Output Configuration
Before broadcasting with Wirecast, configure the output settings.
Wirecast enables you to specify many output settings for your presentation. You can configure Wirecast to broadcast multiple data rates simultaneously, broadcast with different encoders at the same time, or use Windows Media Encoder to record your broadcast to disk.
Destinations
To broadcast with Wirecast, you must define at least one destination. A destination can be a broadcast server, content distribution network, or local disk recording.
See The Output Settings Window.
Destination Settings
Wirecast offers several default presets. First, choose the type of broadcast server, whether RTMP server, SRT (Secure Reliable Transport), Windows Media Server, or some combination. depending on the target audience. With enough bandwidth, you can stream to combinations of RTMP Server and Windows Media Server by adding destinations to the output settings.
Note: To use Push To Server, you must have a reliable local Internet connection and access to a Windows Media Server. The Windows Media Server takes the streaming processing load off your local machine.
See The Output Settings Window.
Creating an SDP File for Your Viewers
To view your screencasts, your viewers might need an SDP file from you. The SDP file contains multicast or unicast addresses, encoding format, and other important information.
You must create and distribute an SDP file when you change multicast or unicast Destination settings, including the encoder preset. To create and distribute an SDP file, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings.
Wirecast opens the Output Settings dialog.
2.In the Output Settings dialog, click the down-arrow to the right of the Destination field..
Wirecast opens a drop-down menu of possible destinations.
3.Select a destination.
Wirecast displays the presets for the destination you selected. Each output setting has an unique set of controls and a way to authenticate your connection.
4.(Optional) To view more destinations in the Destination drop-down menu, click More in the Select an Output Destination dialog. Check the box for each destination you want to include in the destination menu list. Uncheck the box for any destination you want removed from the list of destinations for the broadcast.
5.In the Output Settings dialog, click the gear button 
to the right of the Destination field.
Wirecast opens a drop-down menu of possible actions for the destination selected.
6.Select Save SDP File.
Wirecast opens the Save File dialog.
7.Navigate to the desired location, and click Save.
8.Send the SDP file to viewers, and inform them they must save the SDP file on the computers they use to receive your broadcast.
See The Output Settings Window.
Selecting a Destination
To select a destination for a broadcast, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings.
Wirecast opens the Output Settings dialog.
2.In the Select an Output Destination dialog, open the drop-down menu.
Wirecast opens a drop-down menu of possible destinations.
3.Select a destination.
Note: For a multistream output, select Wirecast Multistream.
Wirecast displays the presets for the destination you selected. Each output setting has an unique set of controls and a way to authenticate your connection.
4.(Optional) To view more destinations in the Destination drop-down menu, click More in the Select an Output Destination dialog. Check the box for each destination you want to include in the destination menu list. Uncheck the box for any destination you want removed from the list of destinations for the broadcast.
5.In the Output Settings dialog, click the gear button .
Wirecast opens a drop-down menu of possible actions for the destination selected.
6.Select the option desired.
7.Enter values into the required fields.
8.Click OK.
See The Output Settings Window.
Adding a Destination
To add a destination for a broadcast, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings.
Wirecast opens the Output Settings dialog.
2.In the left-side pane, click Add.
Wirecast displays the Select an Output Destination dialog.
3.Choose a destination from the Destination drop-down menu.
4.(Optional) To view more destinations in the Destination drop-down menu, click More in the Select an Output Destination dialog. Check the box for each destination you want to include in the destination menu list.
5.Click OK.
Note: You can add as many destinations as you need, but keep in mind that each additional destination requires additional system resources.
See The Output Settings Window.
Removing a Destination
To remove a destination from a broadcast, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings. Select a destination from the Destination drop-down menu, and click OK.
Wirecast displays the Output Settings dialog with presets for the destination you selected.
2.In the left-side pane, select the destination you want to remove.
3.Click Remove.
4.Click OK.
See The Output Settings Window.
Creating a Multistream Output
To stream from Wirecast to multiple destinations with the Wirecast Multistream Destination setting, do the following:
1.Create an Output Setting with Wirecast Multistream selected as the Name of the output.
2.Before clicking OK, in the left pane of the Output Settings dialog, click Add.
Wirecast opens the Select an Output Destination dialog.
3.Select a destination from the drop-down menu, and click OK.
4.Enter a name for the output into the Name field.
5.Click OK.
6.To start streaming, click the Output Settings button.
Wirecast streams the program to the Wirecast Multistream server, and from there to the destination you selected.
Modifying Windows Media Server Destination Settings
Windows Media can be used to broadcast WMV8, WMV9 and WMV9 Advanced. To modify Windows Media Server Destination Settings, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings.
2.Select Windows Media Streaming from the Destination drop-down menu.
3.In the Output Settings dialog, check the box for Push to Server.
4.In the Address field, enter the Internet address of the Windows Media Server you use for broadcasting.
5.In the Publish Point field, enter the name of the file that is saved on the server. Wirecast adds this name to the URL that your users use. Contact your Windows Media Server administrator to learn how to build a proper URL based on the publish point.enter your Windows Media Server user name and password into their respective fields. Contact your Windows Media Server administrator to obtain these. If your account requires no user name or password, leave these fields empty.
6.From the Encoding drop-down menu, select any of the Windows-Media-based presets.
