While every venue, A/V team, and hybrid technical set up are different, below are some best practices to consider when setting up your Hybrid event on StreamYard.
1. Streaming Computer
- We recommend having a dedicated computer for the livestream.
- We recommend having an operator for the streaming computer to monitor the stream, add any graphics to the feed, and troubleshoot issues.
- Graphics Computer:
- If your stream has a lot of presentations, you may consider having an additional graphics computer to run the presentations. It is important to make sure your streaming computer is not overworking by trying to both stream video & audio, as well as run a robust multimedia presentation, as this can cause your computer to lag. To connect your second computer to the stream, log into the same StreamYard studio as your main streaming computer. This will act as your graphics screen share.
- If you need to synchronize the advancing of graphics both virtually and in the venue, you can screencast your graphics computer to the stage and use a clicker to advance the slides.
2. Ethernet Connection
- It is vital to have a dedicated hardline ethernet connection to your streaming computer and to your graphics computer (if applicable). It is most important to pay attention to your upload speeds (not download speeds). It is necessary to have a minimum of 10mbps; however, 20mbps is preferable, especially for more complicated shows.
3. Cameras
- Any camera can be used with StreamYard as long as it can be recognized as a webcam. There are many different switchers and capture devices to utilize depending on your equipment. Depending on how many cameras you have, you may want to utilize a producer or director who is determining where each camera should be pointed and which should be live at each moment.
4. Audio
- If you have multiple microphone inputs in the venue, we recommend utilizing an audio interface that plugs into your streaming computer. It will be recognized as one audio input in StreamYard, but you can utilize multiple mics.
- Be sure to test the sync between your cameras and microphone prior to the event. This can take some time to match up depending on your equipment, so we recommend setting aside time at the end of load in (usually the day prior to your event) to confirm the inputs are in sync and troubleshoot if necessary.
Questions about your event’s set up, or your venue? StreamYard Production Services are available on a per-event basis to provide expertise, best practices, and hands-on producing for your unique event setup. More information available here!