Pathable DirectLink Follow

DirectLink is a new feature through Pathable that adds the ability for the Pathable Admin to stream directly to a meeting session.  By using the DirectLink feature, you are able to setup and provision a stream URL and Key for each agenda session, enabling your AV production team, encoder or stream technician to send content in Full-HD to Pathable.  All current Pathable meeting functionalities remain the same for these sessions.

Adding DirectLink to Your Event

Please contact your Account Executive or Client Advocate to add DirectLink to your event.  DirectLink is available for purchase in hourly increments and additional hours can be added to an already existing contract.  Before contacting your representative please estimate, in full hours, the total streaming runtime for your event including any testing and prep hours.

DirectLink Setup

Pathable Admins can manually create a stream URL and stream Key for each session or import bulk sessions using the "Data Import" function.

Set Up DirectLink in an Individual Session: 

1. Login with your Admin credentials
2. Navigate to the Agenda session
3. Click on the "Virtual" tab
4. Select "DirectLink"
5. By selecting "Release after streaming" the stream will be made available after the session as a video-on-demand
6. By selecting "Release stream on meeting start time" an automated countdown clock will be displayed until the streaming start time. At the meeting start time, the video will become available for attendees. 
7. Click the "Apply" button
8. After a few seconds a window will appear with the Stream URL and Stream Key.
9. Copy and paste these values into your streaming device or provide them to your AV service.

Set Up DirectLink by Bulk Import:

1. Login with your Admin credentials
2. Navigate to the "Data Import" panel
3. Download the Agenda Template
4. Under the column "DirectLink Enabled" add "true" to each session that you would like to use DirectLink.  Columns with "false" or no entry will not enable DirectLink.
5. When complete, upload your agenda data as instructed in the agenda import article.
   • https://adminsupport.pathable.com/hc/en-us/articles/360054521851-Import-Sessions-From-Spreadsheet 

Retrieving Stream Keys

There are several ways to copy and capture the stream URL and stream Key.  This allows the admin to segment which attendee levels can access privileged information*.  

*Please be mindful when sending your stream URLs and Keys to external individuals, as the recipient will be able to stream their own content to your session.*

Agenda Session

Under the virtual tab for each agenda item with DirectLink enabled, you can find the URL and Key for your stream encoder.  

Agenda Report

Select the desired sessions to export a CSV report. The agenda export file will include the DirectLink URL and DirectLink Stream Key for each enabled session. 

Manage Session

Under the "Manage" button for each session, the DirectLink URL, Key, stream health, and preview window are available for any user with permission.  Applying the speaker role to prescribed users will allow for technicians to access this area. 

Stream Operation

DirectLink provides some additional features that can assist the Stream Technician, AV provider or Administrator of the event.  

Stream Health

Under the "Manage" tab for each session enabled with DirectLink, you will find a small confidence window, the stream bitrate and stream frame rate.  The stream health is displayed in Kbps (kilobits per second) and fps (frames per second).  The confidence window will show the output from our transcoders, so there will be a 10-30 second delay with processing the stream for distribution.  When the session is not receiving a signal from the stream encoder, it will display "Stream Status: Not Connected".

**The confidence window is only available to display an incoming stream in low resolution and should not be used for stream quality assurance.

End Stream

The "End Stream" button can be used if the stream is experiencing technical difficulties and needs to be immediately stopped or if the stream has concluded before the scheduled time to expedite the creation of a VoD asset.  When this button is clicked, a pop-up window will ask to confirm your request and the stream will immediately conclude for all attendees.  

Enable Stream

After a stream has been concluded using the "End Stream" button, you are able to re-enable the stream destination using this function.

New Key

If you are experiencing issues connecting to a stream or if a new stream key is needed for any reason, you are able to request a new stream key from our service.

Technical Specs

We use MUX under the hood, an industry standard for streaming.  We do not manipulate the feed coming into Pathable, it is sent directly from the MUX transcoders to our player as an HLS playlist.  Typical glass to glass latency can vary from 20-30 seconds. Recommended stream encoding rates are below:

Full HD Streaming:
Frame Size: 1920 X 1080 px
Frame Rate: 24, 30 or 60 FPS
Encoding: RTMP H.264
Suggested Bit Rates:  Constant Bit Rate (CBR) - 4.5-6Mbps

HD Streaming:
Frame Size: 1280 X 720 px
Frame Rate: 24, 30 or 60 FPS
Encoding: RTMP H.264
Suggested Bit Rates: Constant Bit Rate (CBR) - 2.5-3.2Mbps