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Tips for streaming hybrid presentations

  • Updated

This article offers basic guidelines for streaming a hybrid video feed, combining in-person speakers at the event location with online speakers. It's designed for events supported by dedicated AV teams with sound technical knowledge and experience. 

Generating RTMP setup

In a Hybrid event, it's possible to stream via RTMP both to a Stage and a Session room. To access Stage RTMP setup:

  1. Go to Event Dashboard > Venue > Stages.
  2. Hover over the selected Stage and click the Pencil icon to open Stage settings.
  3. Under Stream Provider, select StreamYard.
  4. Go to RTMP Stream and click Generate RTMP Setup. 
  5. Click Save.

To access Session RTMP setup:

    1. Go to Event Dashboard > Venue > Sessions.
    2. Hover over the selected Session and click the Pencil icon to open Session settings.
    3. Under RTMP settings, select the Enable RTMP streaming checkmark.


    4. Click Save.
      ✔ You will be brought back to the list of Sessions. 
    5. Hover over the Session and click the People icon to open the RTMP details.


    6. Click Generate RTMP Setup. 

You'll be presented with a Stream Key (unique key generated for every event) and RTMPS (standard URL used to stream to RingCentral Events, that is across all events) for two destinations. 

Note: The first and preferred is the main RTMP server in place. Should any issues arise when connected to the preferred server, we recommend switching to the backup provider. We use MUX as the preferred provider and Amazon's Interactive Video Service (IVS) as the backup.

Tip: If your streaming software supports multi-streaming, we recommend sending your stream to both the primary and backup servers simultaneously. This ensures an automatic and seamless transition to the backup if any issues occur with the primary stream, maintaining a smooth experience for your attendees. To learn more about technical recommendations and requirements, refer to our guide Streaming to both preferred and backup/fallback RTMP endpoints.

Creating virtual rooms for remote speakers

To organize virtual recording rooms for your remote speakers or other digital content, we recommend creating additional Stages or Session rooms. To ensure only authorized users can access the virtual rooms, restrict access to specific ticket types (e.g., AV team, Speakers) under Who Can Watch.

Open each Stage and Session in a separate browser tab and feed it into your streaming software as individual sources (input). These sources can ne then combined into one stream to your public RingCentral Events Stage or Session (output).

Input sources in your streaming software may include:

  • Window capture: Containing the RingCentral Events Session or Stage stream, live stream from event,  Google Meet or Zoom meeting, etc.
  • Video capture device: Actual camera devices for the live event in-person or webcam.
  • Media source: Local pre-recorded video file.
  • Display capture: Containing the RingCentral Events Session or Stage stream, live stream from event,  Google Meet or Zoom meeting, etc.
  • Browser: Containing the RingCentral Events Session or Stage stream, live stream from event, Google Meet or Zoom meeting, YouTube video, etc.

Configuring your stream scenes

If your streaming software supports it, create several scenes you'll be using throughout your stream. For example: 

  • Scene 1: TIn-person camera feed
  • Scene 2: Combination of in-person and virtual feeds
  • Scene 3: Only virtual feeds

Populate each scene with the input sources (local cameras (at the event) and browser captures of Stages and Sessions with online speakers) and design the layouts.  

Tip: Testing different scenes and sources to ensure your stream looks good. 

Here what the scene and source settings will look like in the OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) studio, free open-source software for video recording and live streaming: 

Screenshot_2021-06-13_at_14.51.11.png

Configuring the A/V settings

Add the RTMPS URL and Stream key generated in your RingCentral Events Stage or Session settings as a custom destination to your streaming software. Follow our guide on Required RTMP streaming encoder settings to configure your audio and video settings. 

Going live

Once setup, you can broadcast from your streaming software of choice directly into your public RingCentral Stage or Session via RTMP, allowing online attendees to experience the event seamlessly alongside in-person participants.

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