Live streaming systems allow you to broadcast your event across the internet and can be viewed by any number of your clients or customers.
The method of doing this can be relatively complex and daunting to the average user. At B.L.Acoustics we can assist you and provide you with a system to suit your needs.
A live streaming system doesn’t need to be as expensive or complicated as you might think. We can help choose the right live streaming equipment and software for your space, giving you the most cost efficient solution.
The most basic system consists of a camera, a PC and an internet connection.
More complex system can consist of multiple cameras and integration of control systems, pro-sound audio setups and audio-visual systems. We can integrate with your existing systems or provide new equipment as a complete bespoke package.
Cameras
The main component of any live streaming system is the camera. That camera will need to be connected to your computer either directly, via a capture device or via a network connection. Depending on your use, you can choose between a fixed view or PTZ camera. A PTZ camera allows you to focus on different parts of the room, for example, to focus on different talkers when they are speaking. There are many things to consider when selecting a camera, including resolution, framerate and encoding, plugs connections, power and cabling requirements.
Audio
Its rare that a live stream will consist of just a video stream. More often than not an audio stream will also be required as part of the broadcast. For smaller rooms and settings the camera itself may include a microphone which can pick up the general sound in the room, but in most cases we would recommend separate microphones for better performance.
Multichannel audio can be brought in to the PC and software by connecting an audio mixer. Into the mixer we can plug in different types of audio source, such as microphones, radio microphones, music sources or media players. We can use either new or existing audio sources and the audio tracks can either be mixed via the mixer itself or in software on the PC
PC and Software
Some cameras are able to stream directly from the device, but the simplest and most flexible solution is to use a PC as a way to bring your video and audio sources together before streaming to your chosen service. The specification of the PC needs to have enough processing power and memory to cope with the demands of dealing with the image and audio encoding/decoding requirements. It should also have ample storage space if there is requirement for simultaneously recording the stream locally.
We can provide a new PC and software or we can advise on whether an existing PC (or Mac) is suitable for the application.
There are many options for software, the selection of which will again depend on your requirements. These range from free software through to one-off cost or subscription based software options.
Internet Connection
Something often overlooked is the requirements of you internet connection. A lot of internet service providers deliver an asymmetric internet connection. This means that it is optimised to provide the most performance and speed when downloading data from the internet. When streaming, it is the upload speed which is most important. We can provide an assessment of your current internet connection and give advice and solutions to ensure that it is up to speed.
