Transcoder details page in Wowza Video

This article introduces the different parts of the Transcoder Details page to help you find your way around the Wowza Video user interface. 

You must have an Advanced Wowza Video user role on your user profile to see the Advanced section in our main navigation to use transcoders. An org owner can assign the Advanced Wowza Video user role to you  so you can access transcoders.You can get to the Transcoder Details page by clicking Transcoders in the navigation, and selecting a transcoder from the Transcoders list. 

Transcoder Details page

This page contains information you can use to manage and monitor your stream as well as additional configuration options.

Video preview and statistics

At the top of the page, you have access to the video preview and other stream information that's handy to have available at a glance.

• Start/Stop Live Stream – Displays whether the transcoder is running or not. If the button displays Start transcoder, the transcoder is off. Click to start it. If the button displays Stop transcoder, the transcoder is on. Click to stop the transcoder.
• Video Preview – The video preview displays the stream in real-time. If the stream has started but Wowza Video isn't receiving any source video, the message "stream is offline" appears in place of the video frame. 
• Statistics – Real-time connection, transcoding, and delivery details appear for running streams.

All of the metrics refresh every 5 seconds.

• Total Viewers – The total number of times the live stream has been viewed. A single unique view is one IP address receiving at least one segment of the stream on any player or device in a 24-hour period. 
• Current Viewers – The number of unique viewers in the last 5 minutes. A single unique view is one IP address receiving at least one segment of the stream on any player or device.

Overview tab

Connection 

Details needed to configure your source connection vary depending on the video source you've chosen. You may see:

• Source Connection Information – Connection details such as the Wowza Video primary server and host port, the stream name, and authentication information that you can use to manually configure and connect the video source to the live stream.
• Connection Code – The Connection Code can be used to easily connect Wowza Streaming Engine to Wowza Video. Each code can be used once and expires 24 hours after it's created. If the code is expired, click Generate.
• Source URL – The web address of the file, IP camera, or pull-connected RTMP/RTSP device specified as the video source for the live stream.
• By default, Wowza Video automatically secures RTMP and RTSP connections that push directly to Wowza Video by requiring username/password authentication. 
• Username – The credential you need to add to your encoder to access the stream in Wowza Video. SRT, UDP, and WebRTC ingest streams don't support Security. Change or disable the password on the Settings tab by clicking the Settings tab, then either click the Enable Security checkbox to turn off the security or change the current password in the Source Username field.  Passwords can contain only upper and lowercase letters; numbers; and the period (.), underscore (_), and hyphen (-) characters. No other special characters can be used. 
• Source Password – The credential you need to add to your encoder to access the stream in Wowza Video. SRT, UDP, and WebRTC ingest streams don't support Security. Change or disable the password on the Settings tab by clicking the Settings tab, then either click the Enable Security checkbox to turn off the security or change the current password in the Source Password field.  Passwords can contain only upper and lowercase letters; numbers; and the period (.), underscore (_), and hyphen (-) characters. No other special characters can be used. 
• Transcoder Type – Transcoded means the live stream has  transcoded your source video and created multiple output renditions of your stream at different bitrates. Passthrough means that the source video has been sent directly to a target without creating adaptive bitrate output renditions.
• Application – The application name from the pull stream source URL. 
• ID – The transcoder's unique id number.

Stream Health tab

The Stream Health tab displays the Stream Health Monitor, which offers a graphical visualization of connection and transcoding data that can help you assess the health of the live stream. 

The Time period or session menu lists sessions by their start and time and show how long the stream ran. 

Notes:

• If no metrics appear for an active stream, refresh the browser page.
• You can only see sessions created within the last 90 days for a given stream. 

The Stream Health Monitor displays the following metrics about the stream:

• Inbound Bitrate – The actual rate of the stream traveling from the source encoder to Wowza Video in kilobits per second (Kbps). This may differ from the configured inbound bitrate.
• Frame Rate – The rate of the video, in frames per second, at the transcoder.
• Keyframe Interval – The number of video frames compressed in a group of pictures (GOP) between keyframes at the transcoder.

Metrics update every 10 seconds. Brief irregularities might not register or be tracked and visualized.

Settings tab

The Settings tab shows transcoder options that you can edit to change or further configure your transcoder. 

