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

With Restream your channel shows, live, the picture and sound from another video source on the internet. Common examples:

• connecting to a network's "parent" channel or a partner station;
• relaying an event or a match that someone else is broadcasting;
• an IP camera (e.g. a camera with a view of the city or of your studio) that provides an RTSP stream.

The restream goes through the same processing as the rest of your channel: it's adjusted to the resolution in your Output Settings, and your overlays and watermark appear on top of it. If the source stops, your channel automatically plays the playlist, so it never goes "black".

Permission: only relay content you have the owner's permission to use.

What you need: the direct stream link

You need the address of the video stream itself, not the page where you watch it. Addresses starting with these are supported:

YouTube, Facebook or Twitch pages don't work. The description on the page mentions YouTube and Twitch as example sources, but a link like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=... is a page, not a video stream. Ask the owner of the channel you want to relay for the direct .m3u8, RTMP or RTSP link.

For an IP camera: the camera must be reachable from the internet, i.e. have a public address or port forwarding on your router. An address like 192.168.x.x only works inside your own network and the server can't reach it. You'll find the exact RTSP link in the camera's manual.

The source picture is re-encoded by the server. This means the restream works even if the source has a different resolution from your channel, but it puts more load on the server if the stream is faulty.

Method 1: continuous restream (Live page)

Use this when you want your channel to relay the source continuously, until you stop it.

1. In the menu, under Streaming, click Live.
2. Find the Restream card. The badge at the top right says Inactive.
3. Paste the source link into the Stream URL field.
4. Click Activate.
5. At the message Enable restream? Stream will restart. click Ναι (Yes; the confirmation buttons are in Greek).
6. For http:// and https:// links, the server first checks that the stream responds. The check takes up to about 10 seconds. RTMP and RTSP links aren't checked in advance.
7. If all is well you'll see Restream enabled. The page reloads and the card's badge changes to Active.

If the channel is running, it restarts briefly and after a few seconds it shows the source. In the Output Preview the badge changes to ● RESTREAM, and in the "Stream Info" card "Source" shows "● Restream".

If the channel is stopped, the link is simply saved. The restream will start when you click Start Stream.

Changing the source

When a link is already set, the button says Update. Enter the new link and click Update. You'll see the warning: Changing/disabling restream will restart the stream. Viewers will see a short interruption, so make changes at a quiet time.

Ending the restream

1. In the Restream card, click Deactivate.
2. At the message Disable restream? Stream will restart. click Ναι (Yes).
3. You'll see Restream disabled. The channel restarts briefly and goes back to the playlist.

The restream stays on until you deactivate it. Even if you stop and start the channel, the Restream still takes priority over the playlist. If you're wondering why your playlist isn't playing, first check whether the Restream card says Active.

Method 2: restream at set times (Schedule)

If you want the restream only at certain times, e.g. "news bulletin every day 20:00-20:30", use the Schedule:

1. Go to Streaming → Schedule → New Schedule.
2. Under Type, choose Restream.
3. In "URL Αναμετάδοσης" (restream URL, shown in Greek), enter the source link.
4. Set the Start Time, End Time and Days, then click Save.

At the start time the channel switches to the source, and at the end it goes back to the playlist. If you save or change a restream schedule while the channel is running, it restarts briefly straight away. All the details are in Schedule.

From the Mixer

In the Mixer, the RTMP tab has Restream and Stop Restream buttons. This is exactly the same setting as the Restream card on the Live page: whatever you turn on in one shows in the other. The Mixer also lets you preview the source before putting it on air (for .m3u8 links only).

Method 3: Direct Restream (plain relay, no processing)

On the Live page, below Restream, there's the Direct Restream card. Here your channel becomes a plain "relay" for as long as you like: the source stream reaches your viewers exactly as it is, without any processing.

Turning it on

1. Go to Streaming → Live and find the Direct Restream card.
2. In Stream URL enter the source's direct link (http(s)://, rtmp(s):// or rtsp://, e.g. an .m3u8).
3. Click Start and confirm the message "This will disable other streaming features. Continue?".
4. Wait a few seconds. If everything is correct, you'll see "Direct restream started!" and the card will show ● ACTIVE.

If the source gives no picture, after a few seconds (up to about 20) an error window opens with the log. Your channel automatically goes back to normal operation with the playlist.

Source format: because the stream passes through as it is, the source must already be H.264 (video) and AAC (audio), otherwise it may not play in all browsers and phones. If you're not sure, use the normal Restream (Method 1), which converts the source.

Turning it off

1. In the Direct Restream card, click Stop and confirm.
2. You'll see "Direct restream stopped". The channel restarts automatically with your playlist, overlays and all other features.

Direct Restream also stops if you click Start Stream on the Live page or Start on the Dashboard. The Logs button shows what the relay is doing, which is useful if you send us a ticket about a problem.

What takes priority

Your channel's priority order is:

1. Live (OBS, vMix or browser camera)
2. Restream from the Live page (or the Mixer)
3. Scheduled restream, during its time slot
4. Playlist

Direct Restream (Method 3) is outside this order: while it's on, only it plays.

The Live page shows this briefly in the Hierarchy box: Live RTMP → Restream → Playlist. In practice:

• If you go live with OBS during a restream, viewers see you. As soon as you stop, they go back to the restream.
• While a restream is playing, ads, jingles and "Play now" are not shown, because they play "underneath" the restream. If you need ads at certain times, don't run a continuous restream at those times. Method 2, with the Schedule, is a better fit.

When the source stops or doesn't respond

If the source drops, your channel switches automatically, within a few seconds, to the playlist, so viewers don't see a black screen. That's why you should always keep content in your active playlist. When the source comes back, the channel returns to it automatically.

URL Test Warning and Force Start

If the check of an http(s):// link fails, the URL Test Warning window opens with the message The stream URL could not be verified. This might cause issues. and the reason for the error. You have two choices:

• Cancel: recommended. Check the link: open it e.g. in VLC (Media → Open Network Stream) to see whether it plays.
• Force Start: turns the restream on despite the failed check. Use it only if you're sure the stream works, e.g. if the source server doesn't answer checks but plays normally. An invalid stream can cause high load and instability on your channel.

Messages / Common problems