Streaming Rules

The Streaming Rules feature allows you to fully automate turning streaming destinations on and off based on programming criteria including specific Series, Live Sources, and Content Categories. For example, you can define a streaming rule so anytime a live meeting airs, it is automatically streams to your YouTube Live, and Facebook Live social media pages. Streaming Rules are compatible with both HyperCaster integrated streaming and external TeleCast 2 streaming encoders.

Managing Streaming Rules

Admins can manage Streaming Rules by clicking Config → Streaming → Streaming Rules.

The Streaming Rules table shows the existing rules, with summary information. From this table, you can access several Streaming Rules actions:

• To create a new rule, click the addaction.
• To edit an existing rule, click the edit actionor click of the name of the rule.
• To delete a rule, click the deleteaction.
• To activate an inactive rule, click the red X . To deactivate an active rule click the green check .

When editing and adding rules, you will be presented with the Streaming Rules form. The Streaming Rules form contains multiple sections. Following is an explanation of the available fields for each section.

The General section includes the core metadata fields and various configuration options as follows:

• Name: Enter a name for the streaming rule.
• Description: Enter a description for the streaming rule.
• Active?: Activate this streaming rule. Only active streaming rules will automate starting and stopping streaming destinations.

The Sources section defines when the rule is triggered and supports the following fields:

• Sources: Select one or more sources that may trigger this streaming rule. When an event using one of the selected sources airs, the streaming rule will be triggered and any linked streaming destinations will be started. When the event completed, the linked streaming destinations will be stopped. Note that all related event automation including Locking/Unlocking to extend live events, Stop on Loss, Start on Trigger, Stream Verify etc.. apply so whenever the triggering event actually starts and stops is when the streaming destinations will start and stop. For example, extending a live vent that triggers a streaming rule will also extend the corresponding streaming destinations being active. Sources include all live sources available in to the system such as IP Feeds, NDI Feeds, ProVue SDI Inputs, Switch Inputs, as well as Series and Categories. When an event airs for a matching live source, or that is part of a matching Series schedule (whether live or replay), or for content in a matching category, the rule will trigger.

The Channel section defines to which HyperCaster playout channel the rule applies and supports the following fields:

• Target: Select a channel on which this streaming rule will operate. Only sources that air on the selected channel will trigger the streaming rule. The channel selection will also limit the possible streaming destinations to those associated with that channel only.

The Destinations section defines which streaming destinations will be turned on and off for the rule and supports the following fields:

• Destinations: Select one or more streaming destinations to be automatically started and stopped when this streaming rule triggers. Available destinations include destinations configured for any integrated HyperCaster streaming outputs and any external TeleCast 2 Encoders associated with the selected Channel.

Click Save to save your changes.

In additional to Streaming Rules, one-off events can automate turn streaming destinations on and off under the event Streaming section available when adding or editing a Playout, Playlist, Stream, Input, or NDI event. Simply select one or more available Streaming Destination and then save the event.

Whether from Streaming Rules or one-offs, events that will trigger streaming destinations display a streaming icon on Dashboard Now/Next, Calendar, and Classic.

The As Run details for an event that automates streaming destinations will include a list of destinations and when they were started and stopped in the Streaming Statuses section of the Event As Run Details. If there is an error automating a destination such as a failure to start a destination, that will be conveyed in the Messages column.

Here are some additional workflow considerations when using Streaming Rules:

• Streaming Rules can be saved with no Sources or Destinations set, but won’t do anything.
• If a Source or Destination that is part of a Streaming Rule is deleted, it will be removed from that rule and the rule may no longer trigger if there are not other Sources or Destinations remaining.
• If a Streaming Rule is deactivated in the middle of event, the corresponding destination(s) will still be stopped when the event ends as if the rule were still active.
• For Streaming Rules that control destinations on external TeleCast 2 streaming encoders, the HyperCaster will periodically synchronize the expected state with the external encoders. For example if an external TeleCast 2 is offline when a rule would be turning on or off a destination on that encoder, and then the encoder subsequently comes online, the HyperCaster will resync to the expected state within 1 minute. If Disable API Access? is checked on for an external TeleCast 2 under TeleCast Manager, the HyperCaster will not synchronize that encoder, nor will it turn on or off its destinations.