Live Stream Best Practices and FAQ – Dynamic Signal

Live Streaming Overview
Create a Live Stream
Start and End a Live Stream
Functionality While Live Streaming
Best Practices
FAQ

Required App Versions

iOS - 6.30.1
- Both hosting a Live Stream and viewing a Live Stream are supported.
Android - 7.30.1
- Only viewing a Live Stream is supported at this time.

Best Practices

Before a Live Stream:

Charge your streaming device.
Make sure you are on a reliable network. You can test your connection at: https://speedof.me/. We recommend streaming on Wifi.
Decide which viewing orientation (Portrait or Landscape) is best for your viewers. Once the stream has started, the viewing orientation cannot be changed.
Enable Do Not Disturb mode on your device. For details, refer to this apple support document: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204321.
Disable vibrations by silencing your device. For details, refer to this apple support document: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208353.
Enable Call Forwarding. Call forwarding automatically reroutes phone calls to a designated phone number, which can reduce disruptions during a stream. Contact your mobile carrier on how to enable call forwarding.

During a Live Stream:

Try to limit any motion of the streaming device. Consider using a tripod.

After a Live Stream:

Send a follow-up survey or quick poll. This will allow you to measure the quality and effectiveness of the stream.

Network Suggestions:

Encourage viewers to watch from a central location, like a meeting room. This will reduce network bandwidth, improving the stream quality for those viewers.
Use a portable wifi hotspot if available. Even with a high-speed office connection, 1000 viewers sharing the network will limit your individual bandwidth. Having a dedicated internet connection will guarantee few fluctuations.
Use a dedicated device with notifications disabled to ensure minimal interruptions via phone calls, email, text, etc.

FAQ

Why won't my stream start on our corporate Wi-Fi?

In order to successfully live stream on a corporate network, your IT team will need to allowlist the following ports:

80 and 443 (these may already be unblocked by default)
8554 TCP (for proper live streaming from the broadcaster side and viewing of a live stream on a mobile device)
6262 TCP (for proper viewing of a live stream from a web browser)
8081 TCP (for proper viewing of a live stream from a web browser)
8083 TCP (for proper viewing of a live stream from a web browser)

And the following IPs:

ice2.dynamicsignal.com (for proper viewing of a live stream on web)
40.91.124.69 (for proper viewing of a live stream on a mobile web)

What is the video quality of a Live Stream?

Viewers will see the stream in 720p HD.

What will the experience look like if the streamer has a weak connection? What if the viewer has a weak connection?

A streamer's connection affects all viewers. A good streamer connection is essential for a quality Live Stream experience. The streamer should use the network indicator to ensure they are in an area with excellent network connection. If the viewer's signal is poor, they will see a connection banner prompting them to improve their signal.

How do I measure bandwidth consumption?

A live stream is dependent on two main items: the corporate wifi and the amount of viewers. Since both can vary wildly, there is no accurate number for the average amount of bandwidth a live stream will consume. We recommend doing the following test with your IT team to assess bandwidth consumption.

Prepare a Live Stream post and have the following the devices available:
- 1 mobile device for streaming
- 1 mobile device for watching
- 1 laptop for watching
Before you start the stream, verify that IT can track these three devices via IP or MAC addresses
While running the stream, have your IT track the throughput of each device via your network (the tools involved here will vary by IT department)

This test will determine the throughput for an individual user watching. Multiply this number by the amount of expected viewer to get a general gauge of bandwidth consumption. Keep in mind that a corporate network is a shared resource. This means that a live stream may impact all other traffic occurring on a network. To avoid this we recommend prioritizing the live stream traffic with QoS, as well as putting a cap on its bandwidth consumption during the stream to avoid network strain.

How long does it take for a completed Live Stream to appear as a standard video for those who could not watch live?

This can vary based on the length of the video and the amount of motion present in the stream. Shorter videos may be available very quickly, while longer streams take more time to transcode.

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