Welcome to Livepeer.com's first video tutorial. In the following video clips, you'll learn how to create an account on livepeer.com, create your first stream object, install and setup OBS, stream into Livepeer.com, and watch your Livepeer.com-transcoded video. We'll be following our 

. It is recommended you have that open as you go through the video clips below.

Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com


Step 2: Verify your Livepeer.com account


Step 5: Stream into Livepeer.com using OBS


Select RTMP ingest and playback URL pair on livepeer.com stream page:

Thanks for watching our streaming video tutorial! We'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to us at 

 with thoughts, suggestions, and any questions you might have.


Are you experiencing stream playback issues? Are you interested in having a more complete understanding of how to evaluate stream health? At this point, you’ve tried our 

, but are not seeing streams play back as they should. Read on for a couple of tools, tips and tricks to try on your own, before having to reach out to us for more in-depth debugging support.

If you’re using the livepeer.com UI, you’ll find your playback URL on that specific stream’s page. The URL to that stream page should look something like this: 

https://livepeer.com/app/stream/<stream-id>

If you’re using the API directly, take a look at 

 on finding your playback URL by combining a base URL with a playbackId. If you don't know your stream playbackId, you can retrieve it via a GET request to the stream endpoint, followed by the stream’s id: 

If you have access to a video player in your own application, or to a test player you typically use, determine what issue you’re having when loading the playback URL into the player:

Is the video not playing in your application or player at all? Go to step 3.

Is the video playing, but the quality is poor? Go to step 6.

If you don’t have a player you’re testing with, or if the issue is happening in a player you don’t have access to, go onto the next step.

Step 3: Test Playback URL in the Livepeer Test Player

. If you get a "Stream not found" error, confirm that your URL is correct. It should look something like this: 

https://cdn.livepeer.com/hls/123456abcdef7890/index.m3u8

Step 4: Determine Video Playback Issue in the Livepeer Test Player

Once you load your Playback URL into the Livepeer Test Player, does anything play back?

Yes, the quality of video is great in the Livepeer Test Player, but not in my own player: Go back to step 1 and check if you are using the correct playback URL in your own application or player. If the URL is correct, there may be something wrong with your player configuration.

Yes, but the quality is poor: Go to step 6.

Check the stream status below the Livepeer.com test player. Is it active?

Confirm your or your streamer’s broadcast software RTMP configuration is set up properly. If you are using OBS to stream into Livepeer, check out steps 4-5 in 

 and make sure all looks correct on your end.

Step 6: Check if Transcoding is Happening

Is there only one profile listed next to Playback settings below the Livepeer.com test player?

No: If two or more profiles are listed, go to the next step.

Yes: You are not transcoding your source stream and not taking advantage of Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR). Only the source profile is available for playback via the Livepeer.com CDN.

Make sure your broadcasting workflow is stable - the RTMP stream hitting Livepeer's ingest server seems to be having issues.There may be something wrong with your source stream. If you can, set the keyframe interval to 2 in your/your streamer’s broadcasting software. Try ensuring a stronger internet connection at the source via a wired ethernet connection or by broadcasting on a more reliable network. If the resolution, FPS and/or bitrate of the source stream is very high and if your internet bandwidth is low, playback will be slow and choppy. Consider transcoding your livestreams.

: see addendum to learn about curling your playlist to extract information from your playback URL directly.

Step 7: Check Profiles FPS (for API users only)

 to the Livepeer API stream endpoint with your stream-id to check the stream’s profiles. Do all of the profiles have the same FPS?

No: Your profiles' FPS is configured incorrectly. To fix that, create a new stream and set all profile FPS to the same value. For best performance, set them between 5 FPS and 60 FPS. Setting FPS to 0 is also acceptable and passes through the source FPS to the transcoded renditions.

Step 8: Check Source Stream in Livepeer Test Player

Go back to the Livepeer.com test player and make sure your playback URL is loaded.

