The live switchboard allows you to create an output stream that can switch between any number of live streams or channels. Use the switchboard to create a live stream out of multiple streams from different presenters, or make sure your live stream never goes down, by having a channel as the lowest priority item.
To get started, go to the switchboard list in the control panel. Add a switchboard, and start adding sources.
Note that sources must be a stream on the same app as the switchboard. Do not type in URLs, this will not work. If you need to pull a stream from a remote server, ask us about our Streamfetch feature , and we'll be happy to get you set up.
The output of the switchboard is the exact same as any other live stream. Inside the manage page, you can control recording of the output, setup restreaming destinations, generate embed codes, and all the other things you would do with a live stream.
The switchboard operation is controlled by the source list. Any time a stream connects or disconnects, the switchboard will check each of its sources, and switch to the highest item in the list that is currently active. Any time you change the order of items in the list, it will also recheck which item should be active.
The switchboard can be used as a stream selector to change between different inputs.
Simply add the different live streams you wish to select between, and add them so that the one to take over is higher than the one it will be taking over from. You can also reorder the list as needed, to change the takeover order.
One of the best uses of the switchboard is to help keep your stream from going off air.
Put the stream you want people to see as the first item in the list. Then, add a channel stream to the list. Whenever the stream is offline, the switchboard will play the output from the channel instead. You can fill this channel with reruns, or a "We will be back soon" graphic, or whatever suits your needs.
For more advanced setups, you can make a channel that has multiple playlists. Use a playlist with an off-air graphic that's scheduled to run during the time of the show, and switch to a playlist full of rereun content after the show finishes. This way you can keep your stream full of content, and still have live shows with proper off-air graphics in case of issues with the broadcast.