Live Streaming Event Solutions

What if your “low-latency” stream is still 10 seconds too late? Everyone’s racing to match broadcast-level delay, but here’s what they’re missing: consistency. While some streaming platforms boast average delays comparable to broadcast, delay variation across users can still be massive, up to 10 seconds off. That means viewers aren’t experiencing content together. And for live sports or events, that’s a major problem. In our recent conversation with Paul Boustead from Dolby Laboratories, we dove into how they’re tackling this head-on. Not only did Dolby acquire the industry-leading TheoPlayer, but they’re leveraging WebRTC and overlay multicast networks to bring delay down to sub-500ms, consistently. And it’s not just about speed. Dolby’s cross-platform player simplifies deployment across web, mobile, and smart TVs, solving complexity at scale. If you’re building or scaling a streaming platform, you need to hear how Dolby is redefining the infrastructure stack and why variation, not just average delay, should be your focus. 🔗 Watch the full episode now to learn how Dolby Laboratories is solving one of streaming’s biggest pain points. #NETINT #Dolby #PaulBoustead #ChallengesInLiveSportingStreaming #LowLatencyStreaming #StreamingDelayVariation

Solving Real Streaming Problems with Elecard's StreamEye Studio and Boro In a recent interview, I spoke with Alexander Kruglov, Product Manager at Elecard, about practical strategies for identifying and fixing common streaming issues. The discussion focused on two of Elecard’s core tools: StreamEye Studio for file-based analysis and Boro for live stream monitoring. Alex walked through real-world cases engineers face every day: • Encoding optimization: Viewers complain about poor quality even with high bitrates. StreamEye Studio helps engineers adjust settings and measure improvements using objective metrics like VMAF, PSNR, and SSIM. • Live stream troubleshooting: Boro probes placed before and after transcoders help pinpoint exactly where errors occur, avoiding wasted time and guesswork. • Timestamp misalignment: Even when a stream passes TR 101 290 checks, playback can still fail. StreamEye Analyzer visualizes PTS/DTS drift and audio/video sync issues that standard tools may miss. • Ad insertion issues: When artifacts appear at ad boundaries, StreamEye and Boro provide clear evidence of problems like open GOP splices, helping teams assign responsibility and take corrective action. Elecard's tools are used across the industry by encoder developers, broadcasters, IPTV, and OTT operators. Their goal is to provide visibility across the entire delivery chain, enabling engineers to work with data, not assumptions. Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eGNhd9sa Read the full blog summary: https://lnkd.in/eUvfeaUu Meet Elecard at IBC, Booth 3.B47, or join their workshop on Sept 13 at 11:00 (https://lnkd.in/er6HnVcr) This content was produced in collaboration with Elecard.

65 million viewers tuned in, but 500,000 viewers were stuck at the loading screen! Turning Netflix's Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight stream into a cautionary tale of live streaming failure. For a platform that pioneered chaos engineering, this wasn't just unexpected, it was ironic. So, what went wrong? And more importantly, how can platforms ensure seamless live streaming for massive audiences? 1/ Infrastructure Misalignment ✅ Issue: Netflix’s architecture is optimized for on-demand, not live concurrent traffic. ✅ Challenges: Difficulty in managing real-time data flow and spikes in simultaneous connections. ✅ Solution: Adopt a dual-optimized architecture for live and on-demand streaming. 2/ Content Delivery Network (CDN) Bottlenecks ✅ Issue: Netflix’s proprietary CDN, Open Connect, struggled to handle unexpected peak traffic. ✅ Challenges: Cache exhaustion and limited fallback options during surges. ✅ Solution: Incorporate geo-distributed CDNs with real-time load balancing. 3/ Peering Network Constraints ✅ Issue: Traffic spikes overwhelmed inter-network connections. ✅ Challenges: Bottlenecks in data transfer, leading to lags and errors. ✅ Solution: Build redundancy into network pathways and optimize peering agreements. 4/ Lack of Real-Time Observability ✅ Issue: Limited insight into live traffic patterns and system bottlenecks. ✅ Challenges: Delayed response to issues as they arise. ✅ Solution: Use real-time monitoring tools and predictive analytics to anticipate traffic surges. 5/ Viewer Experience at Risk ✅ Issue: Live streaming lags don’t just frustrate viewers—they damage trust. ✅ Challenges: Missed key moments, broken trust in the platform’s reliability. ✅ Solution: Conduct stress tests under real-world conditions to ensure readiness. The takeaway? Live streaming isn’t just an extension of traditional video delivery. It’s a technical challenge requiring precision, foresight, and the ability to adapt in real-time. BTW enjoy the turkey, the tech, and the time with loved ones—Happy Thanksgiving! _____________________ PS: Don’t forget to visit my profile, Hiren, and subscribe to my weekly newsletter for: - Product engineering insights - Proven development strategies - The latest trends in Azure & Generative AI #Netflix #CDN #StreamingFailures #CloudInfrastructure #Simform

