Dacast Live Streaming Encoder Setup

In our previous tutorial, we covered how to create your Dacast channel. Now we’re going to look at how to complete your Dacast live streaming encoder setup. This will require your video broadcast software, also known as your encoder.

After you’ve created your channel, to start your broadcast you will need an encoding software and to complete the “Encoder Setup” portion in your channel settings. For live streaming encoders recommend Flash and Wirecast. For other alternatives, take a look through some of our other tutorial videos.

Next we want to choose the “Resolution” for your stream. Go to your encoder, and check your broadcast settings, to see what the resolution of your broadcast is.

If you can’t see the resolution you are broadcasting in, choose one slightly smaller, otherwise, the video will be stretched.

If you want to add “Multiple Bit-Rates” to your live stream, make sure that you have enough bandwidth to support all of them.

For example, if you have 350kb, 800kb and 1200kb as your bit-rate options, then your connection will have to be able to support 2350kb of data. In other words, you would need an upload speed of at least 2.5mb.

Step 2 – Select an Encoder

Next, we want to select which type of encoder we are using.  This will then display the information you will need to put into your encoding software, in Step 3.

Two encoders we recommend are OBSStudio and Wirecast.

Dacast OBS Studio is available at all plan levels, you can download it for free within the encoder set up tab of your Dacast account. Check out this post on how to properly configure and start streaming with OBS Studio.

Wirecast is a paid-for encoding software that is feature-rich and is very powerful, including lots of graphics for your broadcast.

Other RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol) encoders include almost any other encoding software or hardware options. Examples are Tricaster, Niagara, Teradek Products, and Xsplit.

All encoders have their advantages and disadvantages, which one you decide to use will largely be based on personal preference.

Whichever encoder you are using, select the relevant option to display the information you will need.

Step 3 – Setting up your Encoder

Recommended Encoder Settings

To ensure your Dacast live stream is stable and fully functional, you MUST configure your encoder to use the settings defined on this page.

First, ensure you are following everything in the Required Settings section. Then select the most appropriate Resolution & Bitrate (depending on your needs) and configure all settings for that size exactly. Finally, be sure not to use any of the Unsupported Settings because they will very likely break your stream.

Required Settings

The following settings are required for live streaming with Dacast, regardless of your selected resolution and bitrate:

VIDEO CODEC	H.264 (x264 may work)
FRAME RATE	25 or 30
KEYFRAME INTERVAL	2 secs (or 2x frame rate)
SCANNING	Progressive
ENCODING BITRATE	Constant (CBR)
AUDIO CODEC	AAC
AUDIO BITRATE	128 kbps
AUDIO CHANNELS	2 (Stereo)
AUDIO SAMPLE RATE	48 kHz (48,000 Hz)

Resolution & Bitrate Settings

Please select one of the following configurations and ensure your encoder is set up with these exact settings to help prevent streaming issues:

	ULD	LD	SD	HD	FHD
Name	Ultra-Low Definition	Low Definition	Standard Definition	High Definition	Full High Definition
Video Bitrate (kbps)	350	350 – 800	800 – 1200	1200 – 1900	1900 – 4500
Resolution Width (px)	426	640	854	1280	1920
Resolution Height (px)	240	360	480	720	1080
H.264 Profile	Main	Main	High	High	High

Unsupported Settings

Note that the following settings are unsupported and will break your stream:

• Baseline H.264 Profile
• Interlaced Scanning

We have customized OBS Studio, the most popular, free, open-source, live streaming software. The goal is to simplify the steps to stream live video when using Dacast.

With Wirecast, you can simply use the “Dacast” option in the drop-down menu after you have gone into the Broadcast Settings. For this, use your normal Dacast login information, rather than the login and password for your RTMP connection.

Other encoders that have Dacast as a drop option are vMix, Vidblaster, and LiveU.

If you are using another encoding software, you will need to follow the instructions for connecting to an RTMP server. This usually involves filling in your “Stream URL”, “Stream Name”, “Login” and “Password” into the encoder’s Broadcast Settings, or RTMP Plugin.

We hope this tutorial has helped you to get started with your first Dacast live stream. If you still have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or reach out to us on Twitter.

What tutorial would you like us to do next? Feel free to share that below as well. We will get back to you!