Will your connection keep up?
Probably not, if your computer sends a separate copy to every platform. Each platform needs its own full stream, sound included, so the upload you need grows with every one you add. Here is what that looks like at common quality levels.
| Quality you send | Per platform | Two platforms | Four platforms | Through a server, any number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps | about 3.1 Mbit/s | 6.3 Mbit/s | 12.5 Mbit/s | 3.1 Mbit/s |
| 720p at 60 fps | about 4.6 Mbit/s | 9.3 Mbit/s | 18.5 Mbit/s | 4.6 Mbit/s |
| 1080p at 60 fps | about 6.1 Mbit/s | 12.3 Mbit/s | 24.5 Mbit/s | 6.1 Mbit/s |
Each figure is the video bitrate (3,000 kbit/s for 720p30, 4,500 for 720p60, 6,000 for 1080p60, Twitch's figures) plus 128 kbit/s of audio, held steady. Your real upload has to cover that and still leave spare capacity for everyone else at home. Twitch's own advice is worth repeating here: a steady stream is better than a sharper one that keeps dropping frames.
What a server does for you
A restream server takes the one stream you upload and makes the copies on its side, from a data centre connection rather than your router. That changes a few things for the better:
- Adding a platform never touches your upload, so a fifth destination is as easy as a second.
- Your encoder has just one connection to look after. If your Wi-Fi blinks, you reconnect once, not three times.
- You can switch YouTube, Facebook or Twitch on and off from the dashboard during the show, without stopping your encoder.
- Your channel's own player keeps running alongside the restreams, so viewers who are not on any platform can still watch.
The catch is simple: every platform gets the same stream, so you pick settings each of them accepts. That is the next part.
Settings YouTube, Twitch and Facebook will all accept
Each platform publishes its own recommendations. Lined up next to each other, they overlap more than you might expect.
| YouTube says | Twitch says | Facebook says | So use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video format | H.264, H.265 or AV1 | H.264 for 1080p and below | H.264 (level 4.2 for 1080p at 60 fps) | H.264 |
| Bitrate mode | Constant (CBR) | Constant (CBR) | Constant (CBR) | CBR |
| Keyframe every | 2 s, no more than 4 | 2 s | 2 s, no more than 4 | 2 seconds |
| 1080p, 60 fps | at least 6 Mbit/s with H.264 | 6,000 kbit/s | 4.5 to 9 Mbit/s | 6,000 kbit/s |
| 720p, 60 fps | at least 3 Mbit/s with H.264 | 4,500 kbit/s | 2.25 to 6 Mbit/s | 4,500 kbit/s |
| Sound | AAC or MP3, stereo at 128 kbit/s, 44.1 kHz | AAC-LC, 96 kbit/s suggested, 160 at most | Stereo AAC-LC, 128 to 256 kbit/s, 44.1 or 48 kHz | Stereo AAC-LC at 44.1 kHz, 128 kbit/s |
If your uplink is tight, 720p at 60 fps and 4,500 kbit/s is the safe choice. Avoid 1080p at 30 fps with Twitch's 4,500 kbit/s figure: YouTube asks for at least 5 Mbit/s at that size with H.264, so give it 6,000 instead.
Watch the length of long shows: Facebook stops a live video at 8 hours and Twitch at 48. Twitch's newer 1440p option uses HEVC and its Enhanced Broadcasting feature for Partners and Affiliates, so it is not something a shared H.264 feed can carry.
Set it up in an evening
- Open a channel on our live video hosting. Its dashboard shows your encoder details ready to paste.
- In OBS, vMix, Wirecast or a hardware box, choose RTMP and enter
rtmp://ingest.video.primcast.com/followed by your channel's name, then your stream name and login. - Put in the settings from the table above and start streaming. The Live tab tells you the encoder is connected and what rate it is sending.
- On YouTube, Twitch and Facebook, open the live or streaming-software page and copy the server address and stream key each one gives you.
- Back in the Live tab, add each one as a restream target (up to 5), switch them on, and check every platform's preview before you tell anyone you are live.
On a shaky line, such as a venue's shared uplink or a phone hotspot, Starter and higher plans also accept SRT, which recovers lost packets so the picture holds. A guest with only a laptop can go live through WebRTC from the browser.
Treat stream keys like passwords. If one gets out, reset it on that platform and paste the new one into your restream target. On your own channel you can issue a new publish password and restart, so an old encoder can no longer connect.
How big a plan you need
Restreaming to 5 platforms comes with every plan, including the free one, so the plan you choose depends on what you want beyond that: more channels, more people on your own player, SRT, or a video library. The full comparison is on the video CDN page. For a single big night, such as a conference or a concert, live event streaming is the better fit.
Prefer not to keep a computer running at all? A hardware encoder can send the stream for you.
When you need something else
Sending the same stream everywhere covers most shows. It is not the answer if you want a separate version for each platform, say HEVC for YouTube and H.264 for Twitch. That takes re-encoding, which means running your own software on a dedicated streaming server. And if even one 6 Mbit/s stream will not leave your house, step down to 720p first: no server can add upload you do not have. Chat and viewer counts also stay separate on every platform.
Questions people ask
- Is it possible to go live on YouTube and Twitch together?
- Yes. Send one stream to your channel, then list YouTube and Twitch among its restream targets. Your computer sends a single stream and our side sends one to each platform, so your upload stays the same.
- What upload speed do I need to multistream from home?
- If your computer sends every copy, add up one full stream per platform: two platforms at 1080p and 60 fps need roughly 12.3 Mbit/s held steady. Through a restream server you only need one, about 6.1 Mbit/s, plus room for anything else using your connection.
- Do I need to pay for anything to restream?
- Every plan includes restreaming to as many as 5 platforms, and that includes the free plan. The free plan does carry a one-time setup fee; plan details are on the video CDN page.
- Can I add or drop a platform while I am live?
- Yes. Each restream target has its own on and off switch in the Live tab, and you can flip it mid-show.
- Do I have to run my own server?
- No. We run the streaming servers your channel lives on, and we look after them. A whole machine of your own only makes sense when you would rather install and adjust the streaming software on your own.