Wirecast displays the Pull From Server box.
7.Check the Pull From Server box.
Pull From Server turns your local computer into a Windows Media Server, enabling you to broadcast immediately. There are, however, some limitations:
–User-Connection Limitation Your local Windows Media Server can’t support more than 50 connected users at a time.
–Bandwidth Requirement You must have enough bandwidth on your Wirecast computer to support all of your viewers.
–CPU Requirement Since the Wirecast computer is acting as a server, the CPU must be fast enough to handle all of the user connections.
It’s important to check for adequate bandwidth. For example, if you have only a DSL connection to the Internet, you might not have enough upload bandwidth to broadcast a 200k stream to 20 viewers.
Note: For broadcasting, your upload bandwidth matters most. Typical ISP packages offer higher download speeds than upload speeds.
8.In the Maximum Connections field, enter the maximum number of connections Wirecast accepts. Your server accepts a maximum of 50 user connections. However, your CPU is affected by the number of users connected. You might need to reduce the maximum to insure good performance.
9.In the Port Number field, enter the number of the port Wirecast uses to broadcast. Use any port number that isn’t already in use on your computer.
Wirecast adds a URL to the Location field. For example, if your computer IP address is 10.0.5.55 and your port is 1755, Wirecast generates the URL mms://10.0.5.55:1755.
See also Wirecast Network Ports and Proxy Servers.
10.If you have any firewall software installed, enable the port used for broadcast on the firewall.
11.To play your screencast in Windows Media Player, add the URL from the Location field to the Open URL field of Windows Media Player.
See The Output Settings Window.
Modifying RTMP Server Destination Settings
Wirecast can stream to an RTMP/H.264-compatible streaming server such as RTMP Server Media Server or Wowza Media Server.
To configure RTMP Server Streaming, follow these steps:
1.Select Destination > RTMP Server.
2.Select an encoder.
3.Enter the Address to the RTMP server. The default RTMP port is 1935, but you may need to configure your firewall to allow connections on this port.
4.Wirecast can import a RTMP Server Encoder configuration file (XML file). Click Open FMLE XML File, and navigate to the configuration file and select either version 2.5 or version 3.0.
Wirecast reads the Address and Stream information from that file. Many online streaming services offer FMLE configuration files which Wirecast can use.
Note: Only the Address and Stream information from the XML configuration file is used. No Encoding information is imported.
5.Click OK to save your settings.
Modifying SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) Destination Settings
Wirecast can stream to SRT (Secure Reliable Transport), an open-source video transport protocol that enables the delivery of high-quality and secure, low-latency video across the public Internet. SRT Supports x264 and Apple H.264 encoding methods.
To configure SRT Streaming, follow these steps:
1.Select Destination > SRT:Secure Reliable Transport.
2.Select an encoder.
3.Enter the Address, Port, Passphrase, and Stream ID to the SRT.
4.Click OK to save your settings.
See The Output Settings Window.
Modifying CDN Partners Destination Settings
Listed below are the Content Distribution Network (CDN) partner destinations available in Wirecast. Most destinations share a common user interface and require only a user name and password. To configure these, see Configuring Most Common CDN Configurations.
To configure destinations that do not conform to this paradigm, or that require additional parameters, see the Modifying topic for the specific destination.
Note: The list of CDN partners in Wirecast is subject to change at any time.
Configuring Most Common CDN Configurations
To stream to one of these CDN partners, do the following:
1.Select Output > Output Settings.
Wirecast opens the Output Settings dialog box.
2.Select a CDN partner from the Destination drop-down menu.
3.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each Channel input desired.
4.Enter your username or email.
5.Click Authenticate to enter your password and generate the RTMP URL. You need to do this only once. Wirecast stores the channel information for future streams. The default RTMP port is 1935. You might need to configure your firewall to enable connections on this port.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with a CDN partner by clicking Sign Up.
6.Select your channel.
7.(Optional) Refresh the connection by clicking Refresh.
8.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
9.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Azure Media Services and Sermon.net Destination Settings
To stream to one of these CDN partners, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select a CDN partner from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. For each channel, check the box for one or more inputs.
5.Enter the domain name or IP address. Get this address from the CDN partner.
6.Enter the stream name of your broadcast. Get the stream name from the CDN partner.
Note: If you do not have a stream name and password, you can sign up with the CDN partner by clicking Learn More.
7.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
8.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Brightcove and Limelight Destination Settings
To stream to one of these CDN partners, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select a CDN partner from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. For each channel, check the box for one or more inputs.
5.Enter the domain name or IP address. Get this address from the CDN partner.
6.Enter the stream name of your broadcast. Get the stream name from the CDN partner.
7.Click Set Credentials to enter your Username and Password.
Note: If you do not have a stream name and password, you can sign up with the CDN partner by clicking Learn More.
8.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
9.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Akamai Destination Settings
To stream to Akamai, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select Akamai from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
5.Enter your Akamai Stream ID and Event Name.
6.Enter your Akamai Angle and Video Rate.
7.Enter your user name and click Authenticate to enter your log in information.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with Akamai by clicking the Akamai icon, or by clicking Sign Up.
8.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
9.Click OK.
Modifying LinkedIn Live Destination Settings
To stream to LinkedIn Live, follow these steps:
1.Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select LinkedIn Live from the Destination drop-down menu.
