How to Live Stream on YouTube from any Device - Guide

How to start a live stream on YouTube - instruction

Popular YouTube bloggers use all available ways and methods to promote their channel. They design the project, come up with a description and name, arrange the videos into groups. And all of them do live streaming. What is a live broadcast on YouTube? Why is it needed? How do you make a stream and set it up? We'll answer the basic questions and help you learn a new way of promotion.

The goal of most YouTube users is the same - to attract as much attention and viewers to their channel as possible. There is one way that can facilitate this situation - to use commercial services Lowcostsmm, where you can buy, for example, YouTube likes and other indicators of activity at a low price. After all, it is the amount of traffic on the channel and will depend on the continued success of the entire project. 

How to start a YouTube stream from scratch

live stream youtube and promotion

  1. Enter Youtube site itself, authorize and click on your profile icon in the upper right corner. Then go to "Youtube Creative Studio".
  2. In the window that opens, select "Classic Interface. In our view, it's more convenient than the new one. Consider further steps on its example.
  3. The next window will appear. Go to the "Live Broadcasts" tab and click "Start Broadcast".
  4. Next, you will need to confirm your identity through the phone. Enter the number and the code received by SMS.
  5. Before us appears the next window. Here you can add a description of the broadcast, choose who will have access to the broadcast. This can be open access, that is, the broadcast will be visible to all. Access to the link means that the stream can watch only those who have the address broadcast. If you choose limited access, then the stream can watch only the people you choose.
  6. Next, go to the tab "Options". In the item "Broadcast tweak" select "Lowest delay". Check "Enable VCR" if you want the viewer to be able to rewind the stream. Next, in the "Video encoder setup" tab, copy the code from the "Broadcast name/key" item. You'll need it later. In no case do not show it to anyone, because anyone who has this code will be able to use it to broadcast from your channel.
  7. In Advanced Settings, read all items carefully and choose everything at your discretion.

Broadcasting via a web browser

The next point is a computer. You need at least a 4-core Intel i5-level processor (for example, i5-4570) or higher. RAM of 8 GB and Windows 7-10 operating system. For gaming "streaming" in Full HD you will, of course, need a powerful GTX 970/1060 graphics card. Do not forget about web-camera, if you are going to stream not only the games, but also yourself.

It is not recommended to use notebooks for streaming. As a rule, their power is simply not enough. In addition, problems may arise due to the peculiarities of the implementation of mobile video cards.
The next step is to register on YouTube and configure the software on your computer. In our example we use Vivaldi browser, it does not affect the registration algorithm.

  1. Go to youtube.com and at the top left click "Login".
  2. Then select "Other options", then - "Create account". We fill in all the fields. An example is in the photo below:
  3. After registering with Google, go back to youtube.com. In the top left corner of the picture, click on the image of your profile and select "Creative Studio".
  4. On the left, choose "Live Broadcasting" and click "Create Channel. Agree to the terms. YouTube may require verification of your cell phone, it's fast - be sure to pass it. After these manipulations, the "Live broadcasts" section becomes available to us. It's time to set up the streaming software.

The next step is to choose a program to capture video and broadcast it to the network. There are not many options here, but they do exist. The leader here is Open Broadcaster Software or OBS. The main advantage of this solution is that it is free and has a wide range of features. There is also Xsplit broadcaster, but there you will face serious limitations for the free version. In particular, when broadcasting in a resolution higher than 720p there is a logo on the video.

So download Open Broadcaster Software at this link and install it. Choose the 64-bit version to run - it is more productive. It is worth noting that OBS is even available for macOS and Linux.

youtube likes on the stream

After launching, go to "File" - "Settings". Select the "Broadcasting" section.
Here, specify information from the YouTube video encoder settings. They are in the "Live Broadcasts" section at the bottom of the page.
Set the video bitrate. The video bitrate setting is a very important parameter for your broadcast. It affects the quality of the picture. You have to take into account your internet channel (upload speed, step 1) and on this basis calculate the optimal bitrate. It is measured in kilobits per second. In our example, the outgoing bit rate is about 13 Mbit (not to be confused with megabytes), or about 13000 KBit. For the most common resolutions it is recommended to set the following parameters:

  • 1920*1080 (1080p) - 4000-6000 Kbps
  • 1280*720 (720p) - 2500-4000 Kbps

Do not forget that during broadcasting there should be a reserve, so it is better to multiply the bitrate by 2, then we will get the speed requirements for the outgoing channel. An example for 720p: 4000 kbps * 2 = 8000 kbps. Our channel is 13000 kbps. The channel meets the requirements. Audio bitrate could be set to 160 or 192.

