Having a successful on-site live stream all starts with planning! This presentation reviews in detail 10 keys to planning the perfect live stream at your next on-site location.

1. 10 Tips for planning to live stream
an event on location

2. #1 Planning
1. Site Survey
a. Google Earth the Site Survey -
Scott Pienta
b. Draw a map of your camera
placement - JP Erbricella
c. Circle any connections and
what they are. Double check all
your cables and connectors
with this map.
d. Make sure every element is
covered including Tripods,
cables, power supplies and
stands.
Picture from 2017 Vidsumit Conference in Los Angeles California.
Live stream included 3 different rooms on site in a hotel venue.

3. Download our
Checklist!
Having a successful on-site live
stream all starts with planning.
Download our checklist below and you
will also get our customizable
checklist for MS Word or Google
Sheets!
Download our live streaming checklist here:
https://streamgeeks.us/planning

4. Creating a Map
1. Map out video then map out audio
a. Create a checklist to strike
out all the components once
they have been packed. -
Ted Langdell
This is a standard live streaming system that is completely IP
based using the NewTek NDI.

5. Set up live show
layout
This includes everything software
related to your show. Prepare a
manageable set of video assets which
can include: intro video, titles,
additional video sources, media and
other content.
Setup / Layout for the 2017 Pretty Good Fest.

6. Set up live show
layout
1. Power
a. Where is your power
source? Can you get a
clean power source
independent from the
lighting and sound grids?
- Sheldon Hatch
2. Cabling
a. Any cables longer than
50 feet can go onto
spools for easy in and
out rigging. This applies
to ethernet, power and
audio. - Ken Benedict
Setup / Layout for the 2017 Pretty Good Fest.

7. Extras
1. Extra Equipment
a. Always bring flashlights if
the production is going to
last into the night
b. Bring Gaff Tape to tape
down cables. Yellow tapes
is used for high traffic
areas and black is for
everything else. - Ken
Benedict
2. Weather
a. Consider bringing trash
bags or tarps to cover your
valuable equipment if the
3. Show run through with Talent
Setup / Layout for the 2017 Pretty Good Fest.

8. #2 Tuning Equipment
1. Lights - Before you start tuning
your camera (if needed) make
sure all the lighting you are
planning to use is on and ready
for action.
2. Camera - Tune you camera to
provide a good contrast,
luminance, saturation and hue for
your room. If you are using a
Green Screen with a chroma key
background pay special attention
to hues and contrast. Your goal is
to provide a rich image with
strong white and blacks with a
wide range of accurately
represented colors.
Connections on the back of a PTZOptics 30X Camera.

9. Tuning Equipment
1. White Balance: Start with an auto-
white balance. This can be done by
holding up a white piece of paper and
selecting the “one push” white
balance feature in any PTZOptics
cameras on screen display menu.
NOTE: Some software solutions also
offer a white balance feature. It’s
best practice to tune the image in
your camera before tuning with your
software.
2. Focus: Obviously you want your
talent to be in focus but consider
whether you actually need to have
auto-focus on. If your talent is not
going to be moving from their chair
your best choice is manual focus.
PTZOptics 12X and 20X cameras.

10. #3 Hard Drive Check
1. Are you going to be recording this live
stream locally? Locally recorded
quality is always better than the
outbound live stream. Do you have
enough hard drive space for the
entire live broadcast? Are you going
to have instant replay which uses up
additional recording space?
2. Start recording early! Better to start
early than forget too late!
Check your hard-drive and consider installing an SSD (Solide
State Hard Drive).

11. #4 Test Bandwidth
1. Test your bandwidth speeds with our
free tool available at
http://speed.ptzoptics.com
2. Optimize your bandwidth and make
suggestions for remote guests
joining via a video conference call.
Refer to our Live Streaming
Bandwidth Checklist here:
http://ptzoptics.com/landing/live-
streaming.html
3. Determine the maximum capabilities
of your system and choose a video
resolution and audio compression
streaming configuration
4. Don’t use WiFi if you can help it!
5. Bring a back up wireless 4G/5G
router like the LiveU solo.
PTZOptics has a free speed checking tool for bandwidth. Pay
particular attention to your upload speed for streaming. Always
maintain 25-50% headroom in bandwidth.