3.Select an encoder from the Encoding drop-down menu.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each of the channel inputs desired.
5.Select On Behalf of Organization or Member and click Login.
6.When Wirecast displays the login window, enter email, phone, and password information.
7.Click Sign In.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with LinkedIn Live by clicking Join Now.
8.Select an Organization.
9.Select an Ingest Region.
10.Enter your Post information.
11.To create an event, check Event, enter a URL, and click Verify URL.
Skip to the next step to create a targeted audience.
12.To create a targeted audience, check Audience Targeting and Click Setup.
Skip ahead to the next step if you created an event.
13.When Wirecast displays the Setup window, select multiple regions.
14.Select Languages and click OK.
Note: Your target audience must include at least 300 members.
15.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
16.Click OK.
Modifying LiveArena Destination Settings
To stream to LiveArena, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select LiveArena from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
5.Enter your LiveArena Account ID, User Name, and Password.
6.Click Apply.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with LiveArena by clicking the LiveArena icon, or by clicking Sign Up.
7.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
8.Click OK.
Modifying Twitch Destination Settings
To stream to Twitch, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select Twitch from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
5.Enter your Twitch username.
6.Click Authenticate to open the Twitch Log In window.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with Twitch by clicking the Twitch icon or by clicking Sign Up.
7.When Wirecast displays the Twitch Login window, enter your username and password, and click Log In.
8.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
9.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Vimeo Destination Settings
To stream to Vimeo, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select Vimeo from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Click the box for each channel input desired.
5.Click Authenticate to enter your username and password.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with Vimeo by clicking Sign Up.
6.When Wirecast displays the Authorization window, click Allow.
7.Click the plus (+) button to add a new event.
8.Enter your email and password, then press Enter.
9.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
10.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Wowza Streaming Engine Destination Settings
To stream to Wowza Streaming Engine, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select Wowza from the Destination menu.
3.Select an encoder.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
5.Enter the domain name or IP address. Get the domain name or IP address from the CDN partner.
6.Enter the stream name of your broadcast. Get the stream name from the CDN partner.
7.Click Import Wowza Config to import a Wowza configuration to use.
8.Select User Agent. Default is Wirecast/FM1.0.
9.Click Set Credentials to enter your Username and Password.
Note: If you do not have a stream name and password, you can sign up Wowza.
10.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
11.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Zixi Destination Settings
To stream to Zixi, follow these steps:
1.Download and install Zixi Feeder.
For instructions on downloading and installing Zixi Feeder, see Zixi Documentation Center.
2.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
3.Select Zixi from the Destination menu.
4.Select an encoder.
5.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
6.Enter Zixi connection information.
7.Enter your Zixi channel name and password.
8.Click Apply to generate the RTMP URL. You need to do this only once. Wirecast stores the channel information for future streams. The default RTMP port is 1935. You may need to configure your firewall to enable connections on this port.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with Zixi by clicking the Zixi icon, or by clicking Sign Up.
9.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the broadcast. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. However, greater delays require greater memory use. Wirecast displays the amount of memory used when you enter the amount of delay.
Note: We recommend keeping stream delay as low as possible, ideally less than 30 seconds.
10.Click OK.
See also Setting up a Zixi Output Destination in Wirecast.
Modifying Facebook Live Destination Settings
To stream to Facebook, follow these steps:
1.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
2.Select Facebook Live from the Destination menu.
See Facebook Live Destination Settings.
3.Select an encoder from the Encoding menu.
4.Choose the audio track to be used by selecting it from the Audio Track Selection menu.
5.(Optional) Map the audio tracks to the desired output audio channels.
See Mapping Audio Tracks to Output Audio Channels.
Note: If you change the encoding settings while streaming to Facebook, an error will occur. The encoder settings are set by Facebook.
6.(Optional) Facebook Live tags make videos easier to find on Facebook. To add Facebook Live tags to the output video, enter tags into this field. As you type, Wirecast searches the list of authorized Facebook tags and displays tags matching your query. Select desired Facebook authorized tags from the search results.
7.To log into Facebook, do one of the following:
–To log into Facebook with a user account, click Authenticate and log into Facebook. If you already are logged into Facebook, you can click the Change button to log into a different Facebook account.
Note: If you do not have a username and password, you can sign up with Facebook by clicking the Facebook button, or by clicking Sign Up.
–To log into Facebook with a one-time stream key instead of a user account, click Pair Device. Wirecast opens a dialog. Follow the instructions given in the dialog.
8.Select Go Live Now or Schedule for Later from the Post To menu.
9.If you selected Schedule for Later, select also a start date and a time.
10.Select Pages, Profile, or Groups from the Post To destination menu. Click Refresh to refresh the page list. If planning to use co-branded content, check the Show verified pages only checkbox to filter out all non-verified pages. Enter a Title and a Description. Click Create to refresh after changing any settings.
11.If you selected Go Live Now, select also Pages, Profile, or Groups and enter a Title and Description (as described above). Optionally, click Advanced Options.
If you select Pages, you can also select Crosspost, if desired.
12.If you chose to post to a Profile, select also a level of Privacy: Public, Friends, or Only Me.
13.Click Create to start an event on Facebook. You can, optionally, optimize your connection by clicking Optimize Connection. When you do, a progress bar is displayed while optimization is performed. Click Cancel Speed Test at any time to cancel your optimization request.
