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

Whatever your channel is playing (videos from the playlist, a live broadcast from OBS or a camera, a restream), the server turns it into one single stream with fixed characteristics. That's the stream your viewers watch on your public page, in the player on your website and in VLC, and it's what is sent to your Stream Targets (YouTube, Facebook, etc.).

On the Live page you control two things about this stream:

• Output Settings: the resolution and the frames per second (framerate) of the picture.
• Stream Latency: how many seconds "behind" real time viewers are, in exchange for more stability.

Both settings take effect after a restart of the channel.

How the final picture is produced

Useful to know before you change anything:

• The output stream is always HLS, with H.264 video and 128 kbps AAC audio. It plays in all browsers, on phones, on Smart TVs and in VLC.
• The picture quality (bitrate) is set by your package. The server uses your package's maximum bitrate, after keeping a small part for the audio. The maximum bitrate is shown on the Dashboard, in the Streaming Information card ("Max Bitrate"), and on the Live page, in the "Stream Info" card. These settings don't change it; for more bitrate you need a package upgrade.
• Every source is converted to the output resolution and fps. If you upload a 1080p video and the output is 720p, viewers see 720p. If the output is 1080p and the video is 720p, the picture is "enlarged" but not made sharper.

Output Settings: resolution and framerate

On the Live page, find the Output Settings card ("Stream output resolution and framerate. Restart stream to apply changes.").

What to choose

• 720p / 25 fps: the best choice for most channels. It gives a clear picture with the bitrate of most packages and loads quickly even on slow connections.
• 1080p: only if your videos and live broadcasts really are 1080p and your package has a high bitrate (roughly 4000 kbps or more). With a low bitrate, 1080p can look worse than 720p, because the same "amount" of data is spread over more pixels.
• 900p: a middle option, when 1080p doesn't "fit" in your bitrate.
• 25 fps: for most channels, especially if your material comes from Greek/European TV or cameras set to PAL.
• 30 fps: if your material is mostly from phones, YouTube or American sources.
• 50 / 60 fps: only for fast motion (sports, gaming) and only with a high bitrate. More frames with the same bitrate means less quality in each frame.

Steps

1. On the Live page, in the Output Settings card, choose the Resolution and Framerate.
2. Click Save. You'll see: Settings saved. Restart stream to apply changes.
3. Click Restart in the Output Preview card (or on the Dashboard) and confirm with Ναι (Yes; the confirmation buttons are in Greek).
4. After a few seconds the channel plays with the new settings.

A restart interrupts the broadcast for a few seconds for all viewers. If a live show is on, wait until it ends. After the restart, also check that your Stream Targets are still streaming.

If you broadcast live with OBS, set OBS to the same resolution and fps as the output. That way the server doesn't need to resize the picture or change the frames, and the result is sharper and smoother.

Stream Latency

Web streaming (HLS) works with small video "chunks" a few seconds long. The viewer's player downloads a few chunks in advance so it doesn't freeze if their connection hiccups for a moment. This creates a delay: the viewer sees what happened a few seconds earlier. Lower latency means a more "live" picture, but less margin for poor connections.

On the Live page, the Stream Latency card ("Choose the balance between latency and stability. Requires stream restart to apply.") has three options:

Steps

1. In the Stream Latency card, click the option you want. The selected card gets a blue border.
2. Click Save. You'll see: Saved. Restart stream to apply changes.
3. Click Restart in the Output Preview card and confirm.
4. Ask your viewers (or open the public page yourself) to reload the player so it picks up the new setting.

Tips

• If viewers tell you the picture keeps freezing and "loading", try Stable. It usually helps straight away.
• If you run shows with phone-ins or chat and the replies "lag", try Low, but keep an eye out for viewers complaining about freezes.
• The latency applies everywhere: the public page, the player on your website, VLC. Stream Targets add their own platform delay on top (YouTube, Facebook).
• Some platforms, such as YouTube, may show a warning about the keyframe interval when you use Stable. If that bothers you, choose Balanced.

How do I check the settings were applied?

• The Output Settings and Stream Latency cards always show the saved values.
• To see what is actually coming out, open your stream in VLC (see Quick Links) and click Tools → Codec Information. It shows the resolution and fps.
• For the latency: show a clock to the camera while you're live and compare it with what the player shows.

Messages / Common problems