This article explains how to simulcast a live Bevy session, networking table, or conference stage to an outside service such as YouTube, and how to set up to four destinations in advance for a stage.
There are two ways to simulcast. Which one you use depends on your product and on where you are broadcasting from:
- From inside a live session. Available in Bevy Virtual Meetup and Bevy Virtual Conference. You start the simulcast yourself while the session runs, to one destination at a time.
- From the event agenda. Available in Bevy Virtual Conference only. You set up to four destinations for a stage before that stage goes live.
Terms used in this article:
Simulcast—Broadcasting a live Bevy session to an outside streaming service at the same time it runs in Bevy.
Stream URL—The server address your streaming service gives you, sometimes called the server URL or ingest URL.
Stream key—The private code that tells your streaming service which of your channels the stream belongs to. Treat it like a password.
Simulcast target—One saved destination on a conference stage. A stage can have up to four.
Before you start
Check the following before your event:
- You need to be a host or a moderator. Attendees in presenter mode who aren't hosts or moderators can't simulcast. This is the same in both products.
- Your destination needs to accept a stream URL and stream key. Bevy streams to any service that accepts them, such as Facebook, YouTube, or Twitch.
- Some services need a third-party tool. If your service doesn't accept stream keys, use a tool such as Restream to relay the stream.
- Have your stream URL and stream key ready. Copy them from your streaming service before the session starts, so you aren't looking for them on air.
You can stream to LinkedIn Pages. LinkedIn exposes the stream URL and stream key one hour before the event, so collect them in that window rather than earlier.
Where you can simulcast from
In Bevy Virtual Meetup, you can simulcast from a live session. Every other place in the table below is a Bevy Virtual Conference feature.
| Where | Bevy Virtual Meetup | Bevy Virtual Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Live session | Simulcast button in the session | Simulcast button in the session |
| Networking table | Not a Bevy Virtual Meetup feature | Simulcast button in the session |
| Stage | Not a Bevy Virtual Meetup feature | Set up in the event agenda |
| Backstage | Not a Bevy Virtual Meetup feature | Not available |
| Booth | Not a Bevy Virtual Meetup feature | Not available |
| Pre-recorded session | Not a Bevy Virtual Meetup feature | Not available |
Simulcast a live session
Applies to Bevy Virtual Meetup and Bevy Virtual Conference. In Bevy Virtual Meetup, use these steps in a live session. In Bevy Virtual Conference, use them in a live session or a networking table.
Use these steps while the session is running:
- Select Simulcast in the session toolbar.
- Enter your stream URL and stream key.
- Select Simulcast to start the broadcast.
The Simulcast button only appears if you joined as a host or a moderator. The steps and the button are the same in both products.
A live session simulcasts to one destination at a time. To send a session to more than one service at once, use a relay tool such as Restream. In Bevy Virtual Conference, you can also use a stage, which supports up to four destinations.
Stop a simulcast
Use these steps to end the broadcast:
- Select Stop Simulcast.
- Select Stop.
The simulcast ends as soon as you select Stop. There is no confirmation step after that, and the session keeps running in Bevy.
Simulcast a conference stage
Applies to Bevy Virtual Conference only. Bevy Virtual Meetup doesn't have stages or an event agenda, so this section doesn't apply to meetups.
A stage works differently from a live session. Instead of starting the broadcast during the session, you add destinations to the stage in advance, and the stage broadcasts to all of them when it goes live.
Set up the stage before it goes live:
- In the dashboard, select Events in the left sidebar.
- Select the event you want to edit.
- Open the Agenda tab.
- Select the stage you want to simulcast, or add a stage.
- Select the option to edit the stage.
- Enter the details of your destination:
- Name—An optional label so you can tell your destinations apart, such as the name of the service.
- Stream URL—The server address from your streaming service.
- Stream key—The key from your streaming service.
- Select Add stream.
- Repeat for each destination, up to four.
- Save the stage.
A stage supports up to four simulcast targets. The Add stream button turns off once you have four.
You can't remove a destination while its stream is running. If you see the message "This stream is still in use," stop the stream, wait 30 seconds, and remove it again.