How to setup a live video on Vimeo

Vimeo, just like most video sharing platforms, also allows users to live stream videos for a more engaging experience. Unlike how it is presented, going live is not such a difficult process, especially when you have the right guidelines. If your brand is going into video streaming, there's no need to panic because it is indeed a great option.

Live streaming videos on some platforms may require more expertise, but Vimeo makes it all too easy. You can enjoy live stream videos on different account subscriptions on Vimeo, but Vimeo OTT is a one-of-a-kind experience. Vimeo OTT (Vimeo Over The Top) is one popular way to share videos live without the use of a Satellite, Cable, or other popular traditional means.

Setup Vimeo account and customize the account

You would need to have a Vimeo account set up before you would ever consider streaming live on the Vimeo live streaming platform. Vimeo OTT plan is the best-prescribed plan for your web-based production. You can also choose the growth and enterprise plan, but that is suitable if you would love to go live on multiple streams and want viewers to pay-per-view.

After the setup, your company would need to utilize the customization features available on Vimeo. Customization solely depends on you; it helps to give your brand uniqueness. How do you get customized on a Vimeo OTT platform? Easy! Apply for your organization's branding on Vimeo OTT and upload. Next, you create a custom app for your channel; this is easy as long as you reach out to Vimeo for further discussion.

You can also integrate your live-stream Vimeo video with your website to enjoy more coverage. In this case, prospective customers can view a stream and then move on to order your product or services. This goes in line with you being driven by the desire to see your business grow and more customers come on in.

Create event

Once your Vimeo account has been successfully set up, the next things to focus on would be the camera, microphone, and any other Vimeo subscription plan besides Ott, like Enterprise or Advanced. The next thing to note is that you would need to create the event on Vimeo. This can be done on your Vimeo library. Click on the New Video icon in the library, select Create Event, choose the event type, and fill in the required details. Just in case of an error, you still have a shot at edits later.

The specific scheduled date and time for the created event is optional and is generally important information for your viewers. This is to help them prepare ahead of the event. Be rest assured that your stream will not start automatically at the scheduled time. The command to go live is solely in your hands, and this comes after the countdown that starts 90 minutes before the streaming time.

The "Next" button lets you go on with the event configuration. Pre-recorded videos can also be streamed.

Live page settings

The next button takes you to a page on Vimeo that is to guide you into the configuring and customization of your stream. The live settings page also lets you get the event's embed code and shareable URL. A pencil icon right at the top of the page, next to the video title, allows you to edit. You can also add thumbnails which can be gotten right at the bottom of the page. Your viewers can see this thumbnail only when you're no longer live.

Get familiar with words like Event, Destinations, and Embedded. The link to your Vimeo live stream video can be gotten from the Event Tab; it also lets you enable or disable the live chat feature and change the privacy settings to suit your needs. The Embedded feature is there to give you the embed code for a live chat and access to live players or viewers. The is given to the Destination Tabs; here, your video is streaming to other social media platforms.

The "manage production" feature which is at the upper right corner of the page, lets you choose either to use the web-based production tool or to stream key with RTMP stream URL.

Stream on Vimeo

The next step is to select the icon that says to stream with Vimeo. You begin to stream directly from your browser once your camera is active, and a scene gets added automatically. For the best experience, a Chrome 58+ browser, safari 12+, and Firefox 56+ are highly recommended, as they support the WebRTC protocol on Vimeo.

Guests can be invited to stream using the same method and with their Webcams. When you're sure to be ready to go live, click on the "Start Event" button in the upper right corner of the page. With that, you're live!

If you prefer streaming with an external encoder, the option for an rtmp url stream is provided. The stream URL and key to your external encoder are given to you on the live preview page. You can test your stream health by sending a low-latency stream to an available preview player right before you're fully live. This is known as the preview toggle. You would need to click on "Go live" if you have previously enabled the preview feature.

Once you're live, your stream signal is sent to all your viewers. It is best to make sure all is well placed before such happens.

Livestream studio and live chats

You can download Livestream Studio if you subscribe to the Advanced, Enterprise, or Premium plan. There is a direct integration between your Vimeo account and the multiple-camera live encoder. This wouldn't let you require an rtmp url for your live streaming.

During your stream, you can manage the chat tab. Messages and emojis can be posted for better interactions, and chat transcripts like the one provided by Happy Scribe is available for download. Happy Scribe gives you the best human-generated transcriptions. Auto CC also allows you to enable automatic closed captioning for wider audience coverage.

In addition, you monitor the strength of your stream in terms of the network. Do you know that your stream latency is dependent on your network connection? Streaming on Vimeo live would need a strong network; it won't harm to get that guy sorted.

You can end your stream with a simple click on the top corner that says "End". Your indicator changes to offline, and you have completed a Vimeo live stream.