BLOX VMS’s live streaming feature allows you to stream to many platforms, including your website, mobile apps, and OTT apps like Roku, AppleTV and Fire TV.
BLOX VMS can also deliver your stream to other platforms that have their own streaming infrastructure and distribution, such as YouTube Live. By following the steps in this article, you can stream content on YouTube live while also streaming through the BLOX VMS player, simultaneously recording your stream to create a video archive in your BLOX VMS account.
In order for BLOX VMS to deliver your stream to YouTube Live, you will need a YouTube account.
Part 1: Setting up a YouTube Live Event
First, go to YouTube Studio. Locate the live stream option near top right or click on Create and select Go live.
Once in the YouTube Studio Live panel, if you have streamed previously, it attempts to default start a live stream immediately. To avoid this, ensure you open YouTube Studio before starting your live stream encoder.
A) If you want to go live immediately, follow the prompts to do so, or click on Stream at top left.
Click the Edit button near top right to set information about your event — title, privacy level, category, thumbnail and more. Hit save when complete.
B) Alternatively, if you want to set up an event for later, follow the prompts or click on Schedule Stream at top right.
Populate information about your event — title, privacy level, category, thumbnail and more. Hit Create Stream when complete. You’ll see your event populate under Manage.
(If this is not your first YouTube live stream, when you hit Schedule Stream a popup will ask you if you’d like to start by copying over the information from a previously completed stream, which saves time on the steps above).
The next step only needs to be done once, unless your Stream key ever changes.
Under Stream Settings, copy the Stream key and Stream URL.
Use this information to create a Stream Target in BLOX VMS, before the start of your Facebook Live event. This allows you to simulcast through the BLOX VMS player on your site and on YouTube at the same time. (If you want to simulcast, you cannot proceed to Part 2 below until this is completed).
Once this done for the first time, you will not need to repeat this step unless you ever hit the Reset button, which generates a new Stream key.
Closed captions: If you are a broadcaster required to publish captions with your stream, be sure to configure any captions setting to on and choose Embedded 608/708.
For more information on configuring YouTube Live Event settings, including discussing some of the advanced settings options, see the YouTube Live Stream documentation.
Part 2: Testing and starting the stream on YouTube
Start your encoder if it’s not already running, publishing to your BLOX VMS live stream URL and stream name credentials. The stream will ingest on BLOX VMS’s live platform. Once BLOX VMS has configured your YouTube Stream key and Stream URL credentials, BLOX VMS will also be able to stream the video to the YouTube event you have created. If all is well, the stream will begin to appear at top left in the preview player, with information about the connection available under Stream Health.
(If the stream does not immediately appear, try disabling and re-enabling the stream target, or possibly stopping and restarting your encoder. You may also want to verify that the credentials displayed in YouTube Studio match what you have set in your BLOX VMS YouTube stream target.)
When you are ready, hit GO LIVE at top right.
The preview player will announce that you are now live. To stop your event, hit the End Stream button at top right.
When your event ends, YouTube will convert your event into a video in your YouTube video manager. If you wish to stream through the BLOX VMS player and record your stream into your BLOX VMS account at the same time that you are streaming to YouTube, follow our guides to publishing live stream events and setting events to record in the BLOX VMS manager.