Notes:

• 24x7 transcoders run until they are stopped either manually or by using a schedule. They do not automatically stop after the transcoder has been idle for 20 minutes.
• 24x7 transcoders can't be recorded.
• Asia Pacific (Taiwan), EU (Belgium), US Central (Iowa), and US East (South Carolina) don't allocate dedicated GPU resources to 4K, 24x7 streams. As a result, running 4K streams in the 24x7 billing mode at these locations is not recommended.

• Title – A short, descriptive identifier for the transcoder that differentiates it from other transcoders. It doesn't have to be unique.
• Description – Description of the transcoder. Typically, you'd describe the purpose of the transcoder or other transcoder-related notes. 
• Source Protocol – The transport protocol for the source video:
  • File - Files (.mp4, .mp3, .flv) can be used as a source for a live stream. Http, Https, gs, and s3 protocols are supported. Enter the source file URL in the Source File field that displays after you select File.
  • RTMP – Adobe Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) connections accept communications from sources such as Adobe Media Server. By default, RTMP-based connections require a source username and password to authenticate, and use TCP port 1935.
  • RTSP – Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) connections are used to establish and control sessions between streaming sources. Data transmission is controlled by Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) and Real Time Control Protocol (RTCP). RTSP connections don't support stream smoothing. By default, RTSP Requires a source username and password to authenticate, and uses TCP port 554.
  • SRT – Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) connections accept communications over an open source video transport protocol developed by the SRT Alliance. SRT is designed to deliver secure, high-quality, low latency live streams over unpredictable network conditions. By default, SRT uses UDP port 10000.
  • UDP – User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a connectionless protocol that allows communications between source and destination without requiring a handshake to be established. This makes it easier to transmit information quickly, but also makes UDP more prone to network issues, packet loss, and packets arriving out of order. By default, UDP uses UDP port 10000.
  • WebRTC – Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) connections accept communications over an open framework that enables real-time communication of audio, video, and data in web browsers and apps. WebRTC is designed for peer-to-peer connections but includes fallbacks in case direct connections fail.
• Source Delivery Method – The type of connection:
  • Pull from source URL – Instructs Wowza Video to pull the stream from an RTMP or RTSP source. Enter the server's web address in the Source URL field without the preceding protocol or trailing slash (/).
  • Push to existing stream source – Lets you choose a stream source that you created in Wowza Video. For RTMP source types only.
  • Push to Wowza Video – Indicates that your video source will push the stream to Wowza Video. For push connections, enter the optional Source Stream Extension. Some encoders automatically append an extension to their stream names. If the device you're using does this, enter the extension as a period (.) followed by alphanumeric characters.
• Transcoder Type – Transcoded means the live stream has  transcoded your source video and created multiple output renditions of your stream at different bitrates. Passthrough means that the source video has been sent directly to a target without creating adaptive bitrate output renditions.
• Billing Mode – If your subscription plan covers 24x7 billing, One time event or 24x7 mode displays in the field. You cannot edit this field.
• Region – The geographic region where Wowza Video transcodes and processes your stream. Select a region that is as close as possible to where your stream will originate.
• Source Stream Extension – For push connections only, enter the optional Extension. Some encoders automatically append an extension to their stream names. If the device you're using does this, enter the extension as a period (.) followed by alphanumeric characters.
• Idle Timeout – Stops transcoders after no video has been received for the specified length of time. The default timeout is 1200 seconds, or 20 minutes, for pay-as-you-go transcoders and 0 seconds for 24x7 transcoders. When Idle Timeout is set to 0, Wowza Video doesn't stop the transcoder.
• Disable Stream Targets – By default, stream targets start when the transcoder starts. Selecting Disable stream targets on transcoder start, however, keeps all stream targets disabled (not broadcasting) when you start the transcoder. If selected, you must manually start the targets on the Outputs & Targets tab of the transcoder detail page when you're ready for viewers to see the broadcast at your stream targets.