In order to set up and run the stream, you need to check in the channel settings to see if this is available to you. Mandatory requirements:

  • More than 1,000 subscribers;
  • verified phone number;
  • absence of violations.
  • You can check the last point by going to the creative studio of the channel by clicking on "Status and Functions".

In the "Audio" section of OBS we leave the default setting of 44.1khz, stereo.
This section affects the performance of your computer and broadcasting speed. Not every PC can handle 1920*1080, so set the output resolution to 1280*720. This will be enough for testing the first broadcast. Try not to stream at FPS over 30 in order to make it smooth. This is a lot of CPU load. It is not a good idea to stream over WI-FI - a wired connection is always faster.

There are a couple of clicks left to finish setting up OBS. At the bottom of the main program window, select "Sources" and click "+".

 

Broadcast via software encoder

You can use live streaming software if you want to share your screen (for example, to broadcast gameplay), access additional features such as live captioning and overlay, or use multiple cameras. Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), XSplit and Wirecast are just some of your options.

Any streaming software should automatically detect USB cameras connected to your computer. You can also stream non-USB video signals, such as HDMI, to your computer via a USB capture card. Connect the capture card to your computer and the camera to the capture card, and your software should recognize the camera as a USB video (UVC) class device.

While the exact process for live streaming to YouTube with a software encoder will depend on the streaming software you use, it should look something like this:

  1. Download and install the streaming software of your choice.
  2. On YouTube, click the "Create Video or Post" button in the upper right corner of the screen.
  3. Select "Start Broadcasting."
  4. In the YouTube Live Control Room, click "Broadcast" in the top navigation bar.
  5. Create a title for your stream, select a privacy option, add a description, select the appropriate category, and upload a thumbnail.
  6. Decide whether you want to stream now or schedule the event for later.
  7. Click Create Stream.
  8. Copy the "Stream Name / Key" from the pop-up window. (Keep this character string a secret.) If the window doesn't appear or you accidentally close it, look for this information in the lower left corner of the Live Control Room.
  9. Open the streaming software and paste the "Stream Name / Key" and, if necessary, the "Streaming URL" from YouTube into the appropriate fields. You'll probably find them in the settings or preferences menu; refer to the program's documentation if you're not sure where to look.
  10. If you're ready to get started right away, start streaming with your streaming software.
  11. If you've scheduled a YouTube broadcast for later, open the program when the time comes and start streaming. Go back to the YouTube Live Live Control Room; you should see a preview of the stream. Click "Start Streaming" in the upper-right corner to begin streaming.

Pros and cons of streaming on Youtube

Before choosing Youtube as your main streaming platform, you need to know the pros and cons of the platform.

Pros:

  1. Instant saving of broadcasts. You can watch the stream as soon as it ends.
  2. Accordingly, broadcasts are gaining views even after the end.
  3. Opportunity to rewind while streaming. Convenient function which allows you to rewind to the beginning or any other part of the broadcast without waiting for the broadcast to end.
  4. Youtube supports high quality (4K/2160p) and high bit rate, allowing you to create a very high quality picture.
  5. The reason to start streaming on youtube is the name and the reputation of the company. Mediagiant is the absolute leader in video hosting and is actively developing the streaming platform.

Cons:

  1. When it comes to video game streaming, Youtube lags behind its main competitor Twitch in terms of audience numbers.
  2. You have to recreate the broadcast every time.
  3. Youtube has strict rules. So before you start, make sure you're thoroughly familiar with everything that's forbidden on the portal

Why is the broadcast not working?

  1. If you encounter any problems during the live broadcast, you should find out:
  2. the problem may be in your computer: not enough power, the presence of a virus in the system;
  3. The problem with network connection. Check the speed of the Internet on the site Speedtest, if it's low call the company that provides you services, and ask about the problems on your site. It's also worth checking to see if the service has been paid for and if the wire is loose.
  4. see what version of the video encoder you are using. It should be the latest version. If it is not, you need to update the program;
  5. If you have problems with sound, check your sound sources;
  6. Check the errors of the video encoder on the control panel;
  7. check what kind of load the processor is experiencing.
  8. If you have checked and found no errors, then try running another video encoder. If there are no problems with the program, you need to check the Internet connection.