What is Smashcast and how does it work?

What is Smashcast and how does it work?

What is Smashcast?

Smashcast is a livestreaming platform previously known as hitbox that allows you to extend your Freedom partnership onto live streaming platforms

 

Are hitbox and Smashcast the same thing?

Smashcast is the reimagined hitbox platform allowing it to move forward to gain new audiences.

 

How do I start livestreaming on Smashcast?

First you'll need a Smashcast account. After you create an account simply sign in, click your avatar in the top-right corner, and select “Go live!”. You’ll then be brought to your channel welcome page. Make sure you have your broadcasting software set up to recommended settings, and click to either continue onto Enabling Monetisation for your channel or carrying on to the Live Dashboard to start setting up your stream!

 

Can I livestream if I use Linux on the desktop?

Yes, there is even a streaming software that now has full Smashcast/Hitbox support and integration: ScreenStudio. You can find the download and all the necessary info on the ScreenStudio Website. Also, OBS now supports Linux, instructions on how to use OBS on Linux can be found here.

 

What are the best settings for streaming to smashcast?

Smashcast has set their recommended settings at:

Video Encoding
Codec: X.264
Bitrate: 2000 - 3500 kbps
Mode: CBR (CFR)
Keyframe Interval: 2 Seconds
Preset (Encoder Preset): veryfast

Audio Encoding
Codec: AAC
Bitrate: 96 - 320 kbps

View - Resolution and Frame Rate
Resolution: 1280x720 - 1920x1080
Frame Rate: 30

Stream configurations with different settings can lead to faulty delivery and transcodings
(e.g. black screens for viewers).

A detailed guide on how to set up Gameshow, OBS, XSplit, and AVerMedia's RECentral can be found here.

Quality settings like bitrate, resolution or FPS should be set according to the bandwidth of your internet connection, the processing power of your PC, and the feedback of your viewers.
Being able to stream with a high bitrate will improve the quality of your stream, but will exclude a portion of your viewers from being able to watch it, as their personal internet connections might not be fast enough.

 

What are the smashcast ingest server URLs:

Here is a list of Smashcast’s ingest servers, and their associated RTMP urls:

Default: rtmp://live.smashcast.tv/push
EU-West (Frankfurt): rtmp://live.fra.smashcast.tv/push
EU-West (Paris): rtmp://live.cdg.smashcast.tv/push

EU-West (London): rtmp://live.lhr.smashcast.tv/push


EU-East (Vienna): rtmp://live.vie.smashcast.tv/push
EU-Central (Nurnberg): rtmp://live.nbg.smashcast.tv/push


EU-North (Amsterdam): rtmp://live.ams.smashcast.tv/push
EU-South (Milan): rtmp://live.mxp.smashcast.tv/push
Russia (Moscow): rtmp://live.dme.smashcast.tv/push
US-East (Washington): rtmp://live.vgn.smashcast.tv/push
US-East (New York): rtmp://live.nyc.smashcast.tv/push
US-Central (Denver): rtmp://live.den.smashcast.tv/push
US-West (Los Angeles): rtmp://live.lax.smashcast.tv/push
US-West (San Francisco): rtmp://live.sfo.smashcast.tv/push
South America (Sao Paulo): rtmp://live.gru.smashcast.tv/push
South Korea (Seoul): rtmp://live.icn.hitbox.tv/push
Asia (Singapore): rtmp://live.sin.hitbox.tv/push
China (Hong Kong): rtmp://live.hkg.hitbox.tv/push
Oceania (Sydney): rtmp://live.syd.hitbox.tv/push


It is always best to choose the ingest server closest to you over the Default option. If you're unsure of what to choose, send an email to support@smashcast.tv so that they can help guide you :)

 

 

If you have any other questions or concerns, please make sure to reach out to our support team by clicking in the "Submit a request" link at the top of this page.

 

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