Ustream Help Center

Would you like to share your videos on other social platforms than Ustream? Learn how to upload your video from Ustream to YouTube by watching our short tutorial!

In this video you will learn how to make your channel private and password protected.

First you have to set your channel to be password protected:

Please, keep in mind that only your live broadcasts can be password protected. After that you can either make your recorded videos private (only you see them) or public (everybody sees them).

To set this up, go to your Dashboard

Click on Channel

Under the channel that you want to be password protected, click on Advanced

Click on the box next to "Make your channel private" and set your password.

Scroll down and click on Save

After that's done, go to your channel page:

Scroll down under the video player and click on Embed

Grab the embed code:

And paste it into your website. You can also use the old embed code which you can find under the video such as the new embed code, but you have to click on "use the old embed code"

You can now add a slideshow to display as your Off Air Content. Viewers will see this if they go to your channel and you are not broadcasting.

There are a few things to know before you upload an image:
-It is best to upload JPG images that conform to the 16:9 aspect ratio so they will fill the entire player window. 640 X 360 or 1280 X 720 sized images work well.
If you cannot resize/crop the image to these dimensions you will see black bars on the sides.
-Images should be under 1 MB in size.

1. Login into your account.

2. In the upper right corner under your username select "Go To Dashboard."

3. Under Channel select "Off Air."

4. Select the "Show slideshow" radio button and then select "Edit Slideshow."

5. Click on the "Add" button.

6. Click on "Choose File" and locate the image you want to upload.

8. Pick a name for your image.

9. Click "Save" to save your changes

10. You will then see a banner on the top of the page confirming that the images will be visible within 10 minutes.

A few other features:
-You can also select an image from the Web and paste the URL in the box.
-If you want to change the order of the slide show you can drag the images up or down.
-You can select and image and then use the "Delete" option to delete it
-Your changes will not be saved until you click the "Save" button

Here are our recommendations for doing a high-quality Ustream broadcast. 

Internet Connection

·      Hardline dedicated solely to the Ustream broadcast

·      Minimum consistent upload speed of 1Mbps, 1.5Mbps or higher preferred. 

·      Speed test must be conducted to ensure necessary bandwith ---www.speakeasy.net/speedtest --test to Los Angeles

·      Separate internet connection for stream monitoring/other internet browsing

Additional Notes:

·      Anything less than 1Mbps consistent upload speed can lead to broadcast going off air or poor quality audio / video and possible audio sync issues. 

·      If bandwidth is shared, the total bandwidth of the connection must be great enough to allow for 1-1.5Mbps consistent upload speed for the stream, plus, additional bandwidth for whatever other activities are happening on the same line.  i.e. Total bandwidth would need to be 2Mbps or greater and additional non-streaming usage of that bandwidth needs to be restricted. 

·      Be wary of home DSL connections as they are generally of lesser quality and lower bandwidth than cable-company provided connections and are subject to extreme fluctuation in bandwidth. 

·      Be aware that DSL and Cable internet providers will often quote you the maximum possible bandwidth of the line they are installing rather than the actual bandwidth you will experience.  A speed test must be conducted to verify actual bandwidth --  http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtestand click Los Angeles.

·      If you have a connection that is less than 1Mbps, you may still be able to broadcast, but you will need to lower your output bit rate on your encoding computer so that your combined video and audio bitrate is less than 60% of your available bandwidth.  So if you only have a 600k internet connection, your stream should be roughly 350k or less.  Ensuring that your outgoing stream stays well below your available bandwidth will help prevent any disconnects from occurring. 

Encoding Settings

It is up to the person publishing the stream to choose the encoding settings that best fit the needs of the broadcast material and the end user.

Ustream’s player can accept many different types of streams and we pass through directly whatever we receive. However, the person doing the encoding should be aware that not all types of streams will be able to be viewed reliably by all users on all platforms.  Therefore, we have provided below some recommended settings that we have found provide the greatest compatibility and best viewing experience for the majority of users.    