The left player shows your source stream, as served by the Livepeer.com CDN with the transcoded renditions via the playback URL. This player is configured to only playback the highest resolution available. Except for in rare occasions, the highest resolution is the non-transcoded source stream i.e. the stream sent from your broadcast software.

Compare the source video in the left player with the transcoded renditions in the right player. On the right player, you can manually switch between transcoded renditions by clicking on the ⋮ symbol in the lower right corner of the player. Does the transcoded video on the right player show more problems than the source video on the left player?

No: If you can confirm both the videos on the right and left have similar issues, there is something wrong with your source stream. If you can, set the keyframe interval to 2 in your/your streamer’s broadcasting software. Try ensuring a stronger internet connection at the source via a wired ethernet connection or by broadcasting on a more reliable network. If the resolution, FPS and/or bitrate of the source stream is very high and if your internet bandwidth is low, playback will be slow and choppy.

Yes: If you created your stream via the Livepeer.com API, confirm your profile bitrate settings are reasonable by checking this 

. If they are, reach out to Livepeer.com for further help, 

Addendum for Advanced Users: Extracting information from playback URLs using your terminal

 on important parts of the video playback experience. The HLS and Manifest Files sections are especially relevant.

An easy and quick way to make sure video is being ingested into Livepeer and transcoded is to curl your Livepeer playback URL in your terminal. Example: `curl 

https://cdn.livepeer.com/hls/6a35pdxxxxxxxxxx/index.m3u8

`. You could use this curl command to replace steps 6 and 7 in the above debugging guide.

If curling the playback URL outputs an error, make sure you are streaming video into the RTMP ingest URL that matches the region of your playback URL, and go back to step 1 of this guide to continue debugging.

We’ll break down what a non-error response means below, but it should look something like this:

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=2650912,RESOLUTION=1792x1120,FRAME-RATE=30,CODECS="avc1.640028,mp4a.40.2"

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=539704,RESOLUTION=1280x800,FRAME-RATE=29.97,CODECS="avc1.4d4020,mp4a.40.2"

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=256352,RESOLUTION=854x534,FRAME-RATE=29.97,CODECS="avc1.4d401f,mp4a.40.2"

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=222792,RESOLUTION=640x400,FRAME-RATE=29.97,CODECS="avc1.4d401e,mp4a.40.2"

#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:PROGRAM-ID=1,BANDWIDTH=179976,RESOLUTION=426x266,FRAME-RATE=29.97,CODECS="avc1.4d4015,mp4a.40.2"

The response is a list of rendition “manifests”, which tells a player what different streams and corresponding resolutions/bitrates are available for playback (read 

 for more background info on resolutions/bitrates). The player then uses the list to select the most appropriate stream to display.

Each line starting with `EXT-X-STREAM-INF:` represents a different rendition. If you take a look at the first one, you’ll see that that rendition’s resolution is `1792x1120` and its FPS or frame rate is 30. We can see that this source stream is being transcoded into 5 different renditions that all have the same FPS, with give or take a .03 of a difference.

What did you think of this guide? Get in touch with any thoughts or questions at 

Debugging Stream Playback Issues

You have read about and understand that [video transcoding](https://livepeer.com/blog/intro-to-transcoding) will allow your content to reach more end users. Whether you are streaming events, concerts, webinars, or any other kind of user created content, you can try Livepeer transcoding in just a couple of minutes, free of cost.

Below is a step-by-step guide with screenshots of how to transcode your first stream through Livepeer, in 6 steps, and in under 5 minutes!

### **Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com**

Go to https://livepeer.com/ and click on the "Sign up" button at the top-right hand side of the homepage. It will take you to [livepeer.com/register](https://livepeer.com/register).

Type in your email address (preferably your work email address) and a password of your choosing. Click Continue.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/470e0e13aa2d1e21c5599161e8541b69625b0034-1408x1210.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 2: Verify your Livepeer account**

Head over to your inbox and look for an email from [support@livepeer.com](). The email will look like this:

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/c150222e004cb107c14393f6505863d2d7d33015-1624x936.png?h=500&fit=max)

Click on the "Verify Email" button. You will get redirected to your Livepeer Dashboard.