You’re a business owner who wants to go live on LinkedIn™ and other channels and you find me. I’m here to guide you through the process of leveraging LinkedIn™ Live to diversify your content and connect with your audience. LinkedIn™ Live allows eligible members and Pages to livestream video content to a profile or Page. But here’s the catch—you can’t stream directly from LinkedIn™ You need a third-party streaming tool to go live. For new streamers, using a third-party can be a breeze. LinkedIn™ recommends five Preferred Partners: Restream, Socialive, StreamYard, Switcher Studio, or Vimeo. These tools simplify the process and help you create professional live streams effortlessly. For advanced broadcasters or professional producers, LinkedIn™ allows you to connect directly to any streaming software or encoder using a custom stream (RTMP Ingest). This means you can use tools like OBS, Elemental, Zoom, or your own production workflow to stream live. Going live isn’t just about hitting that "Go Live" button. It’s about planning and engaging. Here are some tips to make the most of your LinkedIn Live sessions: 1. Schedule Your Live Streams in Advance: Promote your scheduled live streams to your audience on and off LinkedIn. This builds anticipation and ensures a larger turnout. 2. Engage with Your Audience: Live streaming is all about interaction. Answer questions, respond to comments, and make your audience feel involved. This creates a stronger connection and keeps viewers coming back. 3. Use the Right Tools: Choose the right third-party vendor based on your level of expertise and needs. Preferred Partners like Restream and StreamYard are great for beginners, while advanced users might prefer OBS or Zoom for more control. 4. Consistency is Key: Make live streaming a regular part of your content strategy. Consistency helps build a loyal audience and keeps your brand top of mind. It's always a good time to reflect, refocus, and recharge our efforts towards your goals. If you’re looking to enhance your digital presence and build resilience in your online journey, now is the perfect time to start. Live streaming on LinkedIn is a powerful tool for SMBs, startups, and busy executives thinking about starting their own side hustle. It’s about adding value, connecting authentically, and engaging your audience in real-time. Ready to go live? What do you think of my new profile picture?

Last week I was on a call with the founder of a successful e-commerce retailer. They're adding live shopping and debating wether to build it themselves with WebRTC or using a CPaaS. This topic comes up often, so lets explore the realities of building your own WebRTC solutions. WebRTC, an open-source protocol developed by Google, is supported by all major browsers and eliminates the need for 3rd party audio/ video streaming plugins. The ease of integration & broad compatibility are the main reasons teams choose it for live streaming. It’s important to understand that while WebRTC is easy to setup & works great in small-scale situations, it becomes complex as it scales. WebRTC was designed for P2P connections without intermediary servers; so it can’t handle large audiences on its own. There are different architectures for WebRTC backends: - Mesh (Per-2-Peer) - SFU (Media server forwards streams) - MCU (Media server mixes + broadcasts streams) Most teams start with one of these & eventually adopt a hybrid approach, switching based on use-case & number of participants. Beyond the architecture, developers building WebRTC backends face the perfect storm of technical hurdles: buffering, latency, and video quality.Any one of these can on it's own severely impact the user experience & a platform’s reputation. This is where a CPaaS provider like Agora proves to be invaluable. Agora provides developers with easy to use, scalable solutions that allow teams to quickly add real-time to their apps while still focusing on their core business. Ultimately, choosing between building with WebRTC or a specialized provider like Agora is more than just an important strategic decision. It’s about prioritizing core business goals and revenue, rather than wasting efforts on managing complex technology challenges.

