🚀 Getting Started

Quick start guide to deploying your first stream on Encora Stream.

Overview

This guide will walk you through setting up your first live stream from start to finish in approximately 30 minutes.

Before you begin, ensure you have access to the Encora Stream dashboard and a video encoder ready to send a stream.

Prerequisites

Before deploying your first stream, you’ll need:

• ✅ Access to Encora Stream dashboard
• ✅ A hardware or software encoder (OBS, vMix, Wirecast, etc.)
• ✅ Network connectivity between encoder and platform
• ✅ Basic understanding of streaming protocols (UDP/RTMP)

Quick Start Steps

Step 1: 📥 Configure Input Stream

Create an input stream to receive video from your encoder.

1. Navigate to Input Streams in the sidebar
2. Click Add Input Stream
3. Fill in the details:
   • Name: A descriptive channel name (e.g., “Main Channel HD”)
   • Content ID: Unique identifier (e.g., “main_channel_hd”)
   • Source URL: Your encoder URL (e.g., udp://@239.1.1.1:5000)
4. Click Save

Content ID must be consistent across all components (transcoder, packagers). It is case-sensitive!

Learn more about Input Streams →

Step 2: ⚙️ Create Transcoder

Set up transcoding to create multiple quality levels for adaptive streaming.

1. Navigate to Transcoders in the sidebar
2. Click Add Transcoder
3. Configure:
   • Input Stream: Select your newly created input stream
   • ABR Profile: Choose based on your audience (High ABR for premium quality)
   • Server: Select available transcoding server
   • Renditions: Enable quality levels you want (1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p)
4. Toggle Enable to ON
5. Click Save

The transcoder will start processing immediately. It may take 30-60 seconds to begin.

Learn more about Transcoders →

Step 3: 📦 Set Up Packagers

Create packagers to format your stream for different devices and platforms.

Choose Your Packager Type(s):

For Set-Top Boxes and VLC:

• Create an AES Packager for basic encrypted HLS streaming

For Web Browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox):

• Create a DASH Packager for modern web playback

For Apple Devices (iOS, Safari):

• Create an HLS Packager for Apple ecosystem

You can (and should) create all three packager types to support all devices!

Basic Packager Setup (example for AES):

1. Navigate to AES Packagers
2. Click Add AES Packager
3. Configure:
   • Input Stream: Select your input stream
   • Transcoder: Select your transcoder
   • Server: Select packaging server
   • Media Directory: /opt/es/media/packager
   • Segment Duration: 6 seconds (recommended)
   • Audio: Select audio tracks
4. Toggle Enable to ON
5. Click Save

Repeat for DASH and HLS packagers as needed.

Learn more about Packagers →

Step 4: 🌐 Deploy Origin Server

Enable content delivery from origin servers.

1. Navigate to Origins in the sidebar
2. Click Add Origin
3. Configure:
   • Server: Same as packager server (typical)
   • Server Interface: Primary network interface (eth0)
   • Media Directory: /opt/es/media/packager (same as packagers)
4. Toggle Enable to ON
5. Click Save

Learn more about Origin Servers →

Step 5: ✅ Test Your Stream

Once all components are deployed, test your stream:

Get Your Playback URLs

For AES streams:

http://your-origin-server/[content-id]/aes/playlist.m3u8

For DASH streams:

http://your-origin-server/[content-id]/dash/manifest.mpd

For HLS streams:

http://your-origin-server/[content-id]/hls/master.m3u8

Replace [content-id] with your actual Content ID.

Testing Methods

1. VLC Player (Quick Test)

• Open VLC
• Media → Open Network Stream
• Paste your playlist URL
• Click Play

2. Web Browser

• For DASH: Use DASH.js Reference Player
• For HLS on Safari: Paste URL directly in address bar
• For HLS on Chrome: Use HLS.js demo

3. Mobile Devices

• iOS Safari: Paste HLS URL directly
• Android: Use ExoPlayer-based apps for DASH

Verification Checklist

Before going to production, verify:

• Input stream is receiving video (check with VLC or ffprobe)
• Transcoder status shows RUNNING
• All packagers show RUNNING status
• Origin server is accessible via HTTP
• Playback URLs return valid manifests (not 404)
• Video plays smoothly in test players
• Multiple quality levels switch automatically (ABR working)
• Audio is present and synchronized

Common First-Time Issues

Problem: “Not Streaming” or 404 Error

Solution:

1. Verify Content ID matches exactly across all components (case-sensitive!)
2. Check that input stream is actually receiving video from encoder
3. Ensure transcoder and packagers show RUNNING status
4. Wait 60-90 seconds after enabling all components

Problem: Video Plays but Poor Quality

Solution:

1. Check encoder output quality and bitrate
2. Verify input stream with ffprobe or VLC
3. Review transcoder rendition settings
4. Ensure network bandwidth is sufficient

Problem: Video Works but No Audio

Solution:

1. Verify encoder is sending audio
2. Check input stream has audio tracks (use ffprobe)
3. Ensure at least one audio track is selected in packager configuration

Next Steps

Now that you have your first stream running:

1. 📚 Review Best Practices for optimization tips
2. 🔍 Bookmark Troubleshooting Guide for quick issue resolution
3. 🔒 Set up DRM Protection for premium content (see Packagers documentation)
4. 📊 Configure monitoring to track stream health

Need Help?

• Troubleshooting Guide
• Best Practices
• Component Documentation

Congratulations! You’ve successfully deployed your first stream on Encora Stream! 🎉