Live Stream Setting Recommendations

Output: CUR8 accepts an RTMP input.

CUR8 Tip: Do not stop your stream once you've started. Once you have started streaming, stopping your stream for more than five minutes will cause your streaming credentials to change. 

Recommended Live Stream Settings

• Codec H.264
• Maximum 1920x1080 resolution
• Maximum 5000kbps bitrate (recommended 3500-4500kbps)
• Maximum 30 fps
• Key frame interval every 3-7 seconds

Upload Speed

• Ideally, you should stream over an Ethernet connection on a dedicated (unshared) network. Network speeds fluctuate constantly, depending on numerous factors, so be sure to test your upload speed frequently.
• Your encoder's outgoing bitrate should be much lower than your available upload speed to allow for network fluctuations. Other factors, such as firewalls and network congestion, also come into play when producing a stable stream.
• 2000kbps can produce a 720p stream, whereas 5000kbps is the maximum bitrate we recommend for a 1080p stream. If you are streaming at a bit rate significantly less than 2000kbps, your stream may appear pixelated or experience lag.
• Bitrate refers to the amount of data you send to your website when streaming. Higher bitrates use up more of your internet bandwidth, but increasing bitrate can also improve your video quality. You shouldn’t overdo it, though, as the increase in video quality is only beneficial up to a certain point. 

As a rule of thumb, your bitrate should be less than half of your total upload speed in order to have a stable stream. Streaming at a 1080p resolution needs a higher bitrate than streaming at 720p. 

For guidance, you can check the following table to see what options to set:

Will my audience see my streaming projects in 1080p?

Your audience will be able to see your projects in 1080p as long as your source stream outputs at 1080p and your individual viewers have a strong network connection. If not, they’ll be provided with an adjusted stream quality appropriate to their device and bandwidth.

What network ports are needed to stream?

All encoders use various internet ports to communicate with CUR8, all of which need to be made open to incoming and outgoing communication.

 These ports are:

• TCP 1935
• TCP 80
• TCP 443
• UDP 53
• UDP 2088 (if broadcasting from Mevo)

Ports 1935, 80, and 443 represent RTMP, HTTP, and HTTPS, respectively. Many corporate and academic networks’ security policies will block UDP 53, as it provides DNS.

DP 2088 should be open when broadcasting from Mevo (iOS and Android). If any of these are blocked, you may want to get in touch with your network administrator or IT prior to proceeding further with setup.

Whitelist Domains

If your corporate network restricts access to certain websites or domains, ensure the following domains are whitelisted so you can communicate with CUR8 and its CDN.

• *.cur8.com
• *.showtix4u.com
• *.vimeo.com
• *.vimeocdn.com
• *.google.com
• 
*.pndsn.com
• *.googleapis.com
• *.firebaseio.com

What bitrate should I stream?

2000kbps can produce a 720p stream, whereas 5000kbps is the maximum bitrate we recommend for a 1080p stream. If you are streaming with a bitrate significantly less than 2000kbps, your stream may appear pixelated or experience lag. 

What frame rate should I stream?

All live streams are transcoded to 30FPS.