### **Step 3: Create your first stream**

From your Livepeer dashboard, click the  "Create" button below the “Streams” header. In the next screen titled “Create a new stream”, type in any stream name of your choosing. Click Save.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/e856374e01b7dc3acfebf3fa36151893717b4e47-1480x852.png?h=500&fit=max)

Congratulations! You’ve created a new Livepeer stream and should see a screen like the one below. 

_Don’t click out of this screen just yet_ … you’ll need to copy and paste a couple of things from here in order to send video into Livepeer for transcoding.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/c5b12d147f99e0d1b7d9f17bca70472217999ca8-1482x1128.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 4: Install and setup OBS**
_(If you already have OBS installed on your computer, skip to the next step)_

_NOTE: Though you can use any broadcasting software or capture device you'd like with Livepeer, we'll use OBS for this example._

In a new browser tab, go [here](https://obsproject.com/download) to download OBS, a free, open-source video broadcaster software.

Set up the “Audio Input Capture”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:
- the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”
- the “Audio Input Capture” option in the list
- the “Add existing” option, then selecting the microphone that comes up on that list
- the “OK” button

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/784e105235be8ed9fabcf064b24ee929640fd22c-1446x772.png?h=500&fit=max)

Set up the “Video Capture Device”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:
- the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”
- the “Video Capture Device” option in the list
- the "Create new" button, and add whatever name you'd like for your camera in the text field
- the "OK" button

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/3a85b7fc790467bb98bf3957aa72544bd7804194-1364x670.png?h=500&fit=max)

In the screen that pops up, do the following:
- in the “Device” field, select whatever camera is available or is preferred
- in the “Preset” or resolution field, select a resolution you’d like to stream in (1280 x 720 should be okay)
- click "OK"

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/d61999fca441100d524b541d589c5783a98678b8-1074x908.png?h=500&fit=max)

### **Step 5: Stream into Livepeer using OBS**

Open OBS and click on:
- “Settings” on the bottom right-hand side of your OBS screen
- “Stream” from the left-hand side menu and select “Custom” from the drop-down menu on the right

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/9bd6443a5602b83f8f09ee7f569151d40ddd1543-3060x1162.png?h=500&fit=max)

From the newly created livepeer.com stream page click on “Show Secret stream Key”. Copy the “RTMP ingest URL” and paste it into the Server section of of the OBS Stream Settings.

Cut the 16 character hyphenated set of letters at the end of that URL, removing them from that URL, and paste them into the “Stream Key” field

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/22b65016462b95b86261ca58c1e3e988eccf1668-2834x1110.png?h=500&fit=max)

You should see something like this when clicking the “Show” button:

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/5e1018e70b3627ce98df15d4214858a4650b87df-1316x1010.png?h=500&fit=max)

Click Ok on that screen to save your settings and go back on the main OBS screen. Click “Start Streaming" on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Voila, your stream is now getting transcoded!

### **Step 6: Watch your transcoded video**

_NOTE: You can use a number of video players to watch Livepeer’s transcoded stream (see [Livepeer's Support Matrix](https://livepeer.com/docs/guides/support-matrix) for more details). In this example we’ll use Theo Player._

Open [TheoPlayer](http://demo.theoplayer.com/test-your-stream-with-statistics) in a new tab on your browser, then:
- copy the “Playback URL” from your livepeer.com stream page 
- paste it into the empty text field in the TheoPlayer page 
- click the 'CLICK HERE LOAD YOUR STREAM' button
- click the large yellow arrow in the middle of the video screen to watch your video come to life!

