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Autostart

Autostart automates two things at scheduled broadcast time so you do not need to be in the Viostream console at the exact moment your stream begins:

  1. 5 minutes before the scheduled start time — Viostream activates your RTMP ingest endpoint, making it ready to receive a stream from your encoder software.
  2. At the scheduled start time — Viostream transitions the session live, switching the viewer slate from the countdown to your live video.

This 5-minute window gives you time to start your encoder software, establish the stream, and confirm the signal is healthy before viewers see it.

Enable autostart on a session​

  1. Navigate to Live and open your live stream.
  2. Click View Session on the session you want to configure.
  3. Enable the Autostart option.
  4. Save the session.

Your responsibilities as the broadcaster​

Autostart activates the Viostream ingest endpoint — it does not start your encoder software (OBS, Wirecast, etc.). You still need to:

  1. Start streaming in your encoder software before the scheduled start time — aim to connect during the 5-minute pre-activation window so the stream is established and stable before it goes live to viewers.
  2. Confirm your encoder status shows Connected or Streaming in Viostream before T-0.
caution

If your encoder software is not streaming by the scheduled start time, the session will still transition to live — but viewers will see the live slate rather than your video until your stream connects.

Configuring the pre-activation window​

The default pre-activation window is 5 minutes. If your setup requires a longer warm-up time, contact Customer Success to request a custom window for your encoder.

Ending an autostarted session​

Autostart does not automatically end a session. End the session manually in Viostream when your broadcast is finished, then stop your encoder software.

See Go Live for the full end-session steps.