Live streaming can be overwelming at first. Spend a bit of time doing it and it becomes really easy!
If you have any queries about any of the content found in the Chew Guide, please feel free to get in touch or join the Chew community Slack channel.
On Chew, we see live streaming as being the broadcast of live video and audio content over the Internet.
Chew is the live streaming community for DJs, producers and personalities.
For users who want to broadcast unlimited live content, Chew is free. Chew is also 100% free to view! We also offer a range of advanced features to our subscribing users.
Chew is built to work with any up-to-date browser, on any device, anywhere. You can watch streams on desktop devices (with our HTML5-based player) or on mobile devices (using our mobile-friendly player).
Please keep your browser and software updated to the latest version for the smoothest viewing experience!
Don't worry, we've got you covered! You can find a quick walkthrough of the tricks we've used here.
Regardless of the encoder you're using, please make sure you broadcast video in H.264 and at a framerate of 30fps or less. Please also make sure you stream AAC audio!
No. The platform is built to handle large volumes of traffic - so do your worst and let's see who can break our viewcount record!
Chew is unlike many other live streaming platforms, as we're built with rightsholders and copyright owners in mind. We are rights compliant and licensed to the fullest extent possible within the markets we operate in.
We do, however, take a very dim view of users going out of their way to violate applicable laws. Chew will terminate any account found to be actively breaching applicable laws.
Please see the Chew Terms for more info.
Obviously for a video stream, you'll need at least one camera. If you really want to (but we'd prefer you did it in an inventive way!), you can even broadcast an audio-only stream through Chew.
Generally, the number of cameras you can stream from is limited by the encoder you're using, your computer's processing power and your hardware.
Chew is built to work with most RTMP encoders. We recommend you use Broadcaster - but you can also use OBS, Flash Media Live Encoder, Wirecast and more.
While WiFi is often as fast as a wired connection, a wired connection is generally much more stable. Where possible, we recommend using a wired connection to stream through Chew. We also suggest testing your connection strength before you Go Live; using a tool like Speedtest.net.
On mobile, WiFi streaming is recommended over 3G. However, if you have a 4G-enabled phone and strong, consistent signal then 4G may be better than using a shared WiFi connection. Again, check the signal strength before you start streaming, perhaps using the Speedtest.net app.
As a rule of thumb, you should stream combined video bitrate and audio bitrates that are 20% lower than your upload speed.
So, for example, if you have use Speedtest.net and have an upload speed of 1mbps, you want to broadcast video and audio bitrates that total 800kbps or so (audio bitrate of 192 and video of around 600).