You can configure each event to allow you to preview your stream from an external encoder in the player prior to pushing it live for your viewers to see.
⚠️Note: This setting is not account-wide, and would need to be configured for each individual event. If enabled for a recurring event, it will remain on for all streams to that recurring event.
In this article:
How to preview your stream
1. To preview your stream before going live for a recurring event, create your event, then click Manage production > Stream via RTMP.
2. Below the RTMP URL and Stream Key is a toggle switch that says “Preview stream before going live.” Make sure this is on in order to preview your stream before it goes live to your viewers.
3. After doing so, paste the RTMP URL and Stream Key into your encoder and go live to Vimeo (note: this also applies if streaming using a direct integration with Vimeo, such as with Livestream Studio).
Rather than your event streaming live to your viewers immediately, the stream will appear on this page as a preview that only you can see. This is a low-latency preview, which as a result may show a reduced resolution; rest assured, when you start broadcasting to your viewers, your stream will be the full 1080p quality as expected.
Also, if you are utilizing auto-closed captioning, those captions will not appear in this player, even after you go live; check the video page or embedded player to see the captions.
Troubleshooting: Stream does not appear in preview player, "Go Live" button grayed out
If you enable the stream preview and your stream does not appear in the player after starting your encoder (and you are unable to click "Go Live"), this is often related to blocked firewall ports. You or your IT team should check your network configuration and ensure the following ports are open:
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- TCP/UDP 3478
- TCP/UDP 19305-19307
- TCP/UDP 19307 50000 - 64000
While your stream is in preview mode, you can open the Stream Health panel to check its status prior to broadcasting it to your viewers.
If you are satisfied with your stream’s connection, click Go Live in the upper right corner to start streaming live.