Live event — from the camera to YouTube and other platforms

For a live event (a concert, a service, a conference, a match) you need a single broadcast from the venue. Castreon receives it and sends it at the same time to all video platforms and to your own viewers — without the laptop or encoder at the venue having to upload the same stream several times.

camera → OBS / vMix / encoder ──► Castreon ──► YouTube, Facebook, Twitch … (RTMP / RTMPS)
                                          └──► website, apps, Smart TV (HLS, DASH, HTTP-TS)

1. The event channel

1. Channels → New channel, with a name (for example "Event").
2. Source: RTMP in (OBS / encoder) — see Broadcasting from OBS, vMix and encoders. On an unstable link (mobile internet, Wi-Fi) use SRT.
3. Profile:
   • no profile (passthrough) — if the broadcast already arrives in H.264 + AAC at the right bitrate; it uses no CPU;
   • with a profile — if you want several qualities for your own viewers (ABR), or if the broadcast arrives in H.265 / AV1 and the platforms want H.264.

2. The outputs

• HLS (and, if you like, DASH or LL-HLS) — for your website and apps.
• one RTMP push for each platform. The address is the platform's server address, followed by / and the stream key from the platform's page. Example:

rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/<stream-key>
rtmps://a.rtmps.youtube.com:443/live2/<stream-key>

The RTMPS variant (with rtmps://) sends encrypted; use it when the platform offers it — some require it. Always copy the address and the key from the platform's page: they differ from one platform to another, and the key may change for each event.

Each destination runs on its own: if one drops or refuses the broadcast, the others carry on, and it reconnects by itself.

A channel without a profile cannot have RTMP push together with LL-HLS (each needs a different picture tag): Castreon then stops the RTMP output and writes why in the log. Use regular HLS or a profile.

3. During the event

On the channel page, under Delivery, each RTMP push shows sending, reconnecting or dropped — you see at a glance whether it reaches every platform. The Broadcast from OBS (RTMP) card shows what Castreon receives from the venue.

Before the event — checklist

• Test 15–30 minutes before, with the platforms in preview mode.
• In OBS: CBR, keyframe interval 2 s, AAC 48 kHz — the video platforms require them.
• The server's upload must carry all outputs at once: each platform receives a full copy of the stream (for example 3 platforms × 6 Mbit/s = 18 Mbit/s, plus your own viewers). Set the line upload in Network and upload.
• The upload at the venue must be at least 1.5 times the broadcast bitrate.
• With the "no signal" image, a short drop of the broadcast does not end the stream on the platforms: viewers see your image, and the program comes back by itself.

H.265 and AV1 to platforms

An RTMP output can send H.265 or AV1 (Enhanced RTMP) only if the platform accepts them. When the channel also has HLS / DASH outputs on the same quality, the RTMP output cannot carry H.265 — add an H.264 quality to the profile and select it on the RTMP output (Quality sent). See HEVC and AV1.

Delay

From the camera to the platforms, the delay comes mostly from the platforms (usually 5–30 seconds). Castreon adds only a few seconds. For your own viewers, LL-HLS goes down to 1–3 seconds and WebRTC below one second (Enterprise).