General mode

Live stream settings

1. Log on to the ApsaraVideo Live console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Live + > Production Studios.

2. Find the production studio you created and click Open in the Actions column.

3. When you open a newly created production studio, the Studio Settings panel appears automatically. After you configure the settings, click OK.

   If this is not your first time, you can also click Live Stream Settings in the upper-right corner of the page to open the panel and configure the studio.

   In the Studio Settings panel, enter a Name for the studio, and select a Live Center, such as China (Shanghai), and a resource group.

   Parameter	Description
   Domain Name	In the Domain Name drop-down list, select a domain name that has a configured CNAME record.
   Output	From the Output drop-down list, select the original resolution for the live stream. Valid values: Low Definition, Standard Definition, High Definition, Ultra High Definition 1080p (1920 × 1080), Portrait Low Definition, Portrait Standard Definition, Portrait High Definition, and Portrait Ultra High Definition 1080p (1080 × 1920).
   Transcoding Specifications Low Definition Standard Definition High Definition Ultra High Definition 1080p (1920 × 1080)	After configuring the output, you can set transcoding specifications for the live stream. Select the checkboxes for the desired transcoding specifications, such as Low Definition, Standard Definition, High Definition, or Ultra High Definition 1080p (1920 × 1080). You can select multiple specifications. Note You can select multiple transcoding specifications, but their resolution cannot exceed the original stream's resolution. For example, if you select Low Definition, viewers can switch between Original Quality and Low Definition during playback.
   Recording Settings	(Optional) Turn on the Recording Settings switch to enable recording. You can choose automatic recording, which starts with the live stream, or manual recording, which lets you start and stop recording as needed. Set the storage location for the live stream recordings. Note The storage location must be in the same region as the Media Production Studio instance. Cross-region recording is not supported. Select the storage formats for the recording files. You can select multiple formats. Set the recording interval. For example, if you set it to 10 minutes, a new recording file is generated every 10 minutes.
   Stream Delay	(Optional) Turn on the Stream Delay switch to set the delay for the output. The range is 15s–300s.
   Standby Video	(Optional) Live Stream: Choose Select from ApsaraVideo Live Console or Enter a live URL. to specify a standby video. VOD Resource: Click Select and choose a VOD video from the list. This video will be used as a placeholder before the live stream starts or if the stream is interrupted. Important All assets from ApsaraVideo VOD (VOD sources, standby videos) must be in the same region as the Media Production Studio instance. Media Production Studio does not support selecting VOD videos from a different region. For example, if you are using Media Production Studio in China (Shanghai), your assets must also be stored in ApsaraVideo VOD in China (Shanghai). Image: Click Select From Media Library or Local Upload to specify a standby image. Supported formats are JPG and PNG, with a maximum file size of 10 MB.
   Multi-way Stream Relay	(Optional) Click Add URL to set the relay destination. Important After you add or delete a relay URL, you must restart the PGM output for the changes to take effect. Relaying to third-party platforms incurs additional stream relay fees. By default, you get three free relay URLs per domain name. Any additional URLs are charged. The billing standard is the same as that for live center stream relay. For more information, see Live center stream relay billing.

Live content

1. Click + Add Media File to open the Add Resource panel. Add live streams or VOD videos as your video sources.

   Method	Description
   Live Stream	Select Live Stream: Select a domain name to list its live streams. Then, choose an ingest URL to add to the studio. Enter Streaming URL: Enter a valid streaming URL. RTMP, FLV, and RTS formats are supported.
   VOD	Click Select, choose a video from the media library, and set the playback to Once or Loop. (Optional) Set the playback start time. This setting is applied when you synchronize the asset to PGM. Click OK to add the video. Note To use a VOD asset from the VOD, you must first go to the ApsaraVideo VOD console, select More from the drop-down list, and then choose Use for Live Production. The asset is available in Media Production Studio only after it is uploaded and preprocessed. For more information about preprocessing rules and billing, see the ApsaraVideo VOD pricing page.
   Image	Select From Media Library: Click Select Image and choose an image from the media library list. Local Upload: Upload an image from your local machine. Supported formats are JPG and PNG, with a maximum file size of 10 MB. The uploaded image is stored in the ApsaraVideo VOD media library.
   Local Stream Ingest	Ingest methods: Screen Sharing: Share your screen. You can select an application window or your entire desktop as the input source. Camera Streaming: Use your local camera as the input source. Resolution: Select an appropriate resolution.

2. Set up the output screen layout.

   1. Click +Layout. In the Add Layout pop-up window, select a Layout Type, such as single pane, side-by-side, top-and-bottom, or quad view. In the Set Video section, assign a video source to each screen area, such as A and B, and then click OK.

      Note

      The video sources in a layout must be unique and cannot be empty.

   2. After adding a layout, start the live stream and click the layout. This applies the selected Layout (such as side-by-side or picture-in-picture) to the PGM output.

Start live stream

1. Click Start Live Streaming. The PVW area displays the mixed content from the video sources.

   Important

   • Billing starts when you click Start Live Streaming and continues even if you close the web page. The Media Production Studio instance keeps running and incurring charges. To stop the service and billing, you must click Stop.

   • The PVW area is for previewing and adjusting the stream. This content is not visible to the audience. After previewing, you can click Synchronize to PGM to make the content live for viewers.

2. Click Synchronize to PGM to send the final live content to your audience.

Real-time production

While the stream is live, you can use the following features to adjust content and effects in real time.

1. Drag the Volume Slider up or down to adjust the program volume.

   • Audio Follows Video (selected): PVW only displays video without audio. When you select Audio Follows Video and click Synchronize to PGM, the audio from the PVW source is sent to the PGM output. Audio from other sources is muted by default. You can use the audio mixer to manage the audio output for all video sources.

   • Audio Follows Video (unselected): When switching from PVW to PGM, if Audio Follows Video is not selected, the audio from the PVW video source will not be sent to the PGM output.

   Click the gear icon above a video source to access its settings.

2. Set subtitle styles and enable bilingual translation.

   Live subtitles use real-time speech recognition to convert audio into on-screen text. The recognized text can also be translated in real time, and you can display the source language, the target language, or both.

   Translation is supported between Chinese, English, Spanish, and Russian. Real-time translation makes content accessible to a global audience, which is especially useful for cross-border e-commerce and international events.

   1. Click Live Subtitles to open the subtitle component window.

   2. Set the component name, font style, size, position, video source, source language, and translation language. You can preview the effect in the left pane. After you complete the settings, click OK to save. In the Subtitle Component window, you can configure the following parameters: Name, Font, Size (including font color), Subtitle Background (on/off switch, color, and opacity), Size Adjustment, Subtitle Delay (in milliseconds), Position Adjustment (supports fine-tuning up, down, left, and right, and preset positions at the top, middle, and bottom of the screen), and Video Source. The left preview pane shows a real-time preview of the subtitle style. When you are finished, click OK.

3. Insert effects like watermarks, logos, or text banners into the live stream.

   • Add an image

     1. Click Image to open the image component window.

     2. Click Upload Image and select an image file from your local machine. After the upload, set the component name, scale (size), and position. A preview is available on the left. Click OK to save.

   • Add text

     1. Click Text to open the text component window.

     2. Enter your text in the input box, then set the component name, font style, size, display mode, and position. A preview is available on the left. Click OK to save.

4. Change the video stream layout. You can create up to 20 layouts.

5. Click Switch to Standby. If a stream interruption or other issue occurs, you can switch to the standby source in real time to ensure the live broadcast continues smoothly.