Creating remote livestreams

A remote livestream has a unique id and all metadata and analytics stored in Flowplayer. However the livestream is not encoded using our servers and we only use a link to the actual livestream. It is similar in concept to a remote video.

When to create a remote livestream

The best option is always to create livestreams using Flowplayer to benefit from our optimized encoding and delivery infrastructure. However, sometimes you may need a different approach for example if you get to use a stream from a different content provider. In this case creating a remote livestream in Flowplayer is a great idea to ensure that you get all analytics and can fully benefit from that even though the stream itself comes from a different source.

Creating a remote livestream using Flowplayer has the following benefits:

• Display the right information in the player such as title and description
• Gather analytics about the livestream engagement
• Ensure the stream is played correctly by the player

If you don’t want any of the above benefits you can load the livestream directly using the Player API.

Create a remote livestream in the dashboard

You can create a remote livestream in the dashboard by clicking + Add new from the Livestream view.

Then you will enter a three-step process to set up the livestream:

1. Type: Decide what type of livestream it should be (live now, scheduled or 24x7)
2. Metadata: Enter metadata such as title and description
3. Source: Enter the URL to the remote livestream in the form of the link to an HTTP Live master manifest as in the image below. For example: https://www.content-provider.com/path/manifest.m3u8

Creating a remote livestream through the API

To create a remote livestream you can use the API.

How to see that a livestream is a remote asset

All livestreams that are remote assets (e.g. hosted from a server outside of Flowplayer) has a cloud icon in the live listings such as on the picture below.