Tutorial · AVerMedia capture card streaming
AVerMedia RECentral tutorial streaming over Custom RTMP
This AVerMedia RECentral tutorial takes your capture card or webcam live in six steps: pick the source, set H.264 video, choose Custom RTMP and paste four values from your Primcast panel.
You also get the bitrates that suit your upload speed and fixes for the errors people hit on a first try.
- Server URL
- rtmp://HOST:1935/APP
- Stream key
- livestreamYour stream name, in a box of its own.
- Username and password
- USERNAME · PASSWORDYour publish login. Step 05 shows what to do if RECentral has no boxes for it.
Before you start: RECentral 4 and four values from your panel
You need RECentral on the Windows computer your AVerMedia device is plugged into, and the encoder settings of your live channel.
Install RECentral
Download RECentral 4 from the official AVerMedia website. It only works with AVerMedia devices, so connect your capture card or camera before you open it.
Many newer AVerMedia cards and webcams use AVerMedia Streaming Center instead. It also streams over RTMP, and the same four values go into it.
Copy your encoder settings
Sign in, open your video account and find the Live streaming card. Under Encoder settings you will see:
- Server
- Looks like
rtmp://HOST:1935/APP, with your own host and application name. - Stream name
- Usually
livestream. In RECentral it goes in the stream key box. - Username
- Your publish login.
- Password
- Hidden until you click Show. New password gives you a fresh one.
Some panels also list a Nearest server. Use it in place of the server address: RECentral then sends to our closest location (New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam or Bucharest) and the stream reaches your channel over our network. Stream name, username and password do not change.
RECentral setup: Streaming mode and your video source
- Open RECentral and choose Streaming. RECentral can record or stream. Pick streaming, so the picture goes to your channel.
- Finish the first-run setup if it appears. On first use RECentral may walk you through your device and its settings in a short wizard (older versions call it Gear UP). You only do this once.
- Pick your video source. For a capture card that is its HDMI input, such as a camera, console or second computer. For a webcam, pick the camera. What you see in the preview is what your viewers get.
AVerMedia moves buttons between versions, so this tutorial names each setting and the value it needs rather than a click path. If a label on your screen differs, look for the setting with the same job.
Video settings for live streaming
Choose H.264 as the video format, because every browser, phone and TV plays it. RECentral shows the total bitrate as video plus audio. Keep that total to about two thirds of your upload speed, so a slow minute on your line does not stop the stream.
| Picture | Video bitrate | Audio | Upload you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p, 30 fps | 4,500 kbps | 128 kbps AAC | 7 Mbps |
| 720p, 30 fps | 2,500 kbps | 128 kbps AAC | 4 Mbps |
| 480p, 30 fps | 1,200 kbps | 96 kbps AAC | 2 Mbps |
Keyframes every 2 seconds
If your version lets you set a keyframe interval (also called GOP), set it to 2 seconds. Playback is cut into pieces on keyframes, and a long interval turns into buffering for your viewers.
Hardware encoding
Selected AVerMedia devices can encode in hardware, which keeps your processor free for everything else. If RECentral offers it for your device, use it with the same bitrates.
The paid live video plans take up to 5 Mbps in, so the 1080p row fits.
Choose Custom RTMP and paste your server
- Open the streaming destination list. RECentral has built-in links for platforms such as YouTube, plus an RTMP option for your own server. Older versions put this list behind a Gateway button.
- Choose Custom RTMP (shown as RTMP in some versions).
- Paste the Server address from your panel in the URL box, for example
rtmp://HOST:1935/APP. - Put the Stream name in the stream key box. Keep it out of the URL: two values in one box is the most common reason a first stream fails.
Add your publish login
Your channel only takes a stream from someone who knows its username and password. If RECentral shows boxes for them, fill those in. If it does not, put both in front of the host in the URL box, joined by a colon and followed by @:
rtmp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST:1935/APP
Swap the red parts for your own values. The stream name still goes in the stream key box.
Channel passwords use only letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, so they fit inside an address without any escaping.
Go live and check it
- Save the settings and press the stream button. Older versions label it Connect.
- Open the Live streaming card in your panel. Within 15 seconds it should say Live and show the bitrate your encoder is sending.
- Copy the playback link from the same card and open it in VLC (Media, Open Network Stream) or any HLS player. The card also has an embed code for your website.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| RECentral cannot connect at all | Check the host and application name letter by letter, and that the port is 1935. Some office and hotel networks block that port: try another connection. |
| It connects, then drops at once | The login is missing or wrong. Fill in the username and password, or put them in the URL as in step 05. Still failing? Click New password in the panel and type the new one. |
| The panel never says Live | The stream name may be inside the URL. Move it to the stream key box. |
| Your viewers buffer | Lower the bitrate one row in step 03 and set keyframes to 2 seconds if your version allows it. |
| The preview is black | Pick the right input in step 02 and check the HDMI source is switched on. Copy-protected sources (HDCP) show nothing. |
RECentral streaming questions
How do I stream to my own RTMP server with RECentral?
Choose Custom RTMP as the streaming destination, paste the server address in the URL box and the stream name in the stream key box, then add your username and password. For a Primcast channel all four values sit on the Live streaming card in your panel, under Encoder settings.
What is the RTMP gateway in RECentral?
Gateway was the name of the button in older RECentral versions that opened the list of streaming destinations. Custom RTMP in that list is where your own server goes. RECentral 4 still has the RTMP option, next to its built-in platform links.
Where is the official RECentral website?
RECentral is made by AVerMedia and you download it from avermedia.com, on the RECentral 4 product page for Windows. Avoid copies on other download sites. If your device is newer and RECentral does not see it, AVerMedia lists it under Streaming Center instead.
Does RECentral work with any capture card?
No. AVerMedia says RECentral supports its own devices only. For a capture card from another maker, use OBS Studio: it takes the same server, stream name and login, and our OBS Studio tutorial shows where each one goes.
Which video settings should I use in RECentral?
H.264 video at 2,500 kbps for 720p or 4,500 kbps for 1080p, with 128 kbps AAC audio and keyframes every 2 seconds where the setting exists. The total of video and audio should stay at about two thirds of your upload speed.
Do I have to run the setup wizard every time?
No. The first-run wizard (Gear UP in older versions) only sets up your device once. After that, open RECentral, check the source and press the stream button.
Why does RECentral fail to connect to my server?
Most often the stream name is inside the URL instead of its own box, the login is missing, or a network blocks port 1935. Check those three in that order. If it still fails, our chat can look at your channel and see whether anything reached it.
Other ways to send your picture
Your channel takes any encoder that speaks RTMP. These tutorials use the same four values.
No channel yet for your AVerMedia stream?
Pick a video plan, paste its four values into RECentral and watch your own picture play back. If a box confuses you, our chat answers in seconds and can check your channel while you wait, and a person joins whenever you ask.