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How to create a Live Schedule (New Version)

The StreamShark Live Scheduler system allows you to schedule and stream a curated lineup of StreamShark Video on Demand (VoD) content as "live" - either at scheduled/defined times (so you can "premiere" content), or on a 24/7 loop.

Getting Started

How to gain access to Live Scheduler

The Live Scheduler platform is currently available for customers on subscription plans with a Dedicated Server attached. Contact your Sales Representative or Account Manager if you wish to know more, or are interested in a trial of the Live Scheduler platform.

The new StreamShark user interface

In this guide you'll notice the Live Scheduler has a different user interface to the Video on Demand section. We're progressively rolling out an updated user interface across the product, so you may notice some differently styled user interfaces across the platform.

How to return to the legacy user interface

If you need to use the legacy version you can, just enter the URL https://app.streamshark.io/schedule#manage-schedules directly into your browser's search bar. Please note that the legacy version will no longer be available after February 3rd.

Simplified Overview of the Workflow

  1. Create a Live Schedule
    • Set a specific time and date for it to start automatically.
    • Alternatively, configure it for manual start.
  2. Select the videos you want to use in the Live Schedule
    • Upload the videos well in advance, especially larger files, to allow sufficient processing time.
    • You can upload a video to the Live Schedule by selecting 'Schedule', 'Add Videos' then 'Upload Videos' . Going through this upload path will automatically encode the videos in the correct format for a Live Schedule.
  3. Wait for the selected videos to be synced to your selected ingest
    • Depending on the file size of the videos selected, this can take a few minutes to complete. Keep an eye on this status chip for when it's finished processing. When it is ready you will see or .
  4. You're now ready to go live!
    • If you’ve scheduled a start time, the Live Schedule will begin automatically at that time.
    • If you have selected a manual start, then you can now push the 'Go Live Now' button. Note: The button can be used even if a scheduled start time exists.
  5. The Live Schedule will automatically finish, when all your videos have finished playing
    • If you have selected 'loop content' then your videos will play indefinitely, until they're manually stopped by pushing the 'stop broadcast' button .

Detailed Guide

1. Prepare the source VoDs

For any new video asset you wish to add to a live schedule:

  1. Login to StreamShark
  2. Navigate to Video on Demand -> +Add Content (https://app.streamshark.io/vod#manage-videos)
  3. Select your source file:
    1. For content less than 5GB, you can upload via the Upload From Computer option.
    2. For content larger than 5GB, upload to your file bucket in advance and select it from the File Bucket tab after uploading. Please see the file bucket guide for more information.
  4. The Live Scheduler Source toggle allows you to choose how you expect the VoD to be processed:
    1. Choose Yes if you only use this VoD for Live Scheduler purpose and will not use it for direct VoD access. You may be able to choose a provided Profile from the dropdown list if this has been pre-configured for your account, such as Live Scheduler HD or Live Scheduler 4K. Processing with this configuration will be much faster, particularly for large files.
    2. Choose No if this VoD will be used for purposes other than Live Scheduler. With this option, you will need to ensure the VoD has the correct Format and Qualities in order to add it to Live Schedule. Select the Custom profile and ensure the VoD matches the following Format and Qualities:
      1. the MP4 Format and the 360p, 480p, 720p and 1080p Qualities for a HD schedule
      2. the MP4 Format and the 360p, 720p, 1080p and 2160p Qualities for a 4K schedule
  5. Click Continue.
  6. Add details such as:
    1. Title
    2. Description
    3. Tags
    4. A scheduled deletion date after which the content will be removed.
  7. Hit Save.

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For any existing video asset you may wish to add to a Live Schedule:

  1. Login to StreamShark
  2. Navigate to Video on Demand and select the existing VoD you wish to modify.
  3. Click on the Profile tab.
  4. If Automatic is checked, uncheck it so it says Manual so you can add additional qualities if needed.
  5. Ensure the MP4 Format is selected, as well as the 360p, 480p, 720p and 1080p Qualities (for a HD schedule), or 360p, 720p, 1080p and 2160p Qualities (for a 4K schedule)
  6. Hit Save Profile Settings

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In both cases, all the VoD must be ACTIVE in order for a Live Schedule to go live.

 

2. Create the Live Schedule

  1. Navigate to Live Scheduler  -> +Add
  2. Give the Schedule a Title, Description and Tags
  3. Select the Video Player Template
  4. Select the Quality Mode if applicable
    1. HD - Any VoD added to schedule must be pre-transcoded using the Live Schedule HD VoD Profile, or have the necessary MP4 Format selected, as well as the 360p, 480p, 720p and 1080p Qualities present if edited by hand.
    2. 4K - Any VoD added to schedule must be pre-transcoded using the Live Schedule 4K VoD Profile, or have the necessary MP4 Format selected, as well as the 360p, 720p, 1080p and 2160p Qualities present if edited by hand.
  5. Select your ingest (if applicable)
  6. Configure your Schedule:
    1. For a one-off Live Schedule, set a Scheduled Start Date, Start Time(s) and Time Zone. If you select multiple times, they must be on the same day.
    2. For a 24/7 loop, optionally set a Scheduled Start time (or otherwise manually start the schedule later), and select Loop Content
  7. Optionally, select your Privacy Settings to On if you want to protect access to the Live Schedule (e.g. for private streams). Leave it Off for publicly accessible events. 
  8. Hit Create Live Schedule
  9. Once the Schedule is created, it is waiting for you to add content
  10. Select + Add Videos , select the VoD content you want to add
  11. If desired, re-order the content via dragging and dropping via the 6 dot icon , and select Update Live Schedule
  12. Once the Schedule is in the Ready or Scheduled State, Select Go Live Now to make the playlist active, or if scheduled, wait for the Scheduled Start time and navigate to the Links tab to grab the HLS and DASH feed URLs

3. Add Video on Demand (VoD) content to the Live Schedule

Once you have created a new Live Schedule, it is in the Waiting for Content state.

  1. Select + Add Videos to begin adding content to the Live Schedule. Search by Title or Tag to quickly find relevant content.
  2. Clicking the + Add button will add the video to the timeline. Videos can be added multiple times, if desired. If the add button is greyed out, indicating that the VoD is not in the correct Live Schedule format. 
  3. Once a video has been added to a Live Schedule and the 'Update Live Schedule' button has been clicked. The status will change to 'Syncing Content'. Once the content is synced the status will change to 'Scheduled' or 'Ready' , depending if manual or scheduled start was selected.

4. Going Live

  1. Following the previous steps our Live Schedule's status is 'Scheduled' or 'Ready' , and the is ready to go live.
  2. Any scheduling type can be forced to go live at any time, by pressing the 'Go Live Now' button. You can also force stop the stream by pressing the 'Stop Broadcast' button at any time.
  3. When a stream is live, you can see what video is currently live, by looking at the 'Live Now' indicator

Notes

  • External VTT VOD captions are not supported/displayed for live schedule. Embedded 608/708 captions inside the source mp4 should be passed through but we have not fully tested all permutations - please test with your sources to confirm.
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