Security

• Enable Security – By default, Wowza Video secures RTMP and RTSP connections that push directly to Wowza Video by requiring username/password authentication. 
• Source Username – The credential you need to add to your encoder to access the stream in Wowza Video. You can change the Source Username. Usernames can contain only upper and lowercase letters; numbers; and the period (.), underscore (_), and hyphen (-) characters. No other special characters can be used. SRT, UDP, and WebRTC ingest streams don't support Security.
• Source Password – The credential you need to add to your encoder to access the stream in Wowza Video. You can change the Source Pasword. Passwords can contain only upper and lowercase letters; numbers; and the period (.), underscore (_), and hyphen (-) characters. No other special characters can be used. SRT, UDP, and WebRTC ingest streams don't support Security.

Record

• Record this Stream – Records the live stream and makes the video available in the Videos section of the user interface.

Closed Captions

Note: 

• Wowza Video supports only the digital CEA-608 portion of the CEA-708 closed captioning standard. Closed captioning isn't supported for SRT ingest.
• If you use 3Play media for live captioning, do not select CEA-608 (digital) or onTextData options during or after transcoder creation. See Use live captioning with 3Play media and Wowza Video for information on how to set up live captioning.

• Closed Captions – Wowza Video can receive closed caption data with your source stream so that captions appear when the stream is played using the HDS and HLS protocols. Choose the type of caption your video source is sending to Wowza Video: CEA-608 (digital), Action Message Format (AMF) onTextData, or CEA-608 (digital) and onTextData. To omit captions from playback, leave the closed captioning options unchecked.

Buffering

• Buffer Size – The incoming buffer stores packets before they're processed, enabling more efficient transcoding. An optimum buffer size reduces stream jittering and helps ensure successful transmuxing. (Transmuxing is the process of converting to a different container format without changing the stream's content.) The default is set at 4 seconds.
• Sort Packet Buffer – Reduces the time it takes to decode and deliver video data to the player by turning off the sort packet buffer.

Watermark

• Add Watermark – If desired, check the Add Watermark checkbox. Then, navigate to and select an image to embed as a watermark in your video stream. The watermark is encoded into all bitrate renditions of a transcoded stream. Watermark images must be GIF, JPEG, or PNG format and no larger than 2.5 MB.

After choosing the image, specify the corner of the video frame where the watermark should appear. To resize the image, enter a Width and Height. Then, specify the Opacity by entering a percentage between 0 (completely transparent) and 100 (opaque).

Notes:

• Watermarks aren't available for passthrough transcoders and don't appear on passthrough output renditions.
• Watermarks aren't embedded in Wowza Video recordings.

Schedules tab

The Schedules tab shows any schedules you configured when you created the stream, and let's you set up additional schedules.

• Add schedule — Add a new schedule.
  • Name — A short, descriptive identifier for the schedule that differentiates it from other schedules.
  • Schedule details
    • One-time start and stop — Enter the date and the start and stop time for the stream. Make sure to select the Time zone the schedule should use.
    • One-time start or stop — Enter the date and either the start or the stop time for the stream. Make sure to select the Time zone the schedule should use.
    • Recurring — After setting the date and time, click Schedule repeats and indicate which days of the week the schedule should recur and when the recurring schedule takes effect and ends.
      
      While you can only set up one schedule when you create your stream, you can create additional schedules after the stream is created by clicking Add schedule. 

Properties tab

The Properties tab displays details of advanced properties that can be configured. Certain properties are available based on your transcoder. 

You'll configure a property by either adding a valid value into the field or checking the associated checkbox under the Value column. 

Asset Management

• Save recording and vod stream to asset management system – Saves a recording to the Wowza Video Videos list where you can store, restream, and tag video content in order to centralize, reuse, amplify, and provide user-friendly access to videos.

 Cupertino (HLS)

• AES128 Host – Specifies the URL that devices will use to fetch the key to decrypt the stream.
• AES128 Secret – Specifies a 16-byte key that will be used to decrypt the stream. The key must match the key returned by the HLS AES128 Host.

File as a Source

• Play source file on a loop – Plays the file continuously until you stop it.
• Start source file at specified time – Sets a time and date to start streaming the source file.

Output 

• Record as an MP4 file – Creates a recording of the incoming source stream. The recording starts when the transcoder starts and stops automatically when the transcoder stops. 

RTSP 

Important: Edit these settings with caution. For most RTSP source connections, none of these settings needs to be enabled or changed. 

