Using Pexip Infinity to stream from VTC systems into Microsoft Teams live events

Microsoft Teams live events are extensions of Teams meetings, enabling users to broadcast video and meeting content to a large online audience.

You can use Pexip Infinity as an external RTMP encoder for your Teams live events, which means that you can stream video, audio and presentation content from your videoconferencing meeting room systems directly into the event.

See these Microsoft articles for more information about the administrative requirements for Microsoft Teams live events:

• What are Microsoft Teams live events?
• Plan for live events in Microsoft Teams
• Set up for live events in Microsoft Teams

Setup summary

These steps summarize the process to schedule a live event and add an RTMP stream via Pexip Infinity:

1. Schedule a Teams meeting and change the meeting type to a live event. Note that the person (Teams user) scheduling the live event needs to have an E1 license.
2. Set the event permissions to People and groups or Org-wide, and select An external app or device as the production method.
3. Join the event from a Teams installable client, select Start Setup and copy the Server ingest URL to use as your RTMP stream into the event.
4. Use the Connect app to join a Pexip VMR as a content/control-only participant.
5. Start the Pexip VMR and add the RTMP streaming link (the Server ingest URL appended with /MSStream) as a participant into the VMR.
6. Add your meeting room system / VTC device to the Pexip VMR. The meeting room system / VTC device will now appear in the Teams live event.

7. Start the event via the Teams client to begin streaming to the audience.

   Any video, audio and presentation content from the VTC is streamed to the live event.

Detailed setup instructions

These steps explain in more detail how to schedule a live event and add an RTMP stream via Pexip Infinity:

1. Schedule a Teams meeting:

   1. From the meeting drop-down menu, change the meeting type to a live event. The person (Teams user) scheduling the live event needs to have an E1 license.

      

   2. Enter the meeting title and other attributes as normal and then select Next.
   3. Set the event permissions to People and groups or Org-wide. At the time of writing (May 2019), you cannot use an external encoder if the permissions are Public.
   4. Select An external app or device as the production method for the live event and then select Schedule.

   

2. Invite attendees as normal.

3. Join the event from the Teams installable app — it has to be the installable client, you cannot use the web browser.

   

   The Encoder preview screen is displayed.

4. Start the live event.

   1. Select Start setup. The event setup might take some time to complete. Depending on timing, you may get a dialog that "Your scheduled start time has passed" that you can dismiss.
   2. When you see the message Ready to connect, go to the Source settings tab and copy the Server ingest URL — this is what you will use as the basis for your RTMP stream into the live event. You can use the Copy URL link next to the field to copy it to your clipboard.

   

5. Use the Connect app to join a Pexip VMR as a content (control-only) participant.

   

   You can use any VMR that does not have any other existing participants. Joining as content/control-only means that the app participant will not send any video into the event. If the VMR is PIN protected you must connect as a Host.

6. Use Connect app to start the Pexip VMR. Go to the side panel and select the Control menu icon and then select Start the meeting.

   

7. Use Connect app to add the RTMP streaming link.

   1. From the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, or from the Control menu, select Add participant .
   2. Enter a participant address consisting of the Server ingest URL appended with /MSStream e.g. rtmp://62gad5...etc...3s3uicdg-euno.channel.media.azure.net:1935/live/5fba1f0...etc...cbaffd/MSStream and select Call in.

   

   The Teams client will show the stream, which will typically be a "broken camera" image as there is currently no actual content being sent to the RTMP stream.

8. Use Connect app to add your meeting room system / VTC device to the Pexip VMR i.e. make the VTC the source for the RTMP stream.

   1. From the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, or from the Control menu, select Add participant .
   2. Enter the address of the VTC system e.g. roomsystemname@example.com and select Call in.
   3. If required, answer the incoming call on the VTC system.

   

   The Teams client will now show the stream from the VTC system. There may be a delay of several seconds due to buffering.

9. You can now select Start event in the Teams client to begin streaming to the audience.

   

   Any video, audio and presentation content from the VTC will be streamed to the live event. (To present content you can connect a device to the VTC in the usual manner e.g. via a source cable or wireless connection.)