Nowadays, live streaming is one of the easiest ways of data transmission. Everything can be live-stream today, from TV broadcasts and video game streams to everyday social media videos. However, before going live, it’s important to test the stream. By doing this, users can check and make sure everything works. Many issues and problems may occur during live streaming, such as audio not working, choppy or lagging video quality, and many more. Sometimes the stream also stops or hangs in the middle; that’s why the stream test is important. The test stream will help you identify any kind of problems, and you can solve them before you actually begin live streaming for your audience. You’ve to run through a checklist to make sure everything is ready like:

• Stable internet connection
• Audio and video stream settings
• Live streaming pre-recorded videos
• Streaming platform configuration

Do you also want to stream smoothly? If yes, you’ve run a test streaming before going live! Nowadays, numerous online players are available on the market, such as MPEG-DASH Player, HLS or m3u8 player, RTMP Player, etc. You can use these online players to test streams before going live. Let’s know about them in detail.

MPEG-DASH Players

MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) players are the adaptive bit-rate HTTP-based streaming protocol. This is pretty similar to the HLS player, but the only difference between them is that, unlike HLS, DASH is an open standard. This means you don’t need to use Safari to test; instead, you can use any origin server, including Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. So, how to test your stream before it goes live? All you need to do is to enter the URL of the MPEG-DASH streaming (.mpd file) into the player. The mpd player online (.mpd file) will stream the video at different levels and also switch between them smoothly.

HLS or .M3U8 Player

HLS, also called HTTP Live Streaming, is a streaming protocol. It is an HTTP-based adaptive bitrate streaming communication protocol. This protocol was developed by apple and launched in 2009. Also, This protocol is widely used from streaming media servers and web browsers to media players and mobile devices. This protocol has tools and procedures to test the streaming video and audio on the internet. This works by breaking the overall stream into small segments, which are later converted into a set of XML files. These files, also called as called playlists, always end with a file extension = m3u8. Users can use an HLS or m3u8 player to add subtitles or playback the videos.

The Bottom Line

So, this is how you can test the stream before going live. A test stream is essential as it will help you identify hidden issues like audio and video quality and lagging problems. With the help of online players like MPEG-DASH Player or mpd player online, HLS or M3U8 Player, and RTMP Player, you can test the stream and resolve all the issues before the actual stream goes live.