Learn how to speed up the connection between a source encoder and a transcoder or live stream in Wowza Video™.
When you configure an encoder to push video to the Wowza Video service, you enter a host server location in the encoder settings in the form of a URL. If you use a connection code, entering the code into your encoder automatically configures the host server URL and other configuration settings. After starting the connection between the encoder and the transcoder or live stream, there may be a delay of up to 10 seconds while a DNS server looks up the URL of the host server and resolves it to an IP address. You can remove this delay by identifying the IP address of the transcoder's host server and then entering the IP address into the encoder settings directly.
You'll need to choose which workflow you'll use, live stream or transcoder, before you begin this task. See Decide between a live stream or transcoder workflow for more information about these workflows.
To learn about other live stream or transcoder settings you might see in the user interface, see Live Stream Setup page in Wowza Video or Transcoder Setup page in Wowza Video.
Before you start
You should have completed the following tasks:
- Create a live stream or either an adaptive bitrate or passthrough transcoder using the push delivery method. You'll need the ID or transcoder ID resulting from that process. View our Connect a source topics to learn how to create a live stream or transcoder for your encoder or IP camera.
You should have access to the following items:
- The encoder's user guide for details about how to operate the device or software and how to specify settings.
1. Start the live stream or transcoder
The IP address of the transcoder is 0.0.0.0 (local host) until it is started. In order to identify the IP address, start the live stream or transcoder.
- In Wowza Video, select the live stream or transcoder.
- Click Start Live Stream at the top of the live stream detail page, or click Start Transcoder at the top of the transcoder detail page.
- Click Start to confirm that you want to start the stream.
2. Identify the IP address of the host server
Next, identify the IP address for the started stream.
Live stream
In the Overview tab of the live stream, under Source Connection Information, note the IP address that appears next to the Primary Server value.
Transcoder
In the Overview tab of the transcoder, note the IP address that appears next to the Host Server value.
3. Enter the IP address in the encoder settings
In the encoder settings, enter the IP address instead of the host server or primary server URL to configure the host server. Refer to the documentation for your encoder to note how to access and update its setttings.
For example, enter 18.144.40.220 instead of [host_name].entrypoint.cloud.wowza.com.
4. Connect the encoder
Start your camera and source encoder. The encoder connects to the transcoder using the IP address you specified without a delay due to DNS lookup.
Note: Each time the live stream or transcoder starts, the IP address is likely to be different. You must update your source encoder settings after each start if you choose to connect using the IP address instead of the host name URL.
