ZEC Adding RTMP Streams

This enables you to create a Push or Pull RTMP input stream.

To Add a RTMP Stream:

  1. In the ZEC Navigation menu, click the Inputs
  2. In the Menu bar, click New Input. The Add a new input stream window is displayed.
  3. Enter the unique Stream ID.

    Note: this must be identical (case sensitive) to the stream name configured in the sending Zixi Broadcaster or MediaConnect.

  4. Select  the maximum concurrent connections to this stream from the Max. Outputs drop-down list. Default: Unlimited.
  5. Select the Show in Matrix check box to display this stream in the Matrix (see ZEC Using the Matrix). Default: Selected.
  6. Select RTMP for the input stream.



  7. Specify the Stream Parameters (see Input Stream Parameters Table).
  8. If you want to specify Billing Codes to identify and differentiate traffic on a ZEC for billing purposes, select this checkbox (see Input Stream Parameter Table below).
  9. If you want to Enable multicast on pull outputs, select this checkbox (see Input Stream Parameter table).
  10. If you want to Enable encryption, select this checkbox (see Input Stream Parameters Table). For more information, see ZEC Encrypting an Input Stream in ZEC.
  11. If you want to configure the Recording Parameters, specify them in the respective fields (see Input Stream Parameters Table).
  12. Click OK. The “Input added” message appears on the top of the screen. The RTMP Stream is added to ZEC and now appears in the list of streams available in the ZEC inputs UI.

Input Stream Parameters Table

ParameterDescription

Stream Parameters

The general stream settings.

Type

Select the desired type for the RTMP stream:

  • Push – the stream is pushed to ZEC (not initiated by the ZEC). No additional connection parameters need to be filled. If the stream name will match, the stream will be inputted.
  • Pull – ZEC will initiate the stream by accessing it through the following parameters:

URL (for Pull)

Type the Stream URL from which ZEC will access. Use the following URL format: rtmp://host:[port]/app/stream.

You can define RTMPS clients with the proven security of a secure socket layer (SSL), by using the rtmps:// url

Stream Name (for Pull)

Type the unique name for the stream that has been defined in the RTMP server.

User Name (for Pull)

Specify the user name to authenticate on the remote RTMP server

Password (for Pull)

Specify the string that is used for authorization on the remote RTMP server.

Ignore TLS certificate

Select this option when connecting to a trusted server that does not have a valid certificate. When this option is selected, ZEC will ignore the TLS certificate errors.

Disconnect if inactive

Disconnects the connection if inactive.

Padding

If the stream's bitrate fluctuates you can pad the stream with null packets to create a steady bitrate. Select this checkbox to enable padding.

Muxing bitrate (for Padding enabled)

Specify the padding level in kbps.

Smoothing Latency [ms]

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 ZEC. The Smoothing parameter defines the size of the buffer in Milliseconds. A larger buffer enables smoother entry, however, it may influence the latency rate.

Billing Codes

Billing codes are used to identify and differentiate traffic on a ZEC for billing purposes. When a billing code is added to a Source or Target, Zixi can track the traffic on that Broadcaster input or output separately from other inputs and outputs on the same Broadcaster. Billing codes are created by Zixi personnel on the Zixi Customer Portal for a particular organization.

Billing CodeEnter the billing code that corresponds to this stream. The relevant billing can be obtained from the organization that received the billing code from Zixi.

Billing password

Enter the password that corresponds to this billing code.

Enable multicast on pull outputs

Select this checkbox to  enables the transmission of this stream’s outputs as multicast. A ZEC that will pull the stream will receive it in multicast. By default ZEC is configured to allow transparent fallback to unicast if it is out of the LAN. Requires enabling Multicast Pull in the Settings.

This setting can be modified without interrupting an existing stream.

Multicast Only (for Multicast enabled)

Select the check box to force only Multicast outputs.

Enable encryption

Select this checkbox to encrypt the Input stream. For more information, see Encrypting an Input Stream in ZEC.

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.

Destination Type

Select the radio button for the desired storage type and then fill in the relevant parameters.

  • Record to disk – the recording is saved on the local disk. It is possible to record to an external destination by replacing the default storage location with a symbolic link. To learn more, see Using an External Storage section.
  • Record to S3 – the file is saved to your AWS S3 Bucket.

Record to Disk Parameters

File Name Template

Specify the file name pattern that ZEC 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
  • %U=YYYYmmddTHHMMSSZ UTC timestamp – optional

For example, the following pattern %Y_recording%T.ts will generate the following file name 2022_recording15:32:35.ts.

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. Default: 0 hours

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.

Record to S3 Parameters

File Name Template

Specify the file name pattern that ZEC 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
  • %U=YYYYmmddTHHMMSSZ UTC timestamp – optional

For example, the following pattern %Y_recording%T.ts will generate the following file name 2022_recording15:32:35.ts.

Max recorded file duration [hours]

Specify the maximum time allotted for recording a video stream. Default: 2 hours

URL

Specify the URL of the S3 bucket.

Ignore TLS certificate errors

TLS certificate for S3 bucket might be detected as faulty if bucket name contains dot[s]. When this option is selected, ZEC will ignore the TLS certificate errors and transmit the stream to its destination.

Access Key

The access key that is used for accessing the S3 bucket.

Secret Key

The secret key that is used for accessing the S3 bucket.