How Do I Stream Live Content?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ll know that streaming is big news in the online world. Some have become celebrities simply by streaming live to a site. There are multiple sites that allow live content to be streamed, which is broadcast for an audience. Most of these sites are free, such as the most popular; Twitch.
The people who broadcast content, referred to as streamers, play games live, watch videos or shows live, or simply talk directly to an audience. Though, of course, they don’t do it just for the fun of it. There is money to be made by streaming. Some make a living, while others have even struck it rich.
But how does it all work? Can anyone be a streamer? What software is needed?
You Can Be A Streamer
The good news is that, yes, anyone can stream live content to the web. There are no real limitations, or direct costs involved. Should you want to play a game online for others to watch, you can do so. Or, you may stream anything you want. If you think there is an audience to watch you play bingo Australia live, you may stream it without restriction.
But there are a few requirements in order to make the live content broadcast possible. The most important is your internet connection. Uploading live content requires a fairly decent speed, though thankfully, not so fast that it makes the service beyond reach.
Some software will also be required, but some great programmes are available for free.
Internet Speeds
If you want to broadcast in standard definition, 480p, at 30 frames per second, your upload speed should be at least 0.5 Mpbs – 1.0 Mpbs, or megabits per second. This isn’t bad at all, and most will meet this requirement. Though, if you want to upload at a higher resolution, or with more frames per second, that speed needs to go up considerably.
To stream at 720p at 30 frames per second, you’ll need at least 2.0 – 2.5 Mpbs minimum. This can vary, and you may get away with a slower upload speed, but it usually pays to be safe rather than sorry. After all; you don’t want your viewers suffering lag.
As you can imagine, the higher the quality you want to stream in, the faster your upload needs to be.
Software And Miscellaneous
You’ll also need some software in order to capture your screen and send it to a server. There are multiple version of this software available, and you won’t need to pay for it. Though some streaming software will cost money, there are excellent free version that can simply be downloaded and installed. OBS Studio is a great example.
Once OBS Studio is installed, it well need to know where to broadcast. Make yourself a free account on Twitch, and surf to the broadcasting section of the profile. A key can be generated here, and copy/pasted to the relevant section of OBS. Tutorials are available online to demonstrate exactly how to do this. Though, it isn’t difficult.
Now you’re ready to stream.