Post · Phase 4 of 5
Live Streaming & Premieres
Going live and running premieres. Encoders, bitrate, latency, chat, and what happens to the recording afterwards.
Category 11 of 16 in the creator glossary · 81 terms
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Adaptive bitrate streamingaka ABRDelivery that keeps several quality versions of the same stream ready and moves the viewer between them as their connection changes.AutoModaka automatic moderation, held for reviewAutomated moderation that holds risky chat messages back for a human decision instead of publishing them straight away.
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Backup ingest serveraka backup server URL, redundant ingestA second ingest address you feed alongside the primary one, so a live stream survives losing one connection.Bitrateaka stream bitrate, kbpsHow much data per second a stream or file carries, measured in kilobits per second. The main lever on picture quality.Blocked wordsaka banned words, word filter, chat filterA creator's own list of terms that pulls matching comments into the review queue and stops matching messages in live chat.Bonded cellularaka connection bonding, cellular bondingCombining several mobile connections into one uplink so a stream stays up when any single connection wobbles.Bufferingaka rebuffering, stallingPlayback stopping while the player waits for more of the stream to arrive, usually seen as a spinner part-way through.
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Capture cardaka video capture deviceHardware that turns a camera or console HDMI output into a video source your streaming computer can see.Channel pointsaka points, loyalty pointsTwitch's loyalty currency, earned by watching a particular channel and spent on rewards that streamer has set up.Charity streamaka charity livestream, fundraising streamA live stream run to raise money for a cause, usually with a running donation total and milestone incentives on screen.Chat botaka Nightbot, mod bot, stream botAn automated account in live chat that moderates, answers commands and posts timed messages while the host concentrates on the stream.Chat timeoutaka timeout, temporary muteA moderation action that blocks a chatter from posting for a set period, without removing them from the channel.Co-streamingaka co-stream, Go Live Together, collab streamBroadcasting alongside a guest on your own channel, or carrying somebody else's live event with your own commentary over it.
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Dead airaka silence on streamUnfilled silence on a live stream or premiere, where nothing is happening and the audience starts drifting away.Dropped framesaka frame drops, skipped framesFrames your encoder throws away when the connection or the machine cannot keep up, which viewers see as stutter.Dual PC streaming setupaka two PC setup, dual computer streamTwo machines for one stream: one plays the game, the other encodes and broadcasts, so neither has to do both jobs at once.
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Hardware encoderaka dedicated encoder, GPU encodingA dedicated chip or standalone box that compresses a live video feed and keeps that work off the computer's main processor.HLSaka HTTP Live StreamingHTTP Live Streaming, Apple's segment-based protocol, used to deliver streams to viewers and accepted by YouTube as an advanced ingest option.Hype Trainaka hype train eventTwitch's escalating community event, triggered when viewers spend on subs, gifts or Bits in a short burst.
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Ingest URLaka stream URL, RTMP URL, server URLThe server address your encoder sends the feed to, used together with the stream key to get a live broadcast into YouTube.IRL streamaka IRL streaming, in real life streamA live broadcast made out in the world from a portable rig, rather than from a fixed desk setup.
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Live ad breakaka mid-roll ad break, insert ad breakA mid-roll ad the creator fires by hand during a live stream, taken at a lull rather than wherever YouTube would have placed it.Live captionsaka automatic live captions, real-time captionsSubtitles generated automatically from the audio while a broadcast is still running, with the accuracy trade-off that implies.Live chataka stream chatThe real-time message feed running beside a live stream or Premiere, where the audience talks while you broadcast.Live chat replayaka chat replayThe recorded chat that plays back in sync with an archived stream, so later viewers see the conversation unfold.Live Control Roomaka live dashboard, YouTube live control roomThe Studio screen where you set up, monitor and run a broadcast: stream key, health readout, chat, live analytics and the controls, all in one place.Live DVRaka DVR, rewind liveThe live stream setting that lets viewers pause, scrub back and catch up while the broadcast is still running.Live pollaka chat poll, stream pollA vote run in live chat during a broadcast, which gives the audience something to press and the host something to react to.Live Q&Aaka Q and A, question modeA YouTube live chat feature that collects viewer questions into their own list and pins the one you are answering.Live redirectaka end of stream redirect, stream redirectA YouTube setting that pushes your live viewers straight into another channel's stream or Premiere the moment your broadcast ends.Live shoppingaka shoppable live stream, live commerceA live stream with products tagged so viewers can buy them from a shopping panel while the broadcast is still running.Live streamaka livestream, live streaming, going liveA broadcast sent out in real time as it happens, rather than recorded, edited and uploaded as a finished file.Live streaming eligibilityaka enable live streaming, live accessThe account conditions YouTube requires before live works at all, which differ between a desktop encoder and streaming from your phone.Lurkeraka lurking, silent viewerA viewer who watches an entire stream without ever typing in chat, and who counts as a viewer exactly the same.
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Members-only live streamaka members only stream, members streamA broadcast set so only paying channel members can watch, used for closer contact with the people who already pay.Mobile live streamingaka stream from phone, mobile liveGoing live straight from the YouTube app, with the phone handling the camera, the encoding and the connection.Multicamaka multi-camera, multicam liveRunning two or more cameras into one production and cutting between the angles, either live or in the edit.Multistreamingaka simulcasting, simulcast, restreamingBroadcasting one live stream to several platforms at once, usually through a relay service that fans out a single encoder feed.