• Set AV Sync to rtptimecode – Specifies an alternate method for synchronizing the audio and video in the RTSP/RTP source stream. If enabled, it specifies that Wowza Video should use timecodes in the RTP stream packets to synchronize the audio and video. If not enabled (the default), Wowza Video uses Sender Report (SR) packets in the stream for synchronization information. See also RTP Timeout below.
• Advanced Logging – Logs extra debug information about the RTSP handshake between Wowza Video and the RTSP/RTP source stream. If enabled, it creates advanced logs. If disabled (the default), it generates less-detailed logs.
• RTP Timeout – Specifies how long, in milliseconds, Wowza Video will wait for Sender Report (SR) packets in the RTSP/RTP source stream to arrive. SR packets provide timing information that enables the synchronization of audio and video in the stream. If SR packets don't arrive within the specified timeout period, Wowza Video uses the Set AV Sync to rtptimecode setting, if enabled, to synchronize the audio and video. Valid values range from 2000 (the default) to 30000. See also Set AV Sync to rtptimecode above.
• RTP Depacketizer Sorter Buffer Time - Sets the size, in milliseconds, of the jitter buffer from the default value of 0. This time adds to the overall latency of the live stream. For use if RTP Depacketizer Wrapper is set to RTPDePacketizerWrapperPacketSorter.
• RTP Depacketizer Sorter Flush Time - Sets the time, in milliseconds. This is the time when the buffer will be flushed. For use when RTP Depacketizer Wrapper is set to RTPDePacketizerWrapperPacketSorter. 
• RTP Depacketizer Wrapper - Enables the ability to set properties for the depacketizer. If set to RTPDePacketizerWrapperPacketSorter, this property enables the use of a jitter buffer. A jitter buffer is an area where packets can be collected and stored before being sent to the depacketizer at regularly spaced intervals to enable more even playback. This property should be enabled when setting values for RTP Depacketizer Sorter Buffer Time and RTP DepacketizerSorter Flush Time.
• Ignore Profile Level ID – Attempts to derive the H.264 profile level ID from the sprop parameter data sets in the stream's Session Description Protocol (SDP) message. The ID allows a decoder to recognize the requirements to decode the stream, but many RTSP sources, especially IP cameras, publish an incorrect ID in the SDP message. Check the box under the Value column to tell Wowza Video to ignore the profile level ID in the sprop parameter data sets of the stream's SDP message when decoding the stream. The default is unchecked and uses the ID in the decoding process.
• Ignore SProp Parameter Sets – Attempts to derive the H.264 profile level ID from SPS/PPS NAL units in the stream, if they exist. If the stream's SDP message contains incorrect sprop parameter data sets, try checking the box in the Value column to derive the H.264 profile level ID from the SPS/PPS NAL units in the stream, instead. The default is for the box to be unchecked which instructs Wowza Video to attempt to derive the H.264 profile ID from sprop parameter sets.

Note: Streams from many sources won't work when sprop parameter sets are ignored (when this setting is enabled).

• Transport Mode – Specifies the transport mode used to pull an RTSP/RTP stream from an IP camera. By default, Wowza Video uses Interleave (RTP over TCP). You can change the transport mode to another protocol supported by your camera, such as UDP (TCP over UDP).
• Filter Unknown Tracks – If the checkbox is checked in the Value column, it removes unidentifiable tracks from the RSTP/RTP source stream. The default is an unchecked box which leaves unidentifiable tracks in the stream.
• Validation Frequency – Specifies, in milliseconds, how often Wowza Video validates the RTSP/RTP connection. Specify 0 to turn off validation. The default is 15000.

VOD Stream

• Create HLS VOD Stream – Creates the VOD stream and generates a URL that you can use to configure playback in an HLS compatible player or device
• Enable live to VOD – Creates the VOD stream and provides a VOD-specific playback URL that you can share with your viewers.

Outputs & Targets tab

The Outputs & Targets tab lists all output renditions for the transcoder and the target or targets associated with each output. The Outputs & Targets tab also offers options to let you start or stop all stream targets independently of starting and stopping the transcoder.

Output rendition setup options

Click the arrow on the Add Output button to quickly create a rendition from a predefined list. 