14.Click OK when finished.
Modifying Microsoft Stream Destination Settings
In order to broadcast using Microsoft Stream, first configure streaming with Office 365. For a detailed procedure on how to do this see: Publish to Microsoft Stream
1.When Wirecast displays the Output Settings window, select Microsoft Stream as your Destination, and click OK.
2.When Wirecast displays the Output window, select an Encoder and Audio Track for the stream. Paste in the address copied from Office 365 where streaming was initiated.
3.(Optional) Enter a Stream Delay if needed. Click Ok when finished.
4.(Optional) Click the Map button to open the Muti-Track Input Mapper. Check the box for each channel input desired.
Click OK when finished.
Modifying YouTube Destination Settings
Note: Custom encoders cannot be used to stream to YouTube. They may only be used to encode a recording to disk.
To stream to YouTube, follow these steps:
1.Log into your YouTube account using your browser.
2.(Optional) Enter a name for your destination.
3.Select YouTube from the Destination menu.
4.Select an encoder.
5.(Optional) You can click the Map button to open the Multi-Track Input Mapper. For each channel, check the box for one or more inputs.
6.Check Use Backup Server if you get an error when authenticating, or the application tries to connect and then crashes.
Note: At times the primary streaming servers at YouTube go down for maintenance or other reasons. When Wirecast users attempt to connect to these servers, especially when using YouTube's Stream Now feature, they are unable to connect.
7.Click the plus (+) button to add a new event.
Note: If you do not have a YouTube account, click Sign Up (or go to youtube.com).
8. Enter all of your event information and click Save.
Note: Click the Details button to get more information from Google.
9.Click Authenticate, enter your login information, and wait for your event to appear in the Event menu box. Click the minus icon (-) to remove a selected event. Optionally, enter a Stream Delay value. This provides a time buffer between your live stream from Wirecast and the actual broadcast itself. You can set the delay from 0 to 999 seconds. Click OK when finished.
Note: If you are not already signed in, Wirecast launches a window enabling you to sign into your YouTube account. Enter your account information and click Sign In.
See also Wirecast: Output Destination - Youtube (RTMP).
Encoder Presets
Without compression, the bandwidth of audio-video data can be too large to successfully broadcast across a network. An encoder is a program that compresses audio, video, or both, for broadcast. Wirecast supports a wide variety of encoders, also known as codecs.
The settings for encoders range from simple to very complex. Wirecast offers presets of the most common settings for encoders. This provides a starting point, reduces complexity, and enables you to experiment and adjust settings as you test your broadcast.
Note: You can edit Encoder Presets from the Output Settings window. To do this, select Output > Output Settings, click the gear icon, then choose View Details from the drop-down menu.
See The Encoder Presets Window.
Selecting an Encoder Preset
To use an encoder other than the default, select an encoder from the Encoding drop-down menu in the Output Settings dialog.
Note: Click More next to the Destination field to display a list of all available destinations. Check the box for each destination you want to include in the destination menu list.
Note: Click Filter from the gear menu next to the Encoding field to display a check list of encoder presets. Check the presets you want to display in the Encoder Presets menu. Click Save when finished.
Creating an Encoder Preset
The default encoder presets cannot be changed. However, you can make a copy of any preset, modify it as needed, and save it under a new name. You can refer back to the default presets at any time since they are never modified.
To edit an encoder preset, do the following:
1.Select Window > Encoder Presets.
2.Select a preset to edit from the Encoder Preset drop-down menu.
3.Change the settings as desired.
4.Click Save As. Enter a name for the edited preset.
5.Click OK.
Note: Click New Preset from the Gear menu next to the Encoding field to create a new encoder preset. Enter a name for your new preset and click OK.
Note: Click View Details from the Gear menu next to the Encoding field to modify an encoder preset. One important option is Strict Constant Bitrate. When checked, the bitrate is strictly held at the bitrate entered in Average bit rate.
Modifying the MainConcept H.264 Preset
To modify a MainConcept H.264 preset, follow these steps:
1.Select Window > Encoder Presets.
2.Select the MainConcept H.264 encoder preset from the Encoder drop-down menu.
3.To encode video, check the Video Encoding checkbox.
When checked, Wirecast encodes the video for your broadcast. When Video Encoding is unchecked, the output contains a blank video screen.
Note: To create an audio-only broadcast, uncheck Video Encoding and check Audio Encoding (AAC). To create a video-only broadcast, check Video Encoding and uncheck Audio Encoding (AAC).
4.Enter the desired width, in pixels, into the Width field.
5.Enter the desired height, in pixels, into the Height field.
6.Select the desired framerate, into the Frames per second field. This value is a target value for the encoder. The exact value of the output is not guaranteed.
7.To encode your video at a target average bit rate (ABR), enter the target bit rate for your broadcast in Kbits (1000 bits) per second into the Average bit rate field. Higher numbers provide better quality, but you should limit the speed to the bandwidth available to your target audience. With ABR, the bitrate varies around this target. At a specific moment, the bitrate may be higher or lower than the target rate. Alternatively, consider encoding at a constant bit rate (CBR). See below.
8.Select an encoder profile from the Profile menu. Three profiles are provided: Baseline, Main, and High. The Baseline profile is commonly used in mobile applications and other applications operating with limited processing power, storage capacity, or bandwidth. The Main profile is appropriate for general-purpose applications of broadcast media and high-bandwidth Internet broadcasting. The High profile provides the highest broadcast-quality encoding.