As a starting point we recommend...

·      640 x 360 (16:9)

·      500k Video

·      96k or 128k Audio

·      H.264 Baseline Level 3.0

·      AAC Audio

Mobile Requirement

In order for your stream to be viewable on iPhone and iPad, the encoding will need to be configured to H.264 video Baseline Profile, Level 3.0 and AAC audio. When using a Tricaster or FMLE for this purpose, a separate AAC plug-in needs to be purchased and installed prior to configuration. The plug-in is not required for Wirecast or Producer Pro as it is already built in.

·      AAC plug-in for Tricaster/FMLE can be purchased for $250 from Main Concept

http://www.mainconcept.com/products/apps-plug-ins/aac-encoder.html

Additional Notes:

·      If you have an embedded player that is larger or significantly different in dimensions than the Ustream player window, it is recommended to match the output size of the encoder to the size of that embedded player.  The embeddable Ustream player can be configured to be any size and aspect ratio.  If the aspect ratio of the embedded player does not match the aspect ratio of the encoded stream, black bars may appear on the top or sides of the video inside the embedded player window. 

·      Encoding using Main Profile in the H.264 codec can cause playback issues for some users.  Depending on the end user’s hardware video card, when hardware acceleration kicks in the video may appear to be “jittery” or skipping.  We recommend using Baseline profile for maximum compatibility for this reason. 

·      The higher your total output bandwidth, the more users may have difficulty accessing the stream on low-bandwidth connections.  We recommend you do testing to see what bandwidth is necessary for both video and audio, depending on your source material. 

Suggested Settings for Popular Encoding Platforms

iPhone / iPad Compatible

16:9

·      Tricaster: [Flash push preset] 480x270, H264, AAC audio, 30fps, 508k

·      FMLE: 640x360 @ 30fps, H264 (Baseline Profile, Level 3.0), 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Wirecast: 640x360 @ 30fps, H264, 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Producer/Producer Pro: [High SD Quality 16:9], 720x405 @ 30fps, 500kbs, AAC 44.1kHZ

4:3

·      Tricaster: [Flash push preset] 480x360, H264, AAC audio, 30fps, 508k

·      FMLE: 640x480 @ 30fps, H264, 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Wirecast: 640x480 @ 30fps, H264, 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Producer/Producer Pro: [High SD Quality 4:3], 640x480 @ 30fps, 500kbs, AAC 44.1kHZ

Not compatible with iPhone / iPad but utilizing VP6 codec and good for motion and fast moving video content. 

16:9

·      Tricaster: [Flash push preset] 480x270, VP6, MP3 audio, 30fps

·      FMLE: 640x360 @ 30fps, H264, 500kbs, MP3 audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Wirecast: 640x360 @ 30fps, VP6, 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

4:3

·      Tricaster: [Flash push preset] 480x360, VP6, MP3 audio, 30fps

·      FMLE: 640x480 @ 30fps, H264, 500kbs, MP3 audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

·      Wirecast: 640x480 @ 30fps, VP6, 500kbs, AAC audio @ 96k, 44.1kHZ

Disconnected from Server

You may see this message if the connection between your encoding computer and Usteam was disconnected. 

The most common cause of this is trying to broadcast on a wireless internet connection that cuts out, or an internet connection that lacks the necessary upload speed. 

It is possible that the upload speed of your Internet connection is too slow. Check your internet connection at www.speedtest.net. We recommend an upload speed minimum of 1 to 1.5 Mbps upload speed to do a high quality broadcast.  Also, it is important that no one else is using the same internet connection for other purposes.  If you are using a shared wi-fi network, you may find you have insufficient bandwidth to broadcast.

The best rule of thumb is that your broadcasting bitrate should be about 50% or less of your total available upload bandwidth. 

The Ustream Web broadcaster uses less bandwidth than Ustream Producer, so if you find you are having chopiness or disconnects with Producer, you may want to try dropping Producer to the lowest quality setting or switching to the web broadcaster instead.