When you click Add Output instead of the arrow, you can fully configure the output rendition to your needs. The Video codec and Audio codec sections tell Wowza Video how to compress the audio and video of the output rendition. In most cases, the default values of H.264 and AAC are the appropriate choice. However, there might be situations where you want to stream only audio or only video. Or, you might want to pass either the source video or audio track to the target without transcoding it and retain the original source codec.

Outputs

• Enable all Targets – Starts all stream targets independently of starting and stopping the transcoder. The transcoder must be running to to select this option. If all stream targets are already enabled, this option will be disabled.
• Disable all Targets – Stops all stream targets independently of starting and stopping the transcoder. The transcoder must be running to select this option. If all stream targetes are already disabled, this option will be disabled. 
• Add Output – Creates an output rendition.
  • Disable Video – Sends the stream to the target without a video track. By unchecking Enable Video, you disable video.
  • Enable Video – Sends the stream to the target with a video track.
    • Video Codec – Specifies how to compress the video track.
      • H.264 – Transcodes the video to H.264. H.264 is the most commonly compatible video codec for streaming protocols and is the default value for new outputs.
      • Passthrough – Sends the stream to the target without transcoding the video track. 
    • Video Bitrate (Kbps) – Specifies the video bitrate to use, in kilobits per second (Kbps). The maximum value is 10240 Kbps.
    • H.264 Profile – Specifies which industry-standard method to use to determine the quality and complexity of the encoding. The profiles yield streams optimized for different applications.
      • Baseline – Best-suited for playback on mobile devices and for compatibility with older playback devices.
      • Main – Best-suited for standard-definition broadcast and desktop streaming.
      • High – Designed for high-definition playback devices.
    • Frame Rate Reduction – Reduces the frame rate of the output rendition. By default, output renditions use the same frame rate as the encoded source video, which means 0 (no reduction) is selected. Higher frame rates such as 50 fps or 60 fps yield smoother motion when the stream is viewed, but not all playback methods support high frame rates. To make high-frame-rate source video viewable over slower playback methods, you can skip one of every 2, 4, 25, 30, 50, or 60 frames on the output rendition. Choose 1/2, for example, to reduce the frame rate on 60-fps source video to 30 fps on the output rendition or reduce the frame rate on 50-fps video to 25 fps on the output rendition.
    • Resolution – Specifies the resolution which is a measurement of how many pixels a video frame contains, which determines the amount of detail and clarity in the video. It's represented as the total number of horizontal and vertical pixels in a single frame. For example, 3840 x 2160 means the video is 3840 pixels wide and 2160 pixels high. If you enter a custom resolution, the width and height must each be at least 11 pixels.
    • Keyframe Interval – Specifies the interval used to define the compression applied to a group of frames. The default value, Follow Source, uses the keyframe interval of the source video. You can also select a value of between 25 and 120 frames.
  • Disable Audio – Sends the stream to the target without an audio track.
  • Enable Audio  – Sends the stream to the target with an audio track.
    • Audio Codec – Specifies how to compress the audio track.
      • AAC – Transcodes the audio to AAC. AAC is the most commonly compatible audio codec for streaming protocols and is the default value for new outputs.
      • Opus – Transcodes the audio to Opus. Opus is used for WebRTC streams.
      • Passthrough – Sends the stream to the target without transcoding the audio data. 
    • Audio Bitrate (Kbps) – Specifies the audio bitrate to use, in kilobits per second (Kbps). The maximum value is 9999 Kbps.

Stream Targets 

You can add stream targets to the outputs you've created for a transcoder by clicking the three dots on an output listed under the Outputs & Targets tab. You can also edit an output through the same workflow.