9.(Optional) Key frame every allows you to enter the number of frames between the key frames Main Concept creates. The more often Main Concept creates a keyframe, the better the video quality, but, the greater the bandwidth required.
10.(Optional) To determine the number of frames between timecode stamps, check the Timecode Every checkbox and enter the number of frames. Main Concept embeds timecode stamps in the flash stream. If you enter the value of zero, Main Concept doesn’t embed timecode.
11.(Optional) To encode your video at a constant bit rate (CBR) instead of at an average bit rate (ABR), check Strict Constant Bitrate. Disabling CBR can result in slightly improved quality and decrease file size, but at the cost of greater bit rate fluctuations. This could prove troublesome for certain streaming destinations. Selecting this option for recording is not recommended because it can result in decreased quality and larger files, with no real benefit. Alternatively, consider encoding at an average bit rate (ABR). See above.
12.(Optional) When checked, Keyframe Aligned facilitates adaptive bitrate streaming by ensuring that keyframes from multiple streams are in sync, along with the keyframes, timestamp, DTS and PTS values. This is true only if those other streams also have the option turned on and have the same keyframe interval. To accomplish this, Wirecast disables scene detection and manually inserts the keyframe at the exact keyframe interval specified. Therefore, to ensure quality and smooth switching in the player, the keyframe interval should be between one- to four-second range. When you enable Keyframe Aligned, absolute timestamp also is enabled.
13. (Optional) When you check the Audio Encoding (AAC) checkbox, Main Concept encodes the audio for your broadcast. When Audio Encoding (AAC) is unchecked, the output contains no audio track.
14.Select the type of audio channels: Mono or Stereo. Mono uses less bandwidth than Stereo.
15.Select the audio bit rate, in Kbits (1000 bits) per second, from the Target Bit Rate menu. This is the target bit rate for your audio. Higher numbers provide better quality, but you should limit the speed to the bandwidth available to your target audience. The encoder compresses the audio to approximate this target. However, at different times during your broadcast the bit rate may be higher or lower than the target rate. The total broadcast bit rate is a function of video bit rate plus audio bit rate.
16.Select the audio sample rate, in kHz (1000 Hz) per second, from the Sample rate menu. This value specifies how many thousands of times per second to sample the audio in the broadcast. Higher values provide better quality sound, but at greater bandwidth.
17.Click Save to save your settings.
See The Encoder Presets Window.
Modifying the x264 Preset
Note: The x264 implementation of the H.264 standard results in better quality and lower CPU usage for any given bitrate, but at the cost of higher memory usage. The default implementation is based on the MainConcept codec and uses less memory.
To modify an x264 preset, follow these steps:
1.Select Window > Encoder Presets.
2.Select an x264 from the Encoder menu.
Note: See The Encoder Presets Window.
3.Check the Video Encoding checkbox. When checked, the video for your broadcast is encoded. When unchecked, a blank video screen is provided. This is the preferred method of producing audio-only broadcasts.
4.Enter the Width of your broadcast video.
5.Enter the Height of your broadcast video.
6.Select the desired frames per second (fps) of your broadcast. This value is a target value for the encoder. The exact value is not guaranteed.
7.To encode your video at a target average bit rate (ABR), enter the target bit rate for your broadcast in Kbits (1000 bits) per second into the Average bit rate field. Higher numbers provide better quality, but you should limit the speed to the bandwidth available to your target audience. With ABR, the bitrate varies around this target. At a specific moment, the bitrate may be higher or lower than the target rate. Alternatively, consider encoding at a constant bit rate (CBR). See below.
8.Select encoding quality (Ultra fast to Very slow encoding). Slower encoding results in better quality.
9.In the x264 command line options edit box, enter any command line options you want included.
10.Select an encoder profile from the Profile menu. Three profiles are provided: Baseline, Main, and High. The Baseline profile is commonly used in mobile applications and other applications which operate with limited processing power, storage capacity, or bandwidth. The Main profile is appropriate for general-purpose applications of broadcast media, such as high-bandwidth Internet broadcasting. The High profile provides the highest broadcast-quality encoding.
See Profile.
11.(Optional) Key frame every allows you to enter the number of frames between the key frames x264 creates. The more often x264 creates a keyframe, the better the video quality, but, the greater the bandwidth required.
12.(Optional) To encode your video at a constant bit rate (CBR) instead of at an average bit rate (ABR), check Strict Constant Bitrate. Disabling CBR can result in slightly improved quality and decrease file size, but at the cost of greater bit rate fluctuations. This could prove troublesome for certain streaming destinations. Selecting this option for recording is not recommended because it can result in decreased quality and larger files, with no real benefit. Alternatively, consider encoding at an average bit rate (ABR). See above.
13.(Optional) Check Keyframe aligned. When checked, it facilitates adaptive bitrate streaming by ensuring that keyframes from multiple streams are in sync, along with the keyframes timestamp, DTS and PTS values. But this is true only if those other streams also have the option turned on and have the same keyframe interval. To accomplish this, Wirecast disables scene detection and manually inserts the keyframe at the exact keyframe interval specified. Therefore, to ensure quality and smooth switching in the player, the keyframe interval should be in the 1 to 4 second range. When Keyframe Aligned is enabled, absolute timestamp is also enabled.