12. #5 Connect live stream
1. Make sure to have your RTMP Server
and key information ready. You will
use this information to start
streaming to your CDN.
2. It’s best practice to start your live
stream at least 20-30 minutes before
any event. During this time you
should display a countdown timer
and some type “Streaming Soon”
display with background music. This
time before your event is also ideal
for giving viewers ample time for
receiving automated notifications.
3. Consider using your CDNs API.
Custom RTMP streams will
sometimes not include all the
information networks like Facebook
use to power their live streaming
MAP for example.
Start you live streams early and consider how many CDNs your
computer and bandwidth can handle.

13. #6 Social Media
Integration
1. Are you going to be integrating social
media comments into your
broadcast? Login to your accounts to
pull this data.
2. You can also use services like Zapier
and Dropbox to automatically publish
short clips / recordings during your
broadcast to social media sites like
Facebook and Twitter. This can drive
additional traffic to your live event.
Connecting to your social media accounts is easier than ever
before! Use them to notify your audience and publish teaser video
clips.

14. #7 Final Testing
1. Test your audio again, but this time
listen to the stream as if you were a
viewer. Live streams are known for
introducing audio syncing issues
without rhyme or reason randomly.
The good news is that you can add a
audio delay to compensate for this
issue. If needed add 2000-3000
milliseconds (2-3 seconds) to your
audio delay until all syncing issues
have been ironed out.
Test everything before you officially go live. With CDNs such as
Facebook and YouTube you can use the preview video to test
your video signal on the far end before you go live.

15. #8 During your Stream
1. Keep an idea of your CPU usage.
Generally you do not want to go
beyond 50-70%.
2. Listen to the audience. Are they
asking for a different video angle? Do
they want to hear changes in the
audio? You might be surprised how
technical your audience is.
During your stream you may get notifications from your live
streaming software about CPU usage. You should always turn off
all other programs and disable windows updates.

16. #9 During your Stream
1. Keep an idea of your CPU usage.
Generally you do not want to go
beyond 50-70%.
2. Listen to the audience. Are they
asking for a different video angle? Do
they want to hear changes in the
audio? You might be surprised how
technical your audience is.
During your stream you may get notifications from your live
streaming software about CPU usage. You should always turn off
all other programs and disable windows updates.

17. #9 Channel Management
1. Don’t forget to set up a reasonable
“channel blacklist”. This feature will
restrict a set of words from being
displayed in the chat room.
2. Don’t forget to have your live stream
displayed in the “schedule” system.
You can also configure settings in
YouTube to promote your live event
on other videos.
3. Don’t forget to ask for subscribers
and grow your channel during your
live event when you everyone's
attention!
Manage your channel and get the most out of your next event.

18. #10 Final Tips
1. Don’t forget to share your live show
on social media
2. Don’t forget to save time for Question
and Answers from the chatroom.
Best practice is reserve a time
specifically for Q&A.
3. The Outro - What are you business
goals? Don’t forget to include a CTA
(Call to Action) for your viewers… Is it
a free eBook or an upcoming
webinar? Maybe simply asking for a
new subscriber!
Manage your channel and get the most out of your next event.

19. Layout Map Example
IP Based Video Production
Multi-Camera Live Streaming
System
1. (3) PTZOptics 20X-NDI-GY
- Optional joystick controller
- Optional Wall/Ceiling Mounts
2. Existing Sound Board Output
3. Dedicated Computer
- Equip with any LMS system or
web video conferencing
software
PTZOptics | 152 Robbins Rd | Downingtown, PA | 19335 USA | PTZOptics.com
Streaming Service
Power over Ethernet Switch
IP Joystick
Streaming Laptop
Focusrite
XLR to USB
Soundboard
Internet/
Router

20. Have Fun!
Live streaming is fun! Don’t forget it!

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