Live

A live linear stream typically establishes a 24/7 audio/video feed from content captured via SDI or UDP. In addition to mirroring the input signal, it also supports content and ad replacement.

Basic Setup

Set up a live linear stream by configuring the following components:

1. Live Channel: A live channel represents a live linear stream that contains a timeline identifying live and on-demand content and when it should be played.

2. Slicer: Use a Live Slicer, Cloud Slicer Live, or both to capture and push audio/video content to a live channel's timeline.

   • Live Slicer: A Live Slicer is a Linux daemon. Use the Channel API to populate a live channel's timeline with pre-encoded content and/or live feeds from additional Live Slicers.
   • Cloud Slicer Live: Cloud Slicer Live allows you to run a slicer in our cloud. This allows you to ingest and encode content without on-premise hardware.

3. Media Player

   • Once a live linear feed has been processed into a stream, it may be played back from anywhere in the world.

   • If you are setting up an HLS player, you may add support for fast forwarding, rewinding, or pausing and resuming through the Live Timeshifting capability.

How it Works

The following diagram illustrates how a live linear feed is processed and then streamed to users around the world.

A stream is generated from a live linear feed through the following phases:

1. Push to Live Slicer: The existing broadcasting infrastructure pushes a live linear feed to a Live Slicer via either UDP or SDI.

2. Slicing: Both the Live Slicer and the Cloud Slicer Live slice, encrypt, and then upload content to the cloud.

3. Encoding and Storage: Cloud encoders encode audio/video into H.264/H.265 and AAC. After encoding, the media is added to cloud storage.

As viewers request the live linear feed, it is served via our CDN service, ensuring an optimal viewing experience by efficiently delivering data worldwide.

What's Next

• Live Latency
• Live Timeshifting
• Set Up a Live Linear Channel