When setting up a streaming session in Playback, you will be asked to choose a streaming setting:

• Desktop Only
• Desktop and Web

The option you choose will determine how the session is streamed and how Guests are able to access the stream. There is a slight difference in latency between the different viewer types, and there may be a difference in the maximum width of the multichannel audio able to be sent.

Desktop Only

Desktop Only viewing requires all Guests to download and login to Playback Desktop on an Apple computer in order to join the stream. This is the best option for a full-featured experience, including:

• SRT Streaming Protocol
• Ability to transmit and receive multichannel audio (up to 16 channels) for studio-to-studio streaming
• Ability for Guests to create timecoded markers
• Full-featured conferencing with video, audio, and chat functionality
• The ability to adjust A/V sync settings

Desktop Only Streaming will introduce a minimum of two seconds of latency to help compensate for network quality variations. The latency in the stream can be manually corrected, see the section on latency below for more information. 

Latency 

This field is only available when “Desktop Only” Streaming has been selected. The Latency setting allows the Organizer to manually adjust streaming latency for Desktop viewers if desired. 

Since Desktop Only streaming utilizes an SRT streaming protocol, its possible to compensate for a Guest’s potential poor network quality by adding additional latency (in milliseconds) to this field. Adding latency to the stream before it reaches the SRT gateway provides more time for the stream to be processed before it’s transmitted to the Guest. This improves packet loss, and results in a larger buffer period to manage poor network conditions. This does increase the delay between the Organizer and the Guest, but ultimately results in an improved stream quality for the Guest.

Desktop & Web

Desktop & Web streaming allows Guests to join a streaming session from either Playback Desktop or Playback Web. This option is best for situations where Guests are “on the go” or joining from a Windows PC system or mobile device. Desktop & Web streaming features:

• SRT/WHEP Streaming Protocol playable on Desktop and Web streaming technologies
• For Desktop users, the ability to transmit and receive multichannel audio (up to 6 encoded channels)
• For those joining with the Web application, stereo-encoded audio only; multi-channel streams will be mixed down to stereo
• For those joining with the Web application, conferencing functionality is limited to audio and video only (there is no text chat)
• Timecoded markers are a function for the Organizer only - Guests can not enter timecoded markers when joining a Desktop & Web session.

Desktop & Web provides a streaming experience with nearly imperceptible latency (less than 2 seconds) for those joining through the Web application, but with lower audio quality than those joining through the Desktop application. This provides high flexibility, allowing Guests to join from any device with a qualified web browser.