Hybrid Worship Glossary

A "Livestream" is a video+audio signal sent from a local setting (such as a church) to the internet for viewing around the world in real time. This requires several components

• Video signal (output from a camera)
• Encoder - a device that processed the video signal and set it an internet host
• Streaming host to share this signal with the world

Note, the device that encodes the video signal could be integrated with the camera, for example in the case of using a smartphone.

Technical details:

The typical internet protocol for livestreaming is called "RTMP", to contrast it with other common internet protocols such as "HTTP" (websites) or "FTP" (file transfer) or "SMTP" (email). Because video signals are relatively large, they require sufficient bandwidth to send the entire video signal at the same rate it is being watched. And because the singal is being sent continuously, the connection needs to be relatively stable.