Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do I need to be an experienced editor or videographer to create my own Livestream channel?

    Livestream is breakthrough technology designed for all users, from simple, casual use to professional live production. All that is needed is the desire to communicate, inform, and entertain. If you can use blog publishing platforms like Blogger and Wordpress, you should have no problem using Livestream Webcaster, Studio and Procaster.

  • Can I embed my channel on other websites?

    The Livestream player can be embedded on most websites, on MySpace and is available as a Facebook app. Simply customize your player and paste the code into the HTML editor on the site or section of MySpace where you wish to embed it. For Facebook simply click the "embed this channel in my Facebook" link on the player menu and Facebook will walk you through the steps.

  • What do you mean when you call it "Live" Broadcasting?

    When we say live, we really mean "live"! Our unique, patent-pending technology allows Livestream to virtually eliminate the now infamous 20-second delay common in the live streaming process. With Livestream, the viewer experiences what the producer has put on the air in less than one second. Everyone watching your channel sees exactly the same thing you see as you produce it. Think of the possibilities: you can use your web cam to cover a "live" news or sports event as it happens, spontaneously introduce and play back prepared clips, and switch back to your live camera with ease.

  • How much bandwidth do I need to produce content in the Livestream studio?

    For your production needs, we recommend 700 Kbps or higher upstream bandwidth to stream in high quality though in most cases using a lower quality setting you can get by with less. You can use this test to test your connection speed. For more efficient encoding, to specify the bitrate and other settings, we recommend using PROCASTER

  • Can other producers contribute to my channel in real-time?

    The Livestream studio is the ultimate collaborative multi-user application. Invite others to your production team, log into the studio together and you will see each each camera show up. Each producer can then cue cameras, manage clips, moderate chat and control all other live production tasks.

  • Do I need to worry about copyright issues?

    In addition to your own original programming, you can use existing copyright-free content on your broadcast. It is your responsibility to make sure the content you broadcast contains no copyright infringements. Livestream will shut down any account that is breaching content copyrights.

  • What is the best format to use when uploading high video quality?

    For best results, we recommend using VP6 encoded to Livestream specs using the "use file as master" option. If not doing this we recommend .mov (Quicktime) or .wmv (Windows Media) with MPEG4 or H.264 compression and it will be transcoded. The video should have at least 320x240 resolution.

  • What is the maximum number of viewers who can watch my channel?

    Unverified Livestream Free Channels are currently limited to 50 concurrent viewers. Once the channel has been verified, this viewer cap will be lifted. We currently don't have any theoretical upper limit for the number of viewers on a Premium or Verified channel. The maximum number of concurrent viewers that we've observed on one channel is more than 50,0000. The highest total peak number of concurrent viewers our network was 87,178 on the night of the U.S. Presidential Election in 2008 and 105,000 on inauguration day in 2009. If you are expecting more than 10,000 viewers, please contact us so that we can plan our capacity accordingly.

  • How do I remove the viewer count icon from my Livestream player?

    To remove the viewer count on your embedded Livestream player, uncheck the Show viewers check box in the Get player Widget tab of Livestream Studio. Or, if you've already embedded the code, odify the embed tag to include the parameter "showviewers=false". The viewer count cannot be removed from the Player on the Livestream website.

  • I have forgotten my password. How do I log back into the site?

    To retrieve your password, click on Login and then on the Retrieve Password tab. Enter your username and email address. A temporary password will be sent that you can use to log in. You will then be able to select the new password of your choice from the Personal Info tab.

  • How do I change the initial ticker text and the "Your Channel is now LIVE" screen?

    To remove or change initial ticker text, click on the Broadcast Live tab inside Livestream studio and then on the Ticker tab, located at the bottom right of the window. Overwrite the old text with some new text or an RSS feed related to your channel. When you click the Show tab, the new text will appear in the ticker.

    To remove the default clip from auto-pilot, go to the Auto-Pilot tab in Livestream Studio and drag and drop a storyboard that contains content to the auto-pilot playlist. Then, remove the storyboard titled "Your first storyboard" from auto-pilot.

  • How do I remove a clip from my storyboard?

    Just click on the "x" at the top right corner of the clip.

  • How do I delete a channel I no longer need?

    You may delete a channel in the Livestream Account Center. In the channels tab click on "More" next to the channel you no longer need and then on "Delete Channel" to remove the channel you no longer need.

  • How do I connect a camera other than a webcam?

    Livestream enables you to work with a large number of inputs. Choose your camera input by selecting the correct source from the dropdown menu in the Cameras section of the Live Broadcast tab. Be sure that you select "Allow camera" and not "Deny" when Flash attempts to access it when entering the Livestream Webcaster or Studio.

    Image:picture2.png

    Then go to the camera tab and make sure you picked the right input among the options presented.

