What you'll need:
- A SlingStudio unit
- An network connection for the SlingStudio, either via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, that can access the Internet
- One or more video sources
- iPad with the latest Console app installed
- Sign-on credentials for Facebook
Note: The following instructions help you produce a live video that is broadcast to your Facebook page. Your Facebook friends see this post in their feeds if you have set your Facebook timeline page privacy level to "public" or "friends." For other pages, groups, or events, this live video is broadcast to all users signed up for those pages, groups or events.
Procedure:
- Power up the SlingStudio.
- On your iPad, launch the Console app and connect it to the SlingStudio hotspot.
- Connect your SlingStudio unit to Internet using either of these two methods:
- Ethernet cable: Connect a live Ethernet cable to the SlingStudio using the SlingStudio USB-C Expander product.
- Wi-Fi: In the Console app, go to Settings (on the left edge of the Console app) and tap Internet Settings. Choose a Wi-Fi network to connect to.
Note: You can also confirm the operation of the Ethernet connection here.
- Prepare the video sources that you want to use and connect them to the SlingStudio hotspot.
- Open a new project, and give it a name.
- Toward the bottom of the settings box, tap LIVE BROADCASTING so that it is switched on.
You may see an advisory dialog box that you can read and then dismiss. - Scroll upwards in the dialog box (if needed) and use these settings for your new project:
- Video production (resolution): Choose Internet (720p30), Television (1080p30), or Pro30 (1080p30) settings.
Note: Even if you upload video using the 1080p30 setting, Facebook still plays the video back on its timeline at 720p30. - Video Sources Bit rate: Choose a video source bit rate setting. For now, set the slider to be about halfway between minimum and maximum.
Note: The min/max numbers on the slider vary with the Video production (resolution) setting you have chosen. - Program Output Bit rate: Choose a setting for this bit rate. Again, if you're not sure, choose a setting that is about halfway between minimum and maximum. We'll refine it shortly.
- At the bottom of the Live Broadcasting section, go to the Upload Speed line. Tap the circular arrow to test your current upload speed. After several seconds, the Console app determines what the current upload speed is.
- Divide this Upload Speed figure approximately in half, and use that figure to refine the Program Output bit rate setting (from Step 7c above). Half the Upload Speed is a good number to start with. Lower settings can offer lower video quality … but also broadcasting with fewer skips. Higher settings offer the reverse.
Note: You can't change this setting once the project has been created. - Down in the LIVE BROADCASTING section, tap Select a Destination.
The Destinations dialog box opens. - Tap Facebook.
- Log into Facebook, using the Email address option, with your Facebook login/password.
Note: If you don't see the Facebook login/password screen, but instead go directly to the Permissions page, it's because the SlingStudio Console app is using the login information that the iPad's Safari browser is using for Facebook.
To change to another Facebook account, use Safari on the iPad to log out from the current Facebook account. After doing that, you should then see the Facebook login/password page in the Console app. You can then log in to the correct Facebook account. - Allow Facebook to process the sign-on. When you are asked for various permissions, be sure to allow them.
- Set BROADCAST TO whichever type of destination you prefer.
- Tap your timeline.
- Tap Publish Now to for an event that you want to start now; if you chose Pages, tap Schedule a New Post to schedule a future broadcast at a set time.
NOTE: The Schedule a New Post option is not available for Groups or Events. - Fill in the information fields. Be sure to select the PRIVACY option that you want.
- Tap SET DESTINATION at the bottom of the screen.
You return to the PROJECT SETTINGS screen. - Review your project settings, and then tap SAVE.
- If you see dialog boxes about media storage and setting up your audio, handle those as you wish.
- Back at the Console app main screen, choose a video source for PREVIEW, and then when you're ready, promote it to PROGRAM.
- Tap GO LIVE on the left-side edge.
- In the dialog box that appears, tap GO LIVE to confirm.
The GO LIVE button on the left side of the Console app turns red to indicate that you’re currently broadcasting.
If you want to monitor your Facebook broadcast, using a computer, open a web browser and go to the Facebook website.
Or, on a device other than the iPad that's running the Console app, open the Facebook app.
IMPORTANT: Do not use the iPad that is running the Console app as a Facebook monitor! This could seriously impair its network bandwidth, causing streaming problems. - If you choose to monitor your Facebook broadcast, be sure to sign on to Facebook using the credentials that you used with the Console app a few moments ago.
You should be able to see your SlingStudio broadcast on your Facebook feed. - To stop broadcasting, tap GO LIVE from the left side of the Console app. In the dialog box that appears, tap STOP LIVE to confirm. Tap STOP in the next dialog box to confirm a second time.
NOTE: You are asked twice to confirm stopping your broadcast event because, after you do that, you have to set up an entirely new broadcast event to continue live-streaming. By Facebook design, you cannot use a previous post to resume a broadcast. - To broadcast more video, you can either:
- Tap the Project open/close icon on the left side of the Console app, and then tap Project Settings;
- Tap GO LIVE as before, and then tap PROJECT SETTINGS in the dialog box that appears.
Want to review Internet connectivity quality as you stream video?
You can do that in either of two ways.
First, make sure that you're streaming video. Then:
- In SlingStudio Console, along the bottom of the Program window, where you see info about your stream, tap Quality.
The Live Broadcasting Quality Indicator opens, displaying real-time network streaming info. - Or, you can tap the Dashboard icon (in the upper left corner of the SlingStudio Console main window) to open the Dashboard.
At the bottom of the Dashboard, you see the INTERNET CONNECTIVITY thumbnail image displaying real-time bit rate data, just as the Live Broadcast Quality Indicator does.
For more information about the Live Broadcast Quality Indicator, see the links below.
