All versions of MB STUDIO and MB RECASTER have an internal server that allows you to stream audio over the internet or local network without using an external server. Since external streaming servers are usually paid, this allows for economic savings, however, to ensure trouble-free listening there are minimum requirements and limitations to consider:
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It is necessary to have an internet connection with STATIC IP. If you do not have a STATIC IP, you can also use a DYNAMIC IP as long as it is PUBLIC. In this case, a virtual domain must be used (for example no-ip.com).
- It is necessary to have a lot of upload bandwidth
- It is necessary to configure the router and open a TCP port on incoming connections
- It is advisable to connect the PC to the router with a cable and not to use WIFI as it is very unstable and causes listeners to drop the stream.
How many contemporary listeners can there be?
MB STUDIO PRO and MB RECASTER PRO allow up to 200 simultaneous listeners.
MB STUDIO LITE allows up to 50 simultaneous listeners.
MB STUDIO HOME, NOLICENSE, DEMO and MB RECASTER FREE allow up to 10 simultaneous listeners.
However, this is only the maximum limit of the application, then there is to consider the limit imposed by your available upload bandwidth. To find out how many contemporary listeners you can have, first measure your upload band for example from here https://test.eolo.it/ Then use half of the upload band, multiply it by 1024 and then divide it by the total of kbits of the various encoders .
Here is a practical example:
I have an upload of 9.1 Mbits
I use half for my daily uses and the other half I reserve for streaming so 9.1 / 2 = 4.55
I convert Mbits into Kbits 4.55 * 1024 = 4659 kbits of available upload bandwidth.
now suppose I turn on a 192 kbits encoder
We divide the available upload band by the total of 4659/192 encoders = 24 simultaneous listeners. I will then adjust the internal encoder to a maximum of 24 listeners.
If you set too many simultaneous connections your listeners will receive intermittent audio and dropouts.
Is it possible to stream in https?
in MB STUDIO PRO and MB RECASTER PRO yes but you need to buy an SSL certificate for your domain
- If you have a STATIC IP you need to assign it to the DNS of a domain or sub domain. Example: if the site of my radio station is "myradio.com" I can create a subdomain "stream.myradio.com", whose DNS will be addressed to the streaming computer and register an SSL certificate at "stream.myradio.com ".
- If you do not have a STATIC IP, you can also use a DYNAMIC IP as long as it is PUBLIC. In this case, you need to create a personal domain name at no-ip.com and manage its DNS and register an SSL certificate to that personal domain.
You can buy a certificate from here: http://www.ssls.com/#certs by buying the cheapest one
you can even pay it after 1 month or cancel it with "Try for free"
during the purchase process a file called _key.zip arrives. Open it and put the certificate.key inside the MBStudio\SSL or MBRecaster\SSL folder
Then when the certificate you purchased is validated you receive a second file.cert which you put inside the MBStudio folder \SSL or MBRecaster\SSL (if the file has a .crt extension rename it to .cert)
once the certificates are installed just activate the SSL flag and of course the listening address will change to https://
Can I stream audio with multiple formats??
in MB STUDIO PRO and MB RECASTER PRO yes, it is necessary to turn on an internal server for each audio format, first turn on the option in configuration \ webcast \ More "More internal servers can share the same port"
Then activate up to 4 internal servers in different formats (always calculate the limits of listeners based on the available upload band)
When this option is active you can connect the different encoders by adding the number /1 or /2 or /3 or /4 to the listening address
How I listen to the stream from the internet?
In the main screen of MB STUDIO there is a box called NETWORK and there you will find your current internet IP address.
From outside your router you can open a browser (or a player like VLC) and type
http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:port (instead of xxx put the IP address shown by MB STUDIO and instead of port enter the port number you have set in the encoder and that you have opened in your router )
If you have enabled secure streaming then type https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:port
If in Configuration \ Webcast \ More you have turned on the option "More internal servers can share the same port" then type: https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:port/1 or / 2 or / 3 or / 4 depending on which server you want to listen to out of the 4 available in MB STUDIO.