14.(Optional) To determine the number of frames between timecode stamps, check the Timecode Every checkbox and enter the number of frames. x264 embeds timecode stamps in the flash stream. If you enter the value of zero, x264 doesn’t embed timecode.
15.(Optional) When you check the Audio Encoding (AAC) checkbox, x264 encodes the audio for your broadcast. When Audio Encoding (AAC) is unchecked, the output contains no audio track.
16.Select the number of channels: Mono or Stereo. Mono uses less bandwidth than Stereo.
17.Select the audio bit rate, in Kbits (1000 bits) per second, from the Target Bit Rate menu. This is the target bit rate of your audio. Higher numbers provide better quality. The connection speed of your audience is a significant factor in determining your target bit rate. The encoder compresses the audio to approximate this target. However, at different times during your broadcast the bit rate may be higher or lower than the target rate. The total broadcast bit rate is a function of video bit rate plus audio bit rate.
18.Select the audio sample rate, in kHz (1000 Hz) per second, from the Sample rate menu. This value specifies how many thousands of times per second to sample the audio in the broadcast. Higher values provide better quality sound, but at greater bandwidth.
19.To save your settings, click Save.
See The Encoder Presets Window.
Mapping Audio Tracks to Output Audio Channels
You can determine the output audio destination channels for each of the audio tracks available in a Wirecast document. To map audio tracks to output audio channels, do the following:
1.Click Output > Output Settings.
Wirecast opens the Output Settings dialog.
2.Click the Map button.
See Map Button.
Wirecast opens the Multi-Track Input Mapper window.
See The Multi-Track Input Mapper.
3.In each Channel row, click the checkbox for each track you want to send to that output audio channel.
4.To close the Multi-Track Input Mapper window, click the “x.”
Mapping Audio Mixes to Playback Devices
There are times when you want to route different audio mixes to different destinations. For example, you might want to send a mix without microphone audio to your announcers, and a full mix, including mics, to the producer. In Wirecast, you can assign one playback device to announcers and another to the producer. Then, map the audio tracks desired to each playback device.
Note: You can route up to four output channels to audio devices.
To map an audio track to a playback device, do the following:
1.In the audio mixer, click Add new audio output.
Wirecast opens a new Audio Output box to the right of the Final Mix.
2.In the Audio Playback drop-down menu, select the playback device desired.
3.In the Audio Track Selection drop-down menu, select the track required.
See The Audio Mixer Window and The Multi-Track Input Mapper.
Streaming
To start steaming, do the following:
1.Click the Stream button.
See the Stream button on the screenshot in Control/Status Bar.
The Stream button blinks green until a connection is made. Once you are connected, the Stream icon turns unblinking green. If you can’t connect, Wirecast displays an error message.
If you are streaming to Facebook, Wirecast displays additional statuses on the right side of the status bar.
2.(Optional) To record your broadcast click Record.
3.To stop streaming, click Stream again.
Streaming Status Colors
Wirecast indicates connectivity strength by the number of bars displayed in the Stream icon. Fewer bars indicate lower speed or connection reliability issues. If packets aren't reaching the destination server, Wirecast buffers the packets. When this happens, the green streaming indicator turns yellow and Wirecast continues sending those packets in an attempt to reach the destination server.
If packets continue to fail to reach the server, Wirecast drops packets, and the streaming indicator turns red. When Wirecast stops attempting to send packets, Wirecast displays the red Failed icon 
.
When the connection is recovered, Wirecast replaces the red Failed icon with green bars.
When streaming over RTMP, there is a buffer for the packets called the flash queue.
The buffer is utilized to handle scenarios where the Internet uplink to the RTMP endpoint (CDN) temporarily is unable to deliver at a fast enough rate. Any of the following can cause a slow-down:
•Your local LAN is saturated
•Your ISP uplink is saturated
•The route from your ISP to the end point is compromised or saturated
•The endpoint is saturated
•Any degradation in transmission speed from Wirecast to the CDN endpoint.
•Green will be shown when the flash queue is able to be emptied just as fast or faster than it is able to be filled.
•Yellow will be shown when the flash queue has grown, but is not yet approaching overload.
•Red will be shown when the flash queue is just about to be full, in which packets will be lost.
Example 1
•Encoding is set to 7Mbps
•ISP upload speed is 7Mbps
•Video content was fairly still, but a scene change or shot switch occurs that is fast motion.
•The encoder bursts to handle the more complex content, and momentarily requires 8Mbps to properly deliver the content.
•The flash queue is only able to output at 7Mbps, so it grows with more frames/packets backed up.
•The Icon color turns Yellow, to alert this state.
•The encoder catches up, and settles back down to 5Mbps after the scene change.
•The Icon returns to green.
Example 2
•Encoding is set to 5Mbps
•ISP upload speed is 7Mbps
•Video content is running fine, with green Icon.
•Someone else on the network begins uploading at 4Mbps, perhaps an Aspera transfer if you remember those taking down Telestream's network...
•The available bandwidth to the stream is 3Mbps during this usage.
•The icon will turn yellow, then turn red.
•If the queue stays red for long enough, the stream disconnects.
Example 3
•Encoding is set to 5Mbps
•ISP upload speed is 7Mbps
•Video content is running fine, with green Icon.