    Image:picture3.png

    You can try each to find which input corresponds to your computer. If your camera is not being recognized it may be due to an issue with Flash compatibility in which case we recommend encoding with PROCASTER which will recognize more devices and will be recognized by the Studio and Livestream Webcaster.

  • How can I broadcast to people with a low bandwidth connection?

    We designed Livestream especially to enable our producers to broadcast worldwide, to anybody with a decent computer and connection.
    If your viewers have a very low connection and you are streaming live from your camera, try going to Settings located next to your camera preview on the left side of the Broadcast live screen, and reduce your image quality to "low". You can also use PROCASTER for better performance which will allow you to specify the bitrate.

  • How can I delete my logo if I don't want to keep it?

    You can choose to hide or show your logo on the channel. In the Broadcast Live tab, click on the Branding tab in the lower right corner. Then choose to show or hide the corner bug.

    You can remove the logo from your studio by clicking on the Remove button next to the logo in the Configure Channel tab in the configure channel page section where you first uploaded your logo.

  • What about size and format are best for my logo and banner?

    Livestream only supports still logos. The logo file should be square in .jpeg, .gif or .png format and it should should not exceed 120kb. Banners should be 960px wide and can be any height.

  • Can I connect external devices like DVD players or video mixers to my computer and use them as a source to broadcast live instead of a webcam?


    In order to capture video from an analog source you will need an analog/digital converter such as a Canopus.

    These devices will allow you to input an analog RCA or S-Video signal and will output a digital signal to your computer via USB. In many cases these devices are not compatible with Flash so you may need to use PROCASTER to broadcast from this source inside Livestream studio.

    Please note that some of these devices are not meant for streaming and may cause audio loss. Please check with the manufacturer before attempting to use one of these devices with Livestream.

  • I didn't receive a confirmation mail after signing up. What should I do?

    A confirmation mail is sent automatically as soon as you finish signing up. If you don't receive it right away, it could be could be because of a typo in your e-mail address or the confirmation mail ended up in your spam folder. Please make sure your spam filter enables info@livestream.com to reach your inbox.

  • How Do I Change My Password?

    You can change your password from the Personal Info tab of the Livestream Account Center.

    Note: your password should be at least 6 characters long and only letters and numbers

  • Can I put the Livestream player on a Facebook Page?

    Livestream currently only provides you with a widget embeddable on Facebook profiles. However, that might be extended to Facebook pages soon!

  • I forgot my username? What should I do?

    You can retrieve your username from the login section in the top right of the Livestream homepage. Click on "Login" then "Forgot password" and then "forgot username" in the following section.

  • Can I watch Livestream on a Mobile Device?

    Livestream is Flash based. The current desktop version of Flash player is not compatible with the mobile version of Flash. We hope to offer some options for Mobile in the future.

  • What does the 'play as one clip' mean on the storyboards?

    Play as One Clip is useful for the VOD feature. It enables you to play bundled clips as one sequence. Viewers will not have access to the clips separately. For example, if you have a or storyboard containing five clips, each about 2 minutes, it will appear in the VOD library as a single 10 minute clip.

  • How do I moderate or disable chat?

    You can ban users from the chat tab in the Live Broadcast section of Livestream Studio by right clicking on the user you want to ban. You can disable chat by unchecking "chat enabled" box in the configure channel tab in Livestream Studio.

  • My video failed encoding, what can I do?

    If the file was imported with the last 24 hours you can use the re-import link on the clip tab to the right of the download link. In most cases should correct the issue.
    Image:reimport.png
    If the file is one you uploaded, it may also be due to an issue with the source file you are trying to import in which case you will need to re-encode the file prior to uploading.

  • What is the maximum file size for a video I upload?

    Each file should be under 700MB in size.

  • How can I stream my desktop?

    To stream your desktop you will need screen capture software such as Livestream Procaster. You can download Procaster free from PROCASTER.com

  • How do I schedule/randomize auto-pilot playback?

    The ability to schedule or randomize content in your auto-pilot playlist is not yet possible but is on our roadmap for future release. Thank you for your patience!

  • How do I transfer ownership of my channel to another Livestream user?

    You can transfer ownership of a channel you have created to another user from the Livestream Account Center. Simply click on "More" next to the channel you wish to transfer and then on "Transfer Ownership." To do this, the producer you transfer ownership to must be an existing production team member. **Note that once you transfer ownership, the channel will be moved from the "My Channels" section to the "Member Channels" section. The new owner will be able to remove or change your access to the channel if desired.

  • As a Livestream Premium user can I be on a dedicated server?

    Currently, we do not offer dedicated server options. To inquire about custom solutions, please email premium@livestream.com

  • Can I use my own CDN?

    Currently, we do not offer integration of customer CDNs in order to ensure we can meet the standards outlined in our Service Level Agreement (SLA). To inquire about custom solutions, please email premium@livestream.com

  • What is the maximum bit rate I can stream using my Livestream Free channel?

