Studio and Adaptive Bitrate Streaming for Attendees

Alex Kozak

October 22, 2021 18:38

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Adaptive bitrate streaming works by detecting the attendees' internet connection speed and adjusting the quality of the video stream accordingly. For example, adaptive streaming can deliver a higher quality version of the video stream to someone with a connection that can support it, while still being able to service those on lower bandwidth speeds through a lower quality version of the video stream.

For attendees accessing a webcast that contains streaming video, selecting the "wheel" icon will open a window containing the available bitrates that will dictate the quality of the video stream.  By default, the quality will be set to "auto" as this is detecting the viewers current bandwidth speed.  The quality can be adjusted manually by selecting the available bitrates.  If a viewer’s bandwidth speed is unable to support the video stream, they will be presented with a “Connection failure” message.  If this occurs, the viewer will not see or hear the video.  This is the default for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari browsers.

If accessing on Internet Explorer, the quality can still be adjusted manually but the viewer is also presented with "AUDIO ONLY".  This allows the viewer to manually change the webcast to Audio Only if the viewer's bandwidth is unable to support the video stream. In this instance, the viewer will be presented with a frozen video or a black screen. If the viewer regains proper bandwidth speeds, they will need to refresh the webcast to regain access to the video stream.  If a viewer’s bandwidth speed is unable to support "AUDIO ONLY", they will be presented with a “Connection failure” message.