•The ISP oversold their network, and some neighboring business or residents all hopped on the Internet at the same time.
•The available upload speed drops to 5Mbps
•The icon drops to yellow, then to red.
•The icon stays red, and the stream continues.
•Viewers are still seeing the stream despite the icon being red.
•The flash queue is able to unload the packets during downward bitrate fluctuations, and builds more packets in buffer during upward bitrate fluctuations, just enough that the queue stays in this almost-full-but-hasn't-burst state.
Troubleshooting Connectivity for Streaming
You can test for server-side issues by running a test stream to a test server. If you get a continuous green streaming indicator to the test destination, but poor streaming to your regular destination server, the problem probably lies with the destination server. Contact the CDN host and report the destination-server problem.
To test for Internet ISP problems, run a speed test. Note upload speed and packet loss. Your combined encoder settings to all destinations should total no more than half the tested upload speed. Streaming requires this headroom because both the sending data rate and the ISP upload bandwidth can vary from moment to moment. Actual upload speed often varies from the speed claimed by an ISP.
Keep packet loss at 0%. Any other number indicates packet loss. If you are losing packets, have the ISP run tests to your point-of-origin broadband connection.
While streaming from Wirecast, keep CPU use under 60% for optimal performance. If CPU usage exceeds 80% a variety of problems might occur, including disconnection.
Limiting Reconnection Attempts
When Wirecast loses an Internet connection, Wirecast attempts to reconnect. Each time Wirecast attempts reconnection, the Stream icon blinks.
To limit the number of reconnection tries, do the following:
1.Select File > Preferences > General.
2.Enter a value into the field, Maximum Reconnect Attempts.
3.To close the Preferences dialog box, click the “x.”
Configuring Replay + ISO
Replay enables you to repeatedly play a clip, or even a portion of a clip, any number of times. You can also replay playlists (see Viewing the Countdown Timer for a Shot). This makes the combination of Playlist and Replay a very powerful production tool.
ISO (or Isolated Output) recording allows users to record system devices (cameras, capture cards, or mics) not being broadcast. This enables you to broadcast one device while recording another. You also can set up ISO sources as replay sources. Wirecast provides all replay functionality, such as keyboard shortcuts, mark-in, and mark-out, for ISO sources.
Replay and ISO share the same menu because you can set up ISO sources for replay. You can toggle this functionality in the ISO Settings window. If you set an ISO source for replay, Wirecast applies the replay settings configured in the Replay+ISO window to the ISO source.
Note: Wirecast doesn’t render multiple replay clips captured during the same replay session when played at the same time on different main layers or on different shot layers.
To use the Replay feature, first set it up the way you want it to perform. To set up Replay, do the following:
1.Select Replay+ISO > Configure, or click the Replay+ISO Settings 
button.
2.Check the Program Replay box.
3.Choose the settings desired. Descriptions of the settings follow.
Capture Audio in the Replay
Check the Audio box to capture audio in the replay you’re creating. If unchecked, all audio is ignored.
Video Quality
Set the video quality for Standard or High. Depending on the quality you choose, Wirecast displays an estimate of the write rate.
Folder
Click Browse and navigate to the location where you want to store your replay shots.
Create Replay Keyboard Shortcut
Select a keyboard shortcut from the drop-down menu that will activate the Create Replay function.
Update Replay Keyboard Shortcut
Select a keyboard shortcut from the drop-down menu that will activate the Update Replay function.
Mark Replay Keyboard Shortcut
Select a keyboard shortcut from the drop-down menu that will activate the Mark Replay function.
Manage
Opens the Preferences > Shortcuts window so you can add, delete or change your application shortcuts and document hotkeys. Check the Global check box if you want that hotkey to be available in the drop-down menus above.
4.Click OK.
See Replay + ISO Menu and Replay Shots.
Activating Replay
Note: When Replay is activated, CPU usage increases.
To activate Replay, select Replay > Start All.
The Start All menu item becomes Stop All and Wirecast adds buttons to the Wirecast default layout: Set Replay Mark In and Update Replay Shot.
Once Replay has been activated it keeps all shot activity (playing of clips or capturing of live sources) in the Replay buffer on disk. The amount that is saved when the Create Replay Shot button is pressed depends on the value entered into the Default Replay duration setting.
See Replay Shots.
Configuring ISO Recording
ISO (or Isolated Output) recording is a Wirecast Pro feature that allows you to create clean recordings of your system devices (cameras, capture cards, or mics) even when they are not being displayed in the Live Broadcast Area. This can be useful when creating a video-on-demand version of your live show. You can save full recordings of all your cameras even when they weren't live in your broadcast.
There are two ways to record ISO sources:
•Capture Source ISO allows you to choose one source to record, such as a webcam or a microphone. This makes an isolated source recording. If your source includes audio, you can capture that audio with Capture Source ISO. This option doesn't enable you to combine separate audio and video raw sources into one ISO recording.
See Capture Source ISO.
•Shot ISO lets you record any shot that is on your Main Shot Display. You can mix two or more sources into a single shot. You can record ISO sources, such as WebRTC (Rendezvous and Wirecast Go), NDI, Webstream, or Elgato sources, that are not supported by the Capture Source ISO option.
See Shot ISO.
