Streaming Video with YouTube Live

Last updated May 20, 2021 by MB

Preparing to stream

Step 1: Grab a Chromebook and log in as user

video@crossroadsacademy.org

The password is on a sticker on the Chromebook.

Step 2: Plug the Logitech HD webcam into an available USB port and clip it to the top of the display pointing away from you.

Step 3: Go to YouTube and click the "Add video" icon in the upper right:

From the dropdown, select Go Live.

Step 4: Configure the video -- give it a name, set it to Unlisted, turn on "Schedule for later" and set the date and approximate start time, and select "No, it's not made for kids" (doesn't matter because this isn't going to be public content anyway.)

Then, MAKE SURE to click "More Options" and choose the HD Pro Webcam C920 (instead of the default built-in Chromebook camera). Leave the microphone on "Default - Mic":

Step 5: Click Next. It will count down for 3 seconds and take a snapshot of whatever the camera's pointed at, to use as a thumbnail. You can also upload a custom thumbnail. This option appears when you hover over the thumbnail in the Live stream preview (see below).

Step 6: Click Share to get the link to the stream. This can be emailed or posted on the website or whatever so that viewers can find it.

Now the event is scheduled and ready to use when the time comes.

Actually going live

Step 1: Later, when you're ready to stream, go to YouTube and click the "Add video" icon in the upper right and select Go Live again. If it opens to “Webcam stream info”, ignore that and click the word Manage at the top. You should then see the Manage Live and Scheduled Streams screen.

Step 2: Click on the one you want to use, then click the blue Live Dashboard button. Then, click the pencil icon and make sure that the “HD Pro Webcam C920” is the selected camera, and click Save.

Step 3: When you’re ready, click GO LIVE.

What we did for the musical in 2019 and again in 2020

We prepared the events ahead of time as above, one for each performance, and we put the "share" URLs on a webpage: https://sites.google.com/a/crossroadsacademy.org/public-i-t/musical-2019-stream-urls

Then, we set up a kiosk OU as per this, and made the auto-open URL be that webpage.

Then we put two Chromebooks from the 5th grade cart into the kiosk OU. (We couldn't use the two spares because we don't currently have admin management licenses for them, so they can't be put in kiosk mode.)

Now, when they're opened, they automatically go to the page with the URLs for each event, and the viewer just has to click the right URL to start watching the stream.

We wrote up instructions for the streaming setup and the viewing setup. PDF attached here.