•  Three Dots Icon (on an Output listed in the Outputs list)
  • Edit Output – Allows you to edit the output.
  • Copy Output – Creates a copy of the output.
  • Delete Output – Deletes the output.
  • Add Facebook Live – A target that delivers the stream to a Facebook Timeline for Facebook Live Video playback. See Stream to Facebook with Wowza Video.
    • Continue with Facebook – A button that allows you to connect to your Facebook account. Enter your credentials in the pop-up window, and then click Log In.
    • Target name – A short, descriptive name for the target to identify in Wowza Video. The Target Name doesn't have to be unique and can't exceed 255 characters.
    • Title – A title to appear with the stream on Facebook. It can be up to a maximum of 255 characters. Emojis are not supported.
    • Description – A description to appear with the stream on Facebook. Emojis are not supported.
    • Video destination – The location where you want to post the stream on Facebook.  Select Timeline. 
    • Privacy – When posting the stream to your timeline, specify the Facebook privacy setting that determines who can watch your stream: just you (Only me), Friends, Friends of Friends, or all Facebook users (Public).
  • Add LinkedIn Live – A target that delivers the stream to LinkedIn Live. See Stream to LinkedIn Live from Wowza Video.
    • Stream to LinkedIn as a — If you're streaming from a personal account, select Person. If you're streaming from the LinkedIn page of an organization, select Organization.
      
      See Creating a LinkedIn Page in the LinkedIn Help Center to learn more. 
    • Sign in to LinkedIn - A button to grant Wowza Video authorization to post videos to LinkedIn on your behalf. Enter your credentials, and then click Sign In.
    • Organization – Select the organization you want to use for the stream. This field displays if you selected Organization instead of Person before you logged into LinkedIn.
    • Target Name – A short, descriptive name for the target to identify in Wowza Video. The Target Name doesn't have to be unique and can't exceed 255 characters.
    • Title – A title to appear with the stream on LinkedIn. It can't exceed 255 characters. Emojis are not supported.
    • Description – A description to appear with the stream on LinkedIn. It can't exceed 1300 characters. Emojis are not supported.
    • Region –  Select the region that is the closest to the broadcast location of the Wowza Video live stream that you created. 
  • Add External Service – Allows you to deliver the RTMP protocol to third-party CDNs like Akamai, or any RTMP destination or host, like YouTube. See our Stream to YouTube Live from Wowza Video article for more information.

    Note: Look for the information you need to create a custom target in the ingestion settings provided by the target's software or documentation.

    • Target Name – A short, descriptive name for the target that helps you differentiate it from other targets in Wowza Video and identify its purpose. A Target Name is required, doesn't have to be unique, and can't exceed 255 characters.
    • Provider – Choose the third-party CDN provider that you're targeting. Choose RTMP or RTMPS if your target isn't one of the listed providers.
    • Primary URL – The RTMP ingest URL of the target, without the preceding protocol and without the trailing slash (/). For example, [domain-or-ip-address]/[EntryPoint]. Hostnames can't contain underscores (_).
    • Stream Name – The name of the stream as defined in your target's ingestion settings.
    • Target Username – The name or ID that your target uses for RTMP authentication.
    • Target Password – The password that's used with your Target Username for RTMP authentication.
    • Confirm Target Password – The password that's used with your Target Username for RTMP authentication. 
  • Add Wowza CDN – Receives and delivers the stream through a Wowza CDN resource over HLS. This type of target allows playback over iOS, Android, smart TVs, and HTML5-based players. Optionally, you can send an MPEG-DASH stream for digital rights management (DRM) use on Google and Microsoft devices. 
    • Target Name – A short, descriptive name for the target to identify it in Wowza Video. The Target Name is required, doesn't have to be unique, and can't exceed 255 characters.verifi
    • Delivery Protocols – Protocols the target can deliver for stream playback. The options are HLS or DASH or Both.
  • Add Existing Stream Target – Any existing Wowza Video target, Wowza CDN or custom. Uses the target as is; you can't edit it. Select a stream target from the list, and then click Save Changes.

See Protect streams for Google Widevine and Microsoft PlayReady devices with EZDRM and the Wowza Video REST API for information MPEG-DASH and digital rights management in Wowza Video.

Note: If you select more than one protocol, you'll incur egress charges for each additional protocol you select.

• Three Dots Icon (on a stream target listed on an output in the Outputs list)
  • ​Enable this Target – Causes the output to send video to the stream target.
  • Disable this Target – Stops the output from sending video to the stream target.
  • Reset this Target – Stops, then starts an enabled stream target so that the output stops sending the video to the stream target, then sends the video after reset.
  • Delete this Target – Deletes the stream target from the output.

Note:The transcoder must be running to enable, disable, or reset a stream target.