Quick Start - Storm Streaming Cloud

In this guide, you will learn everything you need to create your own live video stream using Storm Streaming Cloud and place it on your website, without any prior streaming experience.

Video Tutorial

Choosing the Right Type of Subscription

The first issue we need to consider is choosing the right subscription. Basically, there are three types, each aimed at different customers.

With Transcoding - the option of transcoding involves converting the original stream into versions with lower resolution and bitrate. For people using, for example, mobile devices, a 4K resolution stream may not be the optimal choice. Thanks to the built-in Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR) technology, your viewers will receive a stream best suited to the capabilities of their device and internet connection.

Passthrough-only - this subscription version does not have the option of transcoding. The material you are broadcasting is exactly what your viewers will be watching. In this case, we need to more carefully select the parameters of our video transmission, so that as wide a group of people as possible can use it. The Passthrough subscription, however, has several advantages, the biggest of which are significantly lower generated delays. The cost of such a subscription is also lower.

Restream-only - this is a special type of subscription that was created only for restreaming video broadcasts to popular social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc. In this option, we do not have the possibility of embedding a player on our own website, but the cost of the subscription is much lower than the others.

Data Transfer Calculation

In the case of real-time video streaming, one of the most challenging aspects is estimating the data transfer required, which constitutes the largest cost in the transmission process. The easiest approach is to calculate the transfer consumption per viewer-hour. This, of course, depends on the chosen resolution, but the following table will assist us in this:

ResolutionFrames per seconds (FPS)BitrateAverage GB/h
1080p604500-60002.57
1080p303500-60001.93
720p602500-50001.93
720p301500-40001.29
Table 1. data transfer consumption per viewer-hour table

Based on the provided table, we can deduce that a single viewer, while streaming at a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD) and 30 frames per second, will consume approximately 1.93 GB of data per hour.

However, if the same user is using a mobile device and we deliver the stream at a lower resolution of 1280x720 (HD Ready) and 30 frames per second, the data consumption will be approximately 1.29 GB.

Assuming that 70% of Internet users primarily use their phones, our hourly transmission for 100 users will consume approximately:

1,29 GiB (720p stream) × 70 (mobile users) = 90,3 GiB
1,93 GiB (1080p stream) × 30 (desktop/smart TV users) = 57,9 GiB

90,3 GiB (720p streams) + 57,9 GiB (1080p streams) = 148,2 GiB (total usage)

Try Storm Streaming Cloud

At this stage, let's assume that you have already selected and paid for a subscription and you're ready to start your first streaming session. However, if you're still unsure if Storm Streaming Cloud is the right choice for you, you can take advantage of our trial version of the subscription. It's completely free, and you don't need to provide your credit card number. After the trial period ends, you are not obligated to commit to anything.

Creating Your First Stream

If you plan to restream your transmission to your social media channels, you can configure the Restream feature of Storm Streaming Cloud at this stage. We have prepared two dedicated tutorials for this purpose: Restream to Facebook and Restream to YouTube.

More About Player Configuration

To learn more about the configuration and customization options for players, you can explore our Storm Player Suite - JavaScript section. We have also prepared a guide on how to use JW Player with our Cloud service and server. Similarly, we have prepared a guide for FlowPlayer and VideoJS as well. These guides will provide you with instructions on how to integrate and utilize these players with our service.

Support Needed?

Create a free ticket and our support team will provide you necessary assistance.