Every day at 4pm, Lauren French and her Mum, Faye Browne, go live on Motto Fashions Facebook page to share fashion tips with their customers. Lauren says it’s their number one engagement tool. 🤳 It started during COVID, when 80% of their business—their physical stores—closed suddenly. To keep sales alive, they turned to live streaming. In a time when we were all craving connection, these live videos thrived with their audience—and they haven’t stopped since. While many brands are still dancing around the edges of live shopping, especially with TikTok Shop on the horizon, Lauren and the team are already in the box seat take full advantage. Check out the Facebook comments to see how content and product sales naturally merge. Here are some of Lauren’s top tips for successful live streaming: 👉 Be authentic: Don’t script it too much. When Lauren and Faye started, it was just the two of them talking casually to the camera, with mother-daughter banter. They turn up and shoot. 👉 Keep it consistent: Go live at the same time every day. Motto's audience knows to expect them at 4pm daily—building that anticipation and routine. 👉 Leverage your community: Use live videos to respond directly to customer feedback. Lauren mentioned how their Facebook group became a hub where customers shared photos and advice—real-time engagement. 👉 Focus on newness: Showcasing new drops daily keeps things fresh. Lauren often builds her live streams around styling tips for new arrivals, like six ways to wear a denim shirt. 👉 Make it fun: Let your personality and brand’s values shine. Lauren says, "We’re selling without meaning to sell." It’s all about connecting, not just pushing products. But that’s only part of the Motto story. We also dive into how their hero product strategy drove 127% growth in just 12 months, why they choose to air freight and tips for working with celebrities. Full interview: https://lnkd.in/gbmuWE5b #ecommerce #retail #fashion #brand #livestreaming #liveshopping #australia

Live Streaming is often an afterthought on live events. We focus so much on the experience of the in-room audience, that we forget to think about the often much larger online audience. I've been having lots of conversations with clients lately about what they want the live stream experience to look and feel like. What features of the platform are we using? What layouts and looks do we want for the video? How many cameras will we use? How should the Picture-In-Picture layouts look? One of the common questions I get is, how should we design the slide content to look best for the livestream? To this I have two answers - The first is that we'll broadcast your content the way you make it, whatever you want it to look like, so focus on the content first, and then we'll design the live stream to fit that content. The other is more nuanced - remember that your audience is watching your stream on a small screen - their laptop, their tablet, or their phone. It won't be on their TV at home. And your slides are likely going to be in a box in the PIP look. So here are some tips: - Make sure your slides have big text and images that will be clear to both someone in the furthest seat back in the venue and to the online attendee watching this on a cell phone. - Think about how the color contrast looks both on the screen (LED walls and Projection have slightly different needs for color contrast, FYI) and on the live stream on a personal device or PC. - Think about how your presenter will interact with the slides, so we can best frame the camera angles and place the screens in room for how your presenters like to reference, gesture, etc towards their content, and then we can capture that on camera. What are some other considerations for live stream content that you frequently think about? Image Description: Two Cameras stand at the back of a ballroom, with large viewfinder monitors. One has a green tally light. In the front of the room is a stage and large LED wall background with logos on it. People mill around the ballroom. #EventProfs #LiveStream #Producer #TechnicalProducer #ProducerLife #TechnicalDirector