    Livestream Free Channels have a maximum bit rate limit of 500kbps. If your bitrate is above 500kbps, the stream will not be present within your Livestream Channel an an automated warning e-mail will be sent. Please ensure the total bit rate is below 500kbps. Livestream Premium Channels are exempt from this limitation.

  • Can I restrict access to my channel page with a password?

    At this time, you cannot restrict access to your channel page at Livestream.com (though it is in our development queue). However, with Livestream Premium, you can remove your channel page from Livestream.com and restrict the Player Widget to function only on specific URLs. You could easily create a password-protected area on a specified URL and embed the player there to create a password-protected channel.

  • Can I limit my broadcast to a specific geographic area (geolocation)?

    Currently, you cannot limit your broadcast to a specific geographic location though it is on our development roadmap.

  • Can I offer pay-per-view with Livestream Premium?

    Livestream does not offer a pay-per-view monetization platform at the moment though it is on our development roadmap. Currently, Premium users can restrict the Player Widget to function only on specific URLs which can be behind a login / pay wall on a 3rd party site.

  • Can I broadcast in 16:9 resolution?

    To broadcast in 16:9 resolution you will need to use an encoder such as Flash Media Encoder or Procaster. Procaster will allow you to specify the resolution in the video settings. To set a 16:9 resolution in FME you will need to enter additional parameters in the FMS URL as described in the Advanced FME options in the Livestream Userguide Note that only Premium players can be customized to display a custom aspect ratio natively. Free channels will letterbox any custom ratio in a 4:3 player.

  • As a Premium user can I have higher quality on-demand content??

    Yes. Any on-demand content that is encoded properly will be streamed at the same quality you set your Premium channel to: standard (up to 500 Kbps), high (up to 700 Kbps), or HD (up to 1700 Kbps).

  • Am I allowed to create adult Premium channels??

    No. Adult content violates our General Terms of Use.

  • When I upgrade to Livestream Premium will old content automatically be transcoded at higher quality?

    No. Any content that has already been transcoded will remain as is. To increase the quality of any existing content, you will need to re-upload the content.

  • As a Premium user can I prevent the player from being embedded?

    Yes. You can restrict the Player Widget to function only on specific URLs from the Privacy section of the Livestream Premium Studio.

  • Do Premium users get premium support?

    Premium users get priority support with a guaranteed response time of 4 business hours. For details, please see http://www.Livestream.com/broadcast/products/support

  • Can I insert pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads?

    You can currently place pre-, mid- and post-roll ads in linear and on-demand broadcasts manually using Storyboards. In the near future, Livestream will be offering campaign management and tracking tools to make this process more efficient.

  • As a Premium user can I do a rev share on the ads and have it count against bandwidth costs??

    Currently, we do not have a revenue-sharing model. To inquire about custom solutions, please email premium@livestream.com.

  • If I sell my own advertising / sponsorship, are there any limitations?

    The advertising or sponsorship content you sell simply needs to comply with our content requirements set forth in the General Terms of Use. and Premium Producer Terms of Use.

  • My channel is limited to 50 viewers, why is this?

    When you create a new Livestream Free channel, it is by default “unverified,” which means that you can stream to a maximum of 50 concurrent viewers at a time, and that your channel is not listed in the Livestream Channel Guide. Verification is designed to give all of our best producers maximum exposure, and to ensure consistent quality and compliance, throughout the Livestream Network.
    To apply for verification first, make sure your content complies with the Livestream Terms of Use
    Next, log into the Livestream Account Center. In the channels tab you will see the Verification status of each of your Livestream Free channels. To Verify a channel, click on the link and fill out the Livestream Free Channel Verification Application.

  • Do Livestream Premium Channels Need to be Verified?

    No. Livestream Premium channels already support unlimited concurrent viewers and give every producer direct control over whether or not their channel is published in the channel guide at www.Livestream.com.

  • Why Should I Verify My Livestream Free Channel?

    When you create a new Livestream Free channel, it is by default “unverified,” which means that you can stream to a maximum of 50 concurrent viewers at a time, and that your channel is not listed at www.Livestream.com.

  • Why Does Livestream Verify Channels?

    * Livestream does not tolerate copyright infringement by producers. Applying the viewer limit and adding the Verification process helps us and copyright owners to better control any potential infringement.

    * It helps our viewers discover great content. With thousands of channels to choose from, we can better match channels with viewers through the Verification process.

    * As we continue to grow our overall concurrent viewer capacity for the Livestream Network, we want to ensure that it is reserved for Premium and Verified Free channels.

    * It gives producers time to refine their channels. It takes effort to build a channel, fill it with great video, and make it beautiful. By adding a step between launch and broad distribution publication, we give producers the time they need to “get it right.”

    * Since Livestream Free channels are ad-supported, we want to make sure that the experience is as good as it possibly can be for everyone. By reviewing content we can better match ads that fit both channel and viewer needs.