This screen enables the Broadcaster to receive an HLS stream. The HLS stream is not protected by the Zixi protocol. The stream can be an adaptive bitrate stream. In this case, Zixi Broadcaster will pull the main playlist to adapt between bit-rates. In addition, it is possible to pull multiple input streams with static individual bit-rates. The streams can originate from multiple sources or from a single source.
To Add an HLS stream:
- In the Zixi Broadcaster Navigation menu, click the Inputs tab.
- In the Menu bar, click New Input. The Add a new input stream window is displayed.
Enter the unique Stream I.D.
Note this must be identical (case sensitive) to the stream name configured in the Zixi Feeder.
- Enter the maximum concurrent connections to this stream from the Max. Outputs drop-down list. Default: Unlimited.
- Select the Show in Matrix check box to display this stream in the Matrix (see Using the Matrix). Default: Selected.
- Select HLS for the input stream.
- Specify the Stream Parameters (see Input Streams Parameters Table below).
- If you want to Enable time shift, select this checkbox (see Input Streams Parameters Table).
- If you want to Transmit as multicast, select this checkbox (see Input Stream Parameters Table).
- If you want to configure the Recording Parameters, specify them in the respective fields (see Input Stream Parameters Table).
- If you want to Enable encryption select this checkbox (see Input Stream Parameters Table).
- Click OK.
The “Input added” message appears on the top of the screen. The HLS stream from the Zixi Feeder is added to the Zixi Broadcaster and now appears in the list of streams available in the Zixi Broadcaster inputs UI.
Input Stream Parameters Table
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Stream parameters | |
| Master Playlist URL | Specify the URL of the HLS stream's master playlist. |
| Download Type | Specify whether the variants will be pulled from a single source (adaptive bitrate) or multiple sources (pull all bitrates). |
| Smoothing Latency | The Smoothing feature uses a buffer to time packets according to the stream's clock. This is useful when there are bursts in the rate in which the stream arrives. The smoothing features creates a queue in the buffer, allowing smoother entry into the Broadcaster. The Smoothing parameter defines the size of the buffer in Milliseconds. A larger the buffer, will enable smoother entry, however may influence the latency rate. |
| Enable time shift | Select this checkbox to record the stream content and broadcast it after the specified delay. |
| Maximum delay [hh:mm:ss] (for Time Shift enabled) | Specify the maximum time delay of this input. |
| Transmit as multicast | Select this checkbox to enable the transmission of this stream’s outputs as multicast. A Zixi receiver that will pull the stream will receive it in multicast. By default Zixi Broadcaster is configured to allow transparent fallback to unicast if it is out of the LAN. Requires enabling Multicast Pull in the Settings. |
| Multicast-Only (for Multicast enabled) | If desired, specify multicast only outputs. |
| Enable Encryption | Select this checkbox to encrypt the Input stream. For more information, see Encrypting an Input Stream in Zixi Broadcaster. |
Encryption type (for Encryption enabled) | Specify the type of Encryption (AES 128/192/256). |
Encryption key (for Encryption enabled) | Click Generate to generate an encryption key. The generated encryption key must be sent to the end-user to decipher the received encoded stream. |
| Recording parameters | Select this checkbox to customize the recording parameters. |
Max recorded file duration [hours] | Specify the maximum time allotted for recording a video stream. Default: 2 hours |
Keep recorded files for [hours] | Specify the maximum time for storing the recording. |
| Custom Path | Optionally specify a storage location for the recorded files that is relative to the root folder. This location bypasses the location specified as the root folder in the Settings > General screen. |
| File Name Template | Specify the file name pattern that Zixi will use to generate when saving the recorded content. A separate file will be generated for each recording up to the time specified in the Max recorded file duration parameter (see above). After this duration a new file will be generated. The file name pattern can include any string and up to five variables listed below. Only the %T=HH.MM.SS creation time is mandatory. You can change the order of these variables and add text as long as you maintain the legitimate structure of the file in Linux and Windows: %S=stream id - optional. %Y=year - optional %M=month - optional %D=day - optional %T=HH.MM.SS creation time - mandatory For example, the following pattern %Y_recording%T.ts will generate the following file name 2017_recording15:32:35.ts. |