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Ingest

With ingest we mean creating a stream within MistServer and pointing it to a source (input). Sources do not have to be unique, but every "stream name" within MistServer is considered unique and can have its own unique settings, changes or outputs. This same stream name will then be re-used for distribution (the viewing and/or pushing of the stream name).

How does it work?​

All streams within MistServer start with a (unique) stream name and a source.

interface for creating a new stream

  • stream name: Each collection of tracks being handled by MistServer is uniquely identified by a stream name that has a system-wide scope. This name is used to find the shared memory buffers that stream data is stored in, for either reading or writing. The stream name has two components: the basename and the wildcard. The wildcard is optional, and if present it follows the basename and is separated by a + symbol. So, a streamname looks like basename+wildcard or basename. The basename has a very restrictive allowed character set, while the wildcard is much more permissive (see next two entries for details).
  • source: Every stream has a configured "source". This is a string that indicates where the stream data will be coming from.

Optional:

  • persistant tags: These are tags that can be applied to a stream as it becomes live. Tags can trigger several other processes within MistServer such as Triggers/Webhooks which allow you to change the flow of the server, or start recordings or push out logic.

Live or VoD

With MistServer there's several ways to get media data into MistServer. However we distinguish it in two categories:

  • Live streaming
  • Video on Demand (VoD)

Live streaming means that for your platform the source is something you'll be receiving in real time and are expected to make available as it comes in. This could be an actual live source such as a camera, but also a pre-recorded asset shared with you in real time.

Video on Demand means your sources are pre-recorded and fully available to you before you need to make them available to your users.

The distinction is important as by nature live streams are of an unknown length, while VoD content has a known beginning and end.