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Packet lossaka network lossData from your stream that never reaches the ingest server. Viewers see it as stutter, blocking and audio that cuts out.Pinned chat messageaka pin a message, pinned messageA message fixed to the top of live chat so people arriving mid-stream see it without scrolling back.Premiere countdownaka countdown theme, premiere timerThe short themed countdown YouTube plays on the watch page before a Premiere begins, with live chat open while it runs.Premiere traileraka premiere teaserA short clip that loops on a Premiere's watch page before the scheduled start, so early arrivals have something to watch.
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Reusable stream keyaka persistent stream keyA stream key you save and use again, so your encoder keeps working across broadcasts without being reconfigured every time.RTMPaka Real-Time Messaging Protocol, RTMPSThe protocol most encoders use to push a live feed up to YouTube and other platforms, now normally in its encrypted RTMPS form.RTMP ingestaka RTMP, stream URL, ingest serverThe streaming protocol and server address an encoder pushes a live signal to. YouTube hands you an ingest URL and a stream key.Run of showaka rundown, show flowThe timed running order for a live production: every segment, who is doing what, and when it happens.
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Sceneaka OBS scene, scene switchingA saved arrangement of video, audio and graphic sources in streaming software that you cut to as a single unit while live.Scheduled live streamaka scheduled stream, live eventA stream set up in advance so it has a public watch page before it starts, letting viewers set a reminder.Slow modeaka chat slow mode, message delayA live chat setting that forces a minimum wait between messages from the same viewer, used to keep a busy chat readable.Software encoderaka CPU encoding, x264 encodingEncoding done by your computer's processor inside the streaming application, most often x264 in OBS.SRTaka Secure Reliable TransportSecure Reliable Transport, an open protocol that pushes video dependably over a shaky internet connection. It carries feeds to an encoder rather than to YouTube.Starting soon screenaka BRB screen, holding screen, waiting screenThe holding scene a stream shows before it properly begins or during a break, usually a title card, a timer and some music.Stinger transitionaka stinger, animated transitionA short animation that plays over the switch between scenes in a live stream, hiding the cut behind motion and sound.Stream alertaka alerts, alert box, donation alertAn on-screen animation and sound fired live by a subscribe, membership, gift, Super Chat or tip.Stream Deckaka Elgato Stream DeckA panel of programmable keys, made by Elgato, used to fire scene switches, sounds and other actions during a live broadcast.Stream healthaka stream health panel, connection statusThe Live Control Room panel that grades your incoming feed in real time and flags bitrate, dropped frames or network problems.Stream keyaka streaming keyThe secret string that authorises your encoder to broadcast to your channel. Anyone holding it can stream as you.Stream latencyaka latency, glass-to-glass delayThe delay between something happening in front of the camera and a viewer seeing it, measured glass to glass.Stream overlayaka overlay, stream graphicsThe graphics layer sitting over your live picture: webcam frames, name plates, alert popups, the chat box and the goal bar.Stream snipingaka stream sniper, snipingWatching a streamer's live feed while playing against them, using what the broadcast shows to gain an advantage they cannot see.StreamElementsaka SE, StreamElements OBS LiveA free cloud platform for stream overlays, alerts, chat moderation and tipping, used to dress and automate a broadcast.Streamlabsaka Streamlabs Desktop, SLOBSA streaming suite built on the OBS engine, bundling the encoder with alerts, overlay themes, a chat dock and a tipping page.StreamYardaka Streamyard studioBrowser-based live studio built for interviews and panels, adding guests, overlays and multistreaming without any software installed on your own machine.Subathonaka sub-a-thon, marathon streamA stream with no fixed end, where every new subscription or donation adds time to a countdown clock the audience controls.Subscribers-only chataka subscriber only mode, sub-only chatA live chat setting that limits messages to channel subscribers, with a minimum subscription age you set yourself.
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Top chataka top chat filterYouTube's filtered view of live chat, shown by default, which holds back messages its systems read as spam or unwanted.Transcodingaka live transcoding, rendition ladderThe platform re-encoding your single incoming feed into the ladder of resolutions and bitrates viewers actually choose from.
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Vertical live streamaka portrait stream, vertical streamingA live broadcast in 9:16, so it fills a phone screen and can be surfaced in the Shorts feed.Video on demandaka VOD, stream VOD, archived streamThe recording a finished live stream leaves on the channel, watchable afterwards like any other video.Video switcheraka switcher, vision mixer, ATEMThe box or software that cuts between cameras and graphics live and sends one finished feed out to the stream.
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Watch partyaka co-watch, group watchA group watching the same existing content in sync, with live chat running alongside it as they react together.Webcam streamingaka browser streaming, stream from webcamGoing live straight from a desktop browser using your built-in camera and mic. The simplest way onto YouTube Live, with no encoder involved.
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YouTube Clipsaka clip, clips featureA 5 to 60 second excerpt a viewer cuts from your video or stream and shares as a link that plays inside the original.YouTube Premiereaka Premiere, PremieresA finished upload scheduled to play to everyone at the same moment, with a countdown and a live chat running alongside it.