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/dp4k3mpw/production/06de768c21b60f2da924b110371507715ef9943e-2142x1530.png?h=500&fit=max)

_For more information on other broadcast software and players we support, take a look at our [feature support matrix](https://livepeer.com/docs/guides/support-matrix)._

_What did you think of this tutorial? Give us any feedback on how it can be improved and send  over any questions you might have by emailing us at [hello@livepeer.com](). We’d love to help you stream using Livepeer!_

 will allow your content to reach more end users. You have been told that anyone looking to broadcast and transcode streaming events, concerts, webinars, and any other kind of user created content can use Livepeer.com in just a couple of minutes, free of cost. You know Livepeer.com has documentation with information that might help you get started transcoding your video. However, you’d still really like someone to walk you through that process in as little time as possible.

You’re in the right place friend. Below is a step-by-step guide with screenshots of how to transcode your first stream through Livepeer.com, in 6 steps, and in under 5 minutes!

Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com

 and click on the "Sign up" button at the top-right hand side of the homepage. It will take you to 

. Type in your email address (preferably your work email address) and a password of your choosing. Click Continue.

After clicking continue in the last step, you’ll see a screen with the following message: “Please check your email for a verification link.” Head over to your inbox and look for an email from 

Click on the "Verify Email" button. You will get redirected to your Livepeer.com Dashboard.

From your Livepeer.com dashboard, click the "Create" button below the “Streams” header. In the next screen titled “Create a new stream”, type in any stream name of your choosing. Click Save.

Congratulations! You’ve created a new Livepeer.com stream and should see a screen like the one below.

Don’t click out of this screen just yet

 … you’ll need to copy and paste a couple of things from here in order to send video into Livepeer.com for transcoding.

(If you already have OBS installed on your computer, skip to the next step)

NOTE: Though you can use any broadcasting software or capture device you'd like with Livepeer.com, we'll use OBS for this example.

 to download OBS, a free, open-source video broadcaster software.

Set up the “Audio Input Capture”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:

the “+” button at the bottom left-hand side of the “Sources”

the “Audio Input Capture” option in the list

the “Add existing” option, then selecting the microphone that comes up on that list

Set up the “Video Capture Device”, as shown in the screenshot below, by clicking on:

the “Video Capture Device” option in the list

the "Create new" button, and add whatever name you'd like for your camera in the text field

In the screen that pops up, do the following:

in the “Device” field, select whatever camera is available or is preferred

in the “Preset” or resolution field, select a resolution you’d like to stream in (1280 x 720 should be okay)

Step 5: Stream into Livepeer.com using OBS

“Settings” on the bottom right-hand side of your OBS screen

“Stream” from the left-hand side menu and select “Custom” from the drop-down menu on the right

From the newly created Livepeer.com stream page click on “Show Secret stream Key”. Copy the “RTMP ingest URL” and paste it into the Server section of of the OBS Stream Settings.

Cut the 16 character hyphenated set of letters at the end of that URL, removing them from that URL, and paste them into the “Stream Key” field

You should see something like this when clicking the “Show” button:

Click Ok on that screen to save your settings and go back on the main OBS screen. Click “Start Streaming" on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Voila, your stream is now getting transcoded!

NOTE: You can use a number of video players to watch Livepeer.com’s transcoded stream (see

for more details). In this example we’ll use Theo Player.

copy the “Playback URL” from your Livepeer.com stream page

paste it into the empty text field in the TheoPlayer page

click the 'CLICK HERE LOAD YOUR STREAM' button

click the large yellow arrow in the middle of the video screen to watch your video come to life!

For more information on other broadcast software and players we support, take a look at our

What did you think of this tutorial? Give us any feedback on how it can be improved and send over any questions you might have by emailing us at

. We’d love to help you stream using Livepeer.com!

Video Tutorial : Stream into Livepeer for the First Time

Step 1: Create an account on Livepeer.com

Step 2: Verify your Livepeer.com account

Step 3: Create your first stream

Step 4: Install and setup OBS

Step 5: Stream into Livepeer.com using OBS

Step 6: Watch your transcoded video

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Debugging Stream Playback Issues

Your First Livepeer.com Stream in Under 5 minutes

Ready to get started?