages by disabling the ‘replay chat in sync with livestream’ toggle. We also now automatically hyperlink any URLs that have been posed in the livestream chat.
The ‘Comments’ section within the playback experience now supports images, GIFs, Replies/Threading, Likes, @ Mentions, Delete (for comment author), and Reporting.
Livestream Analytics
Analytics are available on third-party livestream recordings. Simply click the ‘View Livestream Analytics’ button below the Livestream recording on the activity feed to access the analytics modal.
The following metrics are provided in Livestream Analytics;
- Livestream Duration: The total length of time the livestream was broadcasted.
- Unique Viewers: The count of individual viewers who watched the livestream at least once.
- Peak Viewers: The highest number of concurrent viewers reached during the livestream.
- Peak Time: The specific moment during the livestream when it had the highest number of concurrent viewers.
- Total View Time: The cumulative amount of time viewers spent watching the livestream.
- Avg. View Time: The average duration that each viewer spent watching the livestream.
- Reactions: The total number of reactions sent by viewers during the livestream.
- Chat Messages: The total number of chat message sent by viewers during the livestream.
- Unique Chatters: The count of individual viewers who sent a chat message at least once during the livestream.
- Avg. Framerate: The average frames per second (fps) of the video stream.
- Avg. Video Bitrate: The average data rate at which video content was transmitted in megabits per second (Mbps).
- Avg. Audio Bitrate: The average data rate at which audio content was transmitted in kilobits per second (Kbps).
- Concurrent Views: The total number of viewers watching the livestream simultaneously at any given moment.
- Live Delivered Time: The total duration of the livestream that was successfully delivered to viewers in real-time.
- Live Delivered Time by Country: The distribution of live delivered time among different countries.
- Ingest Framerate: The average frames per second (fps) of the video input source before encoding and transmission.
- Ingest Audio Bitrate: The average data rate (kbps) at which the audio input source was transmitted before encoding.
- Ingest Video Bitrate: The average data rate (Mbps) at which the video input source was transmitted before encoding.
- Keyframe Interval: The interval at which keyframes (complete video frames) are sent in the video stream, which affects video quality and compression efficiency.
- Live Input Time: The total duration of the livestream from its inception to its completion, including any pre-stream setup or delays.
- Recorded Time: The duration for which the livestream was recorded for on-demand viewing after the live broadcast ended.