What is an encoder?
Simply put, an encoder compresses audio and video from various inputs and sends that output to a streaming service, such as Microsoft Stream. Typically, there are hardware, software and mobile apps that you can use. Learn more about the encoders that have been tested with Microsoft Stream.
Why can't I see the "Create a live event" option?
Users with the allowable licenses (listed in the overview), and who are enabled by the Stream admin can create live events. Check that you have a valid license, or contact your Stream admin to get access to this feature.
Who can watch a live event?
Live events viewership permissions work just like all other videos in Microsoft Stream. Viewership access can be limited to individuals or groups, or available to the entire organization.
Can people outside of my organization watch my live event?
Currently, events streamed through Microsoft Stream are only available to internally to viewers within your organization.
What kind of analytics can I see?
Event producers can see the total number of watchers when the event is live. When the event is completed, the producer can see the total number of views across the lifetime of the video subject to the view count algorithm.
What ingest protocols do you support?
Microsoft Stream supports RTMP and RTMPS ingest from most encoders. Encoder implementation of RTMP and RTMPS protocol can vary, so it is recommended to use a tested encoder with a good known configuration.
What is the pre-live state?
The pre-live state helps producers to set up their live event. When in this state, audience members will not see your live stream, but will be shown a slate until you choose to start the live event. In this state, you can choose to disconnect the setup to come back at a later time. This is useful when practicing for your live event.
Can I stop and restart my event?
If you are in the pre-live state of your event, you can disconnect the event. By doing so, you will need to restart the setup process. This is useful for testing your event before the actual event date. If your event is already live, you can't restart the broadcast; once ended, the event will be completed.
Can I reconnect my encoder?
Yes, if your encoder disconnects for some reason, you can reconnect if the encoder supports this functionality, so long as you use the same output profile for a given setup. If your encoder is disconnected for too long, the event will either automatically transition from pre-live to offline (you can start setup again), or from live to ended (the event will be complete at this point and can't be restarted). Note, your audience may have a bad viewing experience or see errors if your encoder either disconnected for too long, or is not reconnected properly.
If you are in pre-live, you may disconnect your setup from within Microsoft Stream to send a new output, but you must start the setup again. It is not possible if your event is already completed.
What happens to my video after the event ends?
After the event is stopped by the producer, it is immediately available for viewing on-demand in Microsoft Stream. If the options are selected, the automatic speech-to-text and facial detection will start processing. The video will also be downloadable by an owner. Microsoft Stream comments will be available for use.
How long can my live event be?
The maximum length of a live event is 4 hours.
My event automatically stopped, what's going on?
After the maximum length of a live event has been reached, it will automatically stop the event and will become available for on-demand consumption.
Is there a lag between real life and the online live event?
Yes, there is a time delay that will be seen on the online live event.
Can I embed the live event in another site?
Yes, just like all other videos in Microsoft Stream, you can easily embed the live event on any website using the embed code. There are also deeper integrations with Microsoft Teams, Yammer, and SharePoint that support simple embedding. Only viewers who have permissions to view the live event will be able to watch it.
There seems to be an issue with my live stream, what do I do?
Commonly, if you are able to correctly connect to the live event, there may be an issue with the encoder. Start by checking that your encoder is connected and streaming correctly. High CPU load or bandwidth constraints can cause issues with your live event.
Why can't I see the Microsoft Teams produced events in Microsoft Stream?
Currently, this producer flow is not powered by Microsoft Stream. To see your events in Stream, after the event is completed, simply upload the downloaded recording into Microsoft Stream.
What live captions format do you support?
Stream supports CEA 708 embedded captions.
How can I add live captions to my events?
If you're using an encoder that supports embedded CEA 708 captions and are generating captions using a stenographer or other method, Stream will automatically detect the captions and the people who are watching the event can toggle them on or off as well as configure the look and feel of them, the same way they do for on-demand video captions. When your live event is over, you can chose to keep the generated live captions as is or upload a cleaned up version of the captions as a VTT which will overwrite the original.
