Dacast Live Stream Recording Tutorial

 

Live stream recording allows you to record your live stream and share it as a video on demand (VOD). Keeping a record of your live events gives your viewers the ability to re-watch your videos whenever they like. With Dacast, you can record your live stream for up to six continuous hours at a time. The feature’s button stays “ON” up to seven days. Past seven days, it can be turned back “ON.” Please note that live stream recording will impact your data usage and your transcoding credits usage.  Live stream recording uses your bandwidth in these ways:

  • Recording your stream will use some of your bandwidth. The amount used is equivalent to a viewer watching the stream.
  • When you create a recorded file, your available storage will lessen according to the size of the file (i.e. the length of the video).

To get access to the live stream recording feature, just give us a call. We can enable it upon your request. Now that you have an idea of some of the technicalities surrounding live stream recording, let’s take a look at the seven steps of recording a live stream on Dacast.

STEP 1. Create a Live Channel

The first step is to create a live channel. In order for live stream recording to work, your channel settings must be configured a specific way. Here are a few live channel requirements for live recording:

  • Channel Type: HTML5, Low Latency or M3U8 live channel
  • Video Codec: H.264
  • Audio Codec: AAC (for the recording to be properly integrated you need audio in your stream)
  • Status of Your Live Channel: ON

STEP 2. Activate the Live Stream Recording Feature

In the “General” section of your live channel, turn “ON” the live stream recording control as shown below:

A timestamp will be displayed beside the live stream recording feature as a reminder about when the live recording was enabled. After 7 days, by default, the system will turn this feature OFF.

Please note that live stream recording is an automatic feature. Once it is activated for a channel, the stream will record itself automatically each time you put it online for the next seven days. We recommend launching your stream 10 minutes before your event starts to make sure the recording catches all of it. While you’re recording, a camera icon indicates which live channel is being recorded under the “Features” column as pictured below:

STEP 3. Refresh and Check

Once your stream is online, don’t hesitate to refresh your homepage to verify if the recording has started correctly.  The maximum length of a continuous recording is six hours. After this time, a new file will be automatically created. Therefore, if you are live streaming and recording for 12 hours, for example, you will have two recorded files with durations of 6 hours each. If you are using multi-bitrate streaming, please note that the highest bit rate will be recorded.

STEP 4. Stop Your Recording

There are two ways to stop recording. The first is to disable the recording to stop the active recording and save it in a VOD file. The other would be to let your recording automatically stop when you stop streaming. Once you have created the recorded file you should see a screen in your Dacast account that has the following confirmation message:  “Recording and integration finished on channel ID: XXXXX”

STEP 5. Access Your Recorded Channel

You can locate your recorded stream under your “Video On Demand” section in a file that is named with the following format: Live recording – date, time (UTC) For example, this could read “Live recording – Sat August 10, 2020, 01:55:42 GMT 0000.” Please note that the greater the length of your recorded file, the longer it takes to display in the VOD section of your Dacast account. You can change the name of your video file by clicking on “Edit.”

STEP 6. Download Your Video

The video of your recorded stream is saved as an MP4 file, so there is no need to encode it. However, you do have the option to download it. To download the recorded content, navigate to the content, and click “Download”:  Please note that live stream recording only allows you to download the same file only five times within 24 hours.

STEP 7. Share Your Video

Recorded streams have access to the same exact features as a classic VOD: geo-restriction, referrer restriction, embedding, paywall options, etc. Make sure you turn your video “ON” before sharing it.

Additional Information on Live Stream Recording

Having issues with your live recording file? It can be quite frustrating when troubles arise in the middle of a live stream.  We’ve put together a thorough guide to help you troubleshoot live streaming issues and identify the root of the problems. Use these 10 tips we’ve laid out to get your stream back on track in no time. If you’re having a hard time troubleshooting on your own, our support team is available 24/7 via chat team to ensure real-time troubleshooting and reporting.  Please contact us with the time and date of your event (including your timezone) and the encoder settings used (encoder, video bitrates, audio bitrates, video codec, and audio codec).

 

Any questions or you want to access this feature? Please contact us. Not yet a Dacast user, and interested in trying Dacast risk-free for 14 days? Sign up today to get started.

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Harmonie Duhamel

Harmonie is a Senior digital marketer with over 6 years in the Tech Industry. She has a strong marketing and sales background and loves to work in multilingual environments.