Applies to: Multicast Video. Not sure which panel you have? See Which radio or video panel do I have?

Multicast Video is our own control panel for online television (web TV). You use it to upload videos, build playlists and a schedule, go live with OBS or your computer's camera and see how many people are watching. Your channel plays around the clock from our server, even when your computer is switched off.

This guide takes you from the moment your service is delivered to the moment your channel is on air. Each step links to a detailed article on that topic.

1. Find your service in the Client Area

1. Log in to the Client Area.
2. In the menu, go to Services → My Services.
3. Click Manage next to your Multicast Video service.

The service page shows the status of the service, your package details and the buttons for logging in and getting support. More in The service page in the Client Area.

2. Open the panel

The easiest way is the Login to Panel button on the service page (Services → My Services → Manage → Login to Panel). It opens the panel already logged in, without typing a password.

Good to know: the automatic login link is valid for only a few minutes and can be used once. If you see the login form instead of the panel, just go back to the Client Area and click Login to Panel again.

You can also log in directly on the panel's login page with your Username or Email and Password, then click Login. You can see the panel's address in your browser's address bar as soon as you open it from the Client Area; bookmark it.

• The login page has no "Forgot password" option. If you've forgotten your password, open the panel with Login to Panel from the Client Area and set a new one under Settings (see Account settings).
• After 5 wrong attempts within 15 minutes, login is temporarily blocked. Wait 15 minutes or log in from the Client Area.
• If you stay inactive for 24 hours, the panel logs you out and you need to log in again.

3. Get to know the menu

The panel's left menu has four sections:

Below the menu you can see how much space you have used (Storage) and the Change theme switch (dark or light theme). The top bar shows your account's clock, whether the channel is Online or Offline and how many viewers are connected, the flag for changing language and the Notifications bell.

The yellow PRO badge

Some items (e.g. Video Library, Stream Targets, Overlay & Watermark, Custom Domain, Backup Management) may show a yellow PRO badge. These features are available on packages that include them. If you see the PRO badge, ask us to upgrade your package (see Upgrading or downgrading your package).

4. Check your time zone

The channel's schedule, the statistics and the panel's clock all follow your account's time zone. Go to Account → Settings and, in the Profile card, check the Timezone (for Greece and Cyprus: Europe/Athens). Click Save. You can change the panel's Language there too.

5. Upload videos

1. Go to Content → Upload.
2. Drag your videos onto the drop area, or click it to select them. Only MP4 files are accepted, up to 1024 MB each.
3. Wait until every file shows Ready!. After uploading, each video goes through a short Optimizing step so it's ready for streaming.

For bigger files, or many at once, use FTP. See Uploading videos, Uploading with FTP and, if your package includes it, Downloading videos from a URL and YouTube.

6. Put your videos in a playlist

Every new account already has a playlist called Default Playlist, and it is the one on air (it contains a sample video, which you can remove once you add your own). The videos you upload are not added to a playlist automatically:

1. Go to Content → Playlists and click Manage on the playlist.
2. In the Add Videos card on the right, click Select all, then Add. Only videos with the status Ready can go into playlists.
3. If you want random order, switch on Shuffle.
4. Click Save List, then Activate.

In detail: Playlists. If you want one playlist in the morning and another in the evening, see Schedule.

7. Start your channel

1. Go to the Dashboard.
2. In the Stream Control card, click Start and confirm with Ναι (Yes).
3. After a few seconds the status changes to Active and the video that's playing appears.
4. Refresh the page (F5) to watch the channel in the Live Preview card.

The channel keeps playing after you close your browser. You don't need to click Start every day. The active playlist plays continuously: when it ends, it starts again from the top.

Important: the Schedule and a playlist's Activate button change what is playing, but they do not start a stopped channel. If the channel is stopped, always click Start on the Dashboard. See Dashboard - controlling your channel.

8. What your channel plays, and in what order

Your channel always has one output. When several sources are available at once, the one with the highest priority plays:

1. Live broadcast: from OBS, vMix or your browser's camera. While you are live, viewers see you.
2. Restream: relaying another channel, which you switch on from the Live page.
3. Restream from the Schedule: when you've set a restream for specific hours in the Schedule.
4. Playlist: your videos, together with jingles and advertisements.

Switching is automatic. For example, when you stop OBS, within a few seconds the channel goes back to the Restream (if there is one) or to the playlist. Jingles and advertisements only appear while the playlist is playing.

See Going live with OBS or vMix, Going live from your browser with a camera and Relaying another channel (Restream).

9. Share your channel

• Public page: every channel has its own page with a player, what's playing now and a chat. You set it up under Streaming → public page. See Your channel's public page and chat.
• HLS link for players and apps: in the Streaming Information card on the Dashboard you'll find the "HLS URL". It starts with https:// and ends in /index.m3u8.
• Player for your website: ready-made code under Quick Links and Widgets. See Quick Links, a player for your website and widgets.

Checklist

• ☐ I logged in to the panel from the Client Area.
• ☐ I checked the Timezone in Settings.
• ☐ I uploaded MP4 videos and waited until they were Ready.
• ☐ I added the videos to a playlist and activated it.
• ☐ I clicked Start and I can see the channel in Live Preview.
• ☐ I set a title and logo on the public page.
• ☐ I added a player to my website.

Messages / Common problems

Need help?

If something doesn't work, start with My channel isn't playing or keeps freezing: what to check. If that doesn't solve it, open a support ticket from your service page in the Client Area (see Opening a support ticket), so we know straight away which channel it is about.

Feedback inside the panel is for ideas and suggestions. For problems that need fixing, open a support ticket in the Client Area.