Get started with Wowza ClearCaster

Wowza ClearCaster™ appliances are high-quality encoding and broadcast solutions designed for professionals looking for an easy and reliable way to broadcast to any RTMP destination. The ClearCaster appliances allow automatic configuration and monitoring of broadcast health in real-time.

Connect your Wowza ClearCaster appliance

Wowza ClearCaster Enterprise

A. Power B. HDMI outputs C. Ethernet D. USB ports E. HDMI input F. SDI input

1. Connect the power cords from the redundant power connectors (A) to a power source.
2. Connect an external monitor to the HDMI output port (B).
3. Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port (C).
4. Connect an video source to the HDMI input port (E) or the SDI input port (F).
5. Turn on the power and verify that the appliance is connected to the internet.
6. Sign in to Wowza ClearCaster Manager (clearcaster.wowza.com) and use the device code displayed on the external monitor connected to your appliance to register your ClearCaster Enterprise appliance.
7. Turn on your HDMI/SDI-capable video source and use the Encoders tab in ClearCaster Manager to verify that the source is properly connected to your appliance.

Wowza ClearCaster Micro

A. Power B. USB ports C. Display ports D. SDI input E. Ethernet

1. Connect the power cord from the power connector (A) to a power source.
2. Connect an external monitor to the Display output port (C).
3. Connect the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port (E).
4. Connect an SDI-capable video source to the SDI input port (D).
5. Turn on the power and verify that the appliance is connected to the internet.
6. Sign in to ClearCaster Manager (clearcaster.wowza.com) and use the device code displayed on the external monitor connected to your appliance to register your ClearCaster Micro appliance.
7. Turn on your SDI-capable video source and use the Encoders tab in ClearCaster Manager to verify that the source is properly connected to your appliance.

Stream video from Wowza ClearCaster to YouTube Live

With Wowza ClearCaster appliances, you can stream to any RTMP destination, including the Wowza Video™ service; a Wowza Streaming Engine instance; or video-sharing websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter. See Create and manage Wowza ClearCaster broadcasts for more information about live streaming options.

In this example, you'll stream to YouTube Live. You'll need access to a channel on YouTube and a Wowza account in addition to your ClearCaster appliance.

Create a live stream in YouTube Studio

To connect your ClearCaster appliance as a video source for YouTube Live, you first need to set up a live stream in YouTube Studio. For more information about using YouTube Studio, see the YouTube help article Intro to YouTube Studio.

1. Go to the YouTube Studio Live Streaming page and sign in with your Google credentials.
2. On the Stream tab, if given the option to choose between copying an existing stream or creating a new stream, click New Stream.
3. In the New stream dialog box, enter a title, privacy level, description, category, and other details for the live stream. Then click Create Stream.
4. Note the Stream URL and the Stream name/key that YouTube generates. You'll use those values when creating your ClearCaster broadcast so that the appliance can communicate with YouTube.

Create a broadcast in Wowza ClearCaster Manager

Next, you'll create a broadcast in Wowza ClearCaster Manager to send the stream from your ClearCaster appliance to YouTube. 

1. Go to clearcaster.wowza.com, click Broadcast in the menu bar, and then click Create Broadcast.
2. In the Create Broadcast dialog, enter the following settings:
   • Broadcast Name - Enter a name for the broadcast. We recommend a descriptive name, such as including the destination and output, so that it can easily be identified and managed on the Broadcast page.
   • ClearCaster - Select the ClearCaster appliance registered to your Wowza account that you want to use for the broadcast.
   • Destination - Select the destination to which you want to publish your broadcast. For this example, select YouTube to stream to YouTube Live.
   • Encoding Template - Select one of the encoding templates that are pre-tuned specifically for your destination or special broadcast configuration. For this example, select YouTube 1080p30. 
   • Server URL - Enter the Stream URL value for the YouTube stream. 
   • Stream Name/Key - Enter the Stream name/key value for the YouTube stream. 
   • Record Broadcast - Check this box if you want to record this broadcast each time it goes live.
   • Graphics - If you want to include graphics, select a built-in graphics package or select Custom and enter a graphics URL.
   • Enable Engineering View - Check this box if you want to use the engineering view on your external monitor attached to the ClearCaster appliance to monitor the broadcast.
3. Click Create Broadcast.

Test your live stream

Now that everything is set up, you can test your stream.

1. Make sure that the video source that is connected to the SDI/HDMI input port on the ClearCaster appliance is on.
2. In Wowza ClearCaster Manager, on the Broadcast page, find the broadcast and click Go Live.
   
   Wowza ClearCaster begins encoding your video source and sending it to YouTube Live.
3. In YouTube Studio, in the Stream preview dialog box, click Go Live.
   The stream from your ClearCaster appliance is now live on YouTube.
4. To end the live broadcast when you're done testing, in YouTube Studio, click End Stream.
5. In Wowza Clearcaster Manager, find the broadcast on the Broadcast page and click Stop Broadcast. The broadcast will remain visible on the Broadcast page for future use.

More resources

• Create and manage Wowza ClearCaster broadcasts