Do you suspect your camera is not connected propely? Are you seeing a black screen when you broadcast?

There are a couple of ways to troubleshoot this issue.

Metrics are a way to see how many viewers you had during any given broadcast. To view your metrics, login and on the top right click your [username] and then click on “Metrics” (on the left side).

Do you want to learn where to look for metrics in your account? Watch this video or scroll down for written instructions!

Unique Viewers refers to the actual number of viewers you had from unique locations. Total Viewers refers to the total number of views your stream received. For example, if a viewer started watching your stream, left, and came back ten times it would count as one unique view but ten total views.

Note that the total metrics are logged at the beginning of your broadcast and are not broken down per-day. So if you have a Broadcast that spans several days, the total will appear on the first day.

While you are not broadcasting live on Ustream you can have either a slideshow or recorded videos appear in your player. 

How to have my recorded video appear automatically in the player on my channel page?

- Login to your account at Ustream.tv
- Click on "Go to Dashboard"

- Click on "Channel" (the one you want to pick the off air settings for)

- Click on "Off Air"

- Click on "Play your videos"

- An option appears that says: Play your last recorded video or Play through selected videos. Choose the latter.

- If you pick "Play through selected videos", then click on "Edit selected videos"
- Double click on the videos that you want to select *Note* only videos that have been made public will appear to choose from here.

Click on Save once you have finished editing the off-air video playlist.

Click Save again in the main settings screen.

To Activate Slideshow

- Login to your account at Ustream.tv
- Click on "Go to Dashboard"



- Click on "Channel" (the one you want to pick the off air settings for)



- Click on "Off Air"



- Click on "Edit Slideshow" and a window pops up where you can upload a slide you want to play while off air.



Click on "+Add" , choose a file you want to upload and click on "Upload". Then click on "Add Image"



You should now see a thumbnail of the slide in the left hand part of the window. Repeat the last few steps to add more slides as desired.

Hit save when done adding slides to close that window.

Potential Causes:

1. Bandwidth: It is possible that the upload speed of your Internet connection is too slow. Check your internet connection at www.speedtest.net. We recommend an upload speed minimum of 1 to 1.5 Mbps to do a high quality broadcast.  Also, it is important that no one else is using the same internet connection for other purposes.  If you are using a shared wi-fi network, you may find you have insufficient bandwidth to broadcast. The best rule of thumb is that your broadcasting bitrate should be about 50% or less of your total available upload bandwidth.  The Ustream Web broadcaster uses less bandwidth than Ustream Producer, so if you find you are having chopiness or disconnects with Producer, you may want to try dropping it to the lowest quality setting or switching to the web broadcaster instead. 
2. CPU Usage: Your stream can become choppy if your CPU usage is so high that it causes your computer to slow down. This can affect both the broadcaster stream quality and viewer stream quality. Close all other programs that are running in the background to solve this problem. By closing other programs (like ITunes, Skype, and AIM) you will free up CPU space and help your computer run faster. 
3. Playing back large video files or encoding HD video:  If your source is a very high resolution, like an HD video clip, you may find that your computer struggles to encode this smoothly.  One trick here is to try to down-convert your clip or source video to a compressed, lower bit-rate format to see if this allows the computer to play it back and encode it more smoothly. 

A firewall can reside on your local machine, on a corporate firewall, or both. Have your IT department configure the firewall to accommodate these settings:

WEB & VIDEO INGEST

For broadcasting and viewing:

74.217.100.0/24

199.66.236.0/22

Ports: 80, 443, 1935 Traffic type: HTTP, HTTPS, RTMP

For using IRC CHAT while viewing streams the following ports also need to be opened:

Port 843 Flash Cross Domain Security XML File

Port: 6667 Traffic type: IRC

Here are links to adjusting firewall settings on local machines:

Mac OS: http://homepage.mac.com/car1son/static_port_fwd_firewall.html

Windows 7: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Open-a-port-in-Windows-Firewall

Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308127