Not sure this is the right streaming method for you? See Live Streaming Options in Jomablue for a comparison of all available methods before continuing.
What Is the Self Hosted Live Stream Block?
The Self Hosted Live Stream Block plays back an HLS stream (a .m3u8 URL) from your own video provider, which handles the encoding. Use this option if you already use a video provider, including self-managed infrastructure such as Wowza, rather than streaming through Jomablue directly.
It works with nearly any provider that supports HLS, so it isn't limited to Jomablue's own plugins.
Supported platforms (verify current compatibility with each provider directly, as their platforms may change over time):
• