Tutorial · XSplit Broadcaster
XSplit Broadcaster tutorial from a new output to live
This XSplit Broadcaster tutorial gets your show onto your Primcast channel with one Custom RTMP output: the server goes in RTMP URL, the stream name in Stream Key, and your publishing login under Specify channel credentials.
Then you set the encoder so viewers get a steady picture, check that the stream really arrived, and send it on to YouTube or Twitch without paying for XSplit Premium.
- Name
- Primcast
- RTMP URL
- rtmp://HOST:1935/APP
- Stream Key
- livestream
- Credentials · Username
- USERNAME
- Credentials · Password
- PASSWORD
- User Agent
- FMLE/3.0
- Keyframes
- 2
Values in capitals come from your Primcast panel. Field names follow XSplit's own help pages.
Copy your four streaming values first
XSplit asks where to send the video and how to sign in. You will find every answer on one card in your panel, so keep it open in a browser tab while you work.
Where the values are
Sign in, open your video account and scroll to the Live streaming card. The Encoder settings block lists:
- Server
- Address plus application name, in the form
rtmp://HOST:1935/APP. - Stream name
- Usually
livestream. - Username
- Your publishing login.
- Password
- Hidden until you press Show. New password makes a fresh one.
Use the copy buttons
A single wrong letter in the application name and the server turns XSplit away. Many tutorials online end the address in /live; yours ends in your own application name, so paste it rather than typing it.
This username and password only publish video to your channel. Your Primcast sign-in email and password are a separate pair and will not work here.
On a dedicated streaming server of your own, these values sit in that server's configuration instead. Ask in chat and we will tell you where.
If the card shows a Nearest server line, paste that address into RTMP URL instead of the Server one. XSplit then sends to whichever of our cities is closest to you (New York, Miami, San Francisco, Amsterdam or Bucharest), and our network carries the stream from there. Keep the same stream name and login.
XSplit custom RTMP: add the output
XSplit calls each place you stream to an output. Your Primcast channel is one output, made from the Custom RTMP type.
- Broadcast
- Set up a new output
- Custom RTMP
- Give the output a Name you will recognise later, such as Primcast. It is how the output shows up in the Broadcast menu.
- Paste the server from your panel into RTMP URL. It stops at the application name.
- Paste the stream name, alone, into Stream Key.
- Click Specify channel credentials beside the key and enter your publishing username and password.
- Leave User Agent on its default, FMLE/3.0, and click OK.
Connects
RTMP URL rtmp://HOST:1935/APP Stream Key livestream
Gets turned away
RTMP URL rtmp://HOST:1935/APP/livestream Stream Key (empty) Credentials (not set)
Either mistake on its own stops the connection, so check both of them before you look anywhere else.
XSplit encoder settings that keep playback smooth
Open the output's properties. Video Encoding holds the codec, mode and bitrate, and the gear icon beside it opens the rest. Get these right once and you rarely touch them again.
Keyframes: 2 seconds
Your viewers watch in short segments, and each segment starts on a keyframe. In the Video Encoding Setup window, set Keyframes to 2. A longer gap makes the segments uneven, and people watching start to buffer even though XSplit looks perfectly happy.
The rest of the output
- Codec
- x264, or NVENC if you have an NVIDIA GPU and want the processor free for your scenes.
- Mode
- CBR, so the bitrate stays level.
- Video FPS
- 30, unless you stream fast games at 60.
- Audio
- AAC, 128 kbps, stereo.
Pick a bitrate your upload can carry
Add the video and audio bitrates together and stay at or below two thirds of your measured upload. A 6 Mbps upload, for example, is good for about 4 Mbps of stream.
| Video Size | Video bitrate | Audio bitrate | Upload to have |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920x1080, 30 fps | 4500 kbps | 128 kbps | 7 Mbps |
| 1280x720, 30 fps | 2500 kbps | 128 kbps | 4 Mbps |
| 854x480, 30 fps | 1200 kbps | 96 kbps | 2 Mbps |
On the free XSplit license, a watermark appears on anything above 720p or above 30 frames per second, according to XSplit's own comparison page. The highlighted 720p row stays clean on the free license. For 1080p without the mark you need XSplit Premium.
Go live and check the stream arrived
- In the output's properties, click Test bandwidth. It checks the connection to your channel before anyone is watching.
- Open the Broadcast menu and click the output you named. XSplit starts sending.
- Watch the Live streaming card in your Primcast panel. It refreshes every 15 seconds and shows your channel as live, with the bitrate XSplit is sending.
- Copy the playback link from the same card and open it in VLC or another HLS player. Allow a few seconds for the first segments.
The card can also list a CDN link, which plays each viewer from our city nearest to them, beside your channel's own link, shaped like this. It also has an embed code for your website.
http://HOST:1935/APP/livestream/playlist.m3u8
| What happens | What to try |
|---|---|
| XSplit will not connect | Make sure RTMP URL ends at the application name and Stream Key holds the stream name and nothing else. Then compare host and application name with your panel, character by character. |
| Address and key look right, still no connection | Open Specify channel credentials again and paste the username and password fresh from the panel. If in doubt, make a new password and use that. |
| It connects from home but not from the office or a venue | That network may block port 1935. Try another connection, or a mobile hotspot to confirm it. |
| XSplit is fine, viewers buffer | Set Keyframes back to 2, then step down one row in the bitrate table. |
| The stream drops now and then | You are near the top of your upload. Lower the bitrate, or put the computer on a network cable instead of Wi-Fi. |
Reach YouTube, Twitch and Facebook from one stream
Free XSplit sends to one place
Streaming to several platforms at once is a Premium feature in XSplit, and every extra output uses your upload again. You can skip both problems.
Send one stream from XSplit to your Primcast channel, then add YouTube, Facebook, Twitch or any RTMP server under Restream on your Live streaming card, up to 5 destinations. Your computer uploads one copy and we send the rest.
A shaky line? Think about SRT
Venue Wi-Fi, a phone hotspot or a feed from another continent can make RTMP stall. The Starter, Pro and Platinum plans of our video CDN also take SRT, which recovers lost packets on the way, and your card then shows an SRT ingest section with your own address and passphrase.
Our OBS Studio tutorial and vMix tutorial show the SRT fields step by step.
XSplit Broadcaster questions
How do I add a custom RTMP server in XSplit Broadcaster?
Go to Broadcast, then Set up a new output, and choose Custom RTMP. Type a name, paste the server address into RTMP URL and the stream name into Stream Key, add your username and password under Specify channel credentials, and click OK. The output then appears in the Broadcast menu, ready to start.
What do I put in the XSplit Stream Key field?
For a Primcast channel, the stream name from the Encoder settings on your Live streaming card. On most channels that is livestream. Put it in Stream Key on its own and leave it off the end of the RTMP URL.
Where do the username and password go in XSplit?
Click Specify channel credentials next to the Stream Key field and enter the publishing username and password from your panel. Without them the server refuses the stream, even when the address and key are right.
Can I use XSplit Broadcaster for free?
Yes, for personal use. XSplit says the free license adds a watermark above 720p or above 30 frames per second, allows four scenes and has no multistreaming. A 720p stream at 30 fps to your Primcast channel works without the watermark.
Does XSplit Broadcaster have an API?
Developers write XSplit plugins and extensions with the XSplit JS framework (XJS), and SplitmediaLabs, the company behind XSplit, publishes a Stream Deck plugin for switching scenes and starting or stopping a recording. You need neither to stream to your channel: a Custom RTMP output is all it takes.
What keyframe interval should I use in XSplit?
2 seconds. Set it in the Keyframes field of the Video Encoding Setup window, behind the gear icon in the output's properties. Longer gaps make playback segments uneven, which viewers notice as buffering.
What bitrate should I use in XSplit?
About 2500 kbps for 720p or 4500 kbps for 1080p at 30 fps, with 128 kbps of AAC audio and CBR mode. Keep the total to two thirds of the upload speed you measured on the streaming computer.
How do I stream to several platforms without XSplit Premium?
Send one stream to your Primcast channel and add YouTube, Facebook, Twitch or any RTMP server under Restream on your Live streaming card. Your upload carries a single copy and we deliver the others.
Trying another encoder?
Every RTMP encoder takes the same four values from your panel. Only the field names and menus differ.
Ready to put your XSplit show online?
Open a video channel, paste your values into XSplit and watch your own stream play back. If a field gives you trouble, our chat answers in seconds, can check your channel while you wait, and brings in a person whenever you ask.