Do you want to live stream to multiple destinations but don’t have the hardware and/or the internet connection speed to make it happen?
The good news is that you have options.
What is Simulcasting
Simulcasting is simply a simultaneous broadcast distribution. Think of it like a splitter: one video goes into the splitter, with two or more outputs. Many times you will see hardware solutions like HDMI splitters used to send video to multiple projectors or TV’s in your facility.
In this scenario, the splitting happens online in the cloud. You send one video stream from your computer or video device to a website which, in turn, distributes your video simultaneously to the platforms you want to receive it.
Simulcasting with Vimeo
My good friends at Central Church of Christ in Augusta, GA, are using Vimeo to live stream Bible studies and worship services to their Facebook page and YouTube channel. In the following example, their Youth and Family Minister used his smartphone and the Vimeo app to live stream to their Vimeo account, while their Involvement Minister managed the Vimeo dashboard and simulcast to Facebook and YouTube.
The beauty of this solution is that Vimeo also offers embed code for you to embed the live video player in your website, giving viewers a location away from social media to watch your broadcasts. Live videos can also be archived in your Vimeo channel, giving viewers instant access to go back and watch the videos on-demand.
The cost is $75 per month, which gives you unlimited live streaming. To learn more about Vimeo Live, click here.
Restream.io
Restream.io is another popular simulcasting service. It works very similar to Vimeo with the exception of storage – Restream.io will not archive your broadcasts for on-demand viewing (which is not a big deal since almost all destinations, such as Facebook and YouTube, will archive it for you for free.)
Additionally, Restream.io does not have its own smartphone app but does integrate with custom RTMP broadcasting apps such as BroadcastMe, Streamlabs and Larix Broadcaster.
Pricing for simulcasting with Restream.io begins at $16 per month, although I would recommend the $41 per month option to remove the Restream.io watermark. Restream.io does offer a free option, but only for people who want to broadcast to their personal Facebook page (which you could simply do through Facebook.com or the Facebook app.)
Software
If you have a fast enough internet connection, you could look at using software such as vMix to stream to multiple destinations. vMix allows you to live stream to three destinations simultaneously, if your computer is capable of processing that much video. You can read more details about vMix here.
Final Thoughts
Always have a plan B. Nothing works perfectly all the time. That’s why I recommend you consistently offer more than one location for your members to watch your live streams.