1.To configure a source for ISO recording select Configure from the Replay+ISO menu.
2.Click Add ISO. Configure as desired.
Note: If you want to record audio that is coming from a separate source, such as from a separate microphone, you can set up ISO recording for the separate source via Capture Source ISO. Alternatively, you can place your chosen video and audio sources into a single shot on the Main Shot Display and use Shot ISO to record that multi-source shot.
Capture Source ISO lets you record an individual ISO camera or audio source. For example, you can record a Facetime session from a phone, or video and audio from a camera plugged into a capture card.
Note: Certain sources, such as Rendezvous guests, Web Stream sources, IP Cameras sources, Web Page plugin sources, or Wirecast Go sources will not show up as available Capture Source ISO sources. To record these, you should use Shot ISO.
If your chosen source produces both video and audio, you have the option to include which media tracks are included from your single source.
Note: Wirecast splits pre-Wirecast 14.1 ISO-configured documents containing video and audio from two different sources into two separate source recordings: one for audio, one for video.
Shot ISO lets you record any ISO shot on the Main Shot display. You can combine any audio and video sources into a shot. You can also record shots that contain sources that aren't available in Capture Source ISO, such as Rendezvous guests and IP camera sources.
If your chosen shot has both video and audio, you have the option to choose which media tracks are included from the shot.
Shot ISO recordings produce video at the canvas resolution and frame rate. You can adjust these in Preferences > Canvas. Audio settings match the Wirecast internal mixer settings: stereo, 32-bit float, 48 kHz.
Note: Shot ISO recording doesn’t play animated graphics or media files contained in your source. If you don't want a static image to appear in place of the graphics or media, place that source in a different shot on a different layer.
Audio-Only Recordings You can make audio-only ISO recordings, using either Capture Source (if your source is audio) or Shot ISO (if your shot includes only audio).
The ISO configuration dialog displays the current video resolution and frame rate for the selected source, as well as the number of audio channels, bits per sample, and sample rate. When no source is selected or the source does not produce a certain type of media, Wirecast displays None next to the corresponding video and audio track checkboxes.
• QuickTime: ProRes Video + Uncompressed Audio: ProRes is better suited for NLE work. Also, color space information is less ambiguous.
•QuickTime: x264 Video + Uncompressed Audio:
–x264 is a compressed video file that results in significantly smaller file sizes.
–x264 recordings are still placed in QuickTime files and still paired with uncompressed audio. Uncompressed audio offers top quality and minimal CPU drain for archival purposes.
–You can choose the bitrate and keyframe interval for recordings that use x264 encoding.The default values are 10 Mbps with 15 frames/second. The defaults were chosen for high quality full HD archival. We use the high-profile encoder setting and the “fast” x264 algorithm with variable bitrate encoding.
Wirecast offers the ability to encode your files using ProRes or x264 on both Mac and Windows.
The filename for each new ISO recording includes the next number in a sequence that begins with 1. For example, Wirecast names the first ISO file “ISO 1", the second “ISO 2", the third “ISO 3", and so on. Name-sorted listings of recordings on disk remain in order beyond the ninth ISO configuration.
You can choose another name for an ISO file, but that will not affect the automatic sequential naming. If you rename “ISO 1" to “Names Don't Matter,” Wirecast still names the next file “ISO 2" by default.
Folder Wirecast remembers the last folder you assigned to an ISO recording configuration and uses that folder as the default for the next configuration you create. Wirecast applies this setting to all projects.
Replay Check this to make your ISO recording available for instant replay within the broadcast. You can apply this setting for files created through Capture Source ISO as well as through Shot ISO.
See tutorials on Replay for information on configuring ISO replays.
Single File
This is best used if you have shorter broadcasts and have plenty of disk storage space. When you choose Single File, you're choosing a 12-hour maximum file duration.
New File Every
This ensures you don't generate files larger than available disk space. If you have a long broadcast or limited space, consider limiting your ISO file sizes. This option breaks long recordings into files at the duration you specify.
See Starting your ISO Recording.
Recommended Minimum System for ISO Recording
ISO recording is resource intensive. Recording individual cameras or shots alongside the actual production requires a powerful system.
For ISO recording, the minimum recommended system includes:
• An i7 processor
• A high-end dedicated graphics card
• An SSD for recording
If you want to archive your stream, you can use the Record To Disk destination.
To record to disk, do the following:
1.Click the Record button (or ISO Record button) at the top of the Wirecast default layout.
Wirecast opens the Output window.
2.To add a recording destination, click the Add button at the bottom of the window.
Wirecast displays a dialog box.
3.Select Record to Disk and click OK.
4.In the Output Settings window, select Record To Disk (MOV, MP4 or Windows Media).
5.Select an encoder.
6.Click Browse or enter the path to the location where you want your recording saved.
7.Select a recording mode: Use Filename Only, Auto Increment Filenames, or Timestamp Filenames. If you select Auto Increment Filenames, your filename will have an incremental number appended to the end of it. This causes a new file to be created every time you start recording to disk. If you select Use Filename Only your previous file is overwritten.
8.Click OK.
Note: When recording to disk on FAT32-formatted drives, single files can’t be larger than 4GB in size. So, recording files larger than 4GB to a FAT32-formatted drive may result in files that do not close properly. We recommend you record to disk on a Windows NTFS formatted partition whenever possible.