Before you start
- A cut-over date with margin: a quiet week, no big events, and one more month paid to the old service.
- Who does what: the new provider sets up ingest, slate, AutoDJ, player and app; the channel does the list and talks to partners. In writing.
The 7 steps
- 1
List everything that points to your current stream
The website player (and any old site still online), partner sites that embed it, your apps, TV apps, operators or partners that pick up your HLS URL, and the simulcast destinations configured on the old server. Whatever is missing from this list is what "stopped working" later.
- 2
Sign up for the new service with an overlap
Activate the new provider while the old one keeps running. One or two weeks of overlap is the cheapest insurance in the whole move. Ask for the ingest URLs (RTMP and SRT), the HLS URL and the player code.
- 3
Send to both servers at once
Configure the encoder with two outputs (vMix and many hardware encoders do it natively; OBS with a multiple-output plugin), or run a second encoder from the same program feed. Test the new signal calmly for a few days: picture, sound, stability.
- 4
Set up slate, AutoDJ and program guide
Set up the slate and, if you use it, upload the recorded programs for video AutoDJ, and load the program guide. Then cut the encoder on purpose and check that viewers see the slate or AutoDJ, not a black screen.
- 5
Change the player and the apps
Replace the player code on your site and ask partners to replace theirs. If the app belonged to the old provider, a new one must be published, subject to store review. If the app is yours and reads the URL from a remote setting, change it there.
- 6
Move simulcast
Enter your YouTube, Facebook or Twitch stream keys on the new server and remove them from the old one on the same day: two servers sending to the same key cause errors or duplicate live streams.
- 7
Verify and cut the old one
Watch both panels for a few days. When the old stream's viewers drop to nearly zero, download what you want to keep (recordings, statistics) and cancel it.
Checklist
- Everything that points to the old stream listed: site, partners, apps, TV apps, operators, simulcast
- New provider active, with ingest URLs, HLS URL and player code in hand
- Encoder sending to both servers; picture and sound checked for a few days
- Slate, video AutoDJ and program guide set up and tested with the encoder off
- Player changed on your site and partners' sites
- App: new one published or remote setting changed
- Simulcast keys moved to the new server and removed from the old one
- Recordings and statistics downloaded; old service cancelled
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens |
|---|---|
| Cancelling the old service the day you sign up | Apps, partner sites and operators still point to a server that no longer exists: black screen for days. |
| Simulcasting from both servers | YouTube or Facebook receives two signals on the same key: errors or two live streams at once. |
| Not downloading DVR recordings | When the service is cancelled, the recordings go with it. |
| Never testing the slate | The first encoder drop on the new provider is the worst time to find out it shows black. |
How long it takes
With the new provider helping: sign-up and dual output on the same day; slate and program guide, hours; video AutoDJ, one to three days depending on how much you upload; the website player, minutes; a new app, one to two weeks with store review. Cancelling the old service: typically after two weeks.
Questions about switching
How long should both services overlap?
One to four weeks. If almost all viewing is on your own website, one week is enough. With a popular app or partners embedding your player, give it a month.
Can I keep the same stream URL?
Only if the URL you hand out is on your own domain and the new provider can serve it with a valid HTTPS certificate. If it is the provider's domain, no. Ask the new provider before the move; it makes the next one trivial.
Can the new provider do the migration?
Serious providers help: encoder settings, slate, AutoDJ library, player and app. INOVANEX does it as part of onboarding; ask for it before signing and get it in writing.
Do I need to change my encoder?
Usually not: an encoder that sends RTMP or SRT works with any provider that accepts that protocol. Only the ingest URL and key change. If your outside broadcasts suffer on 4G, it is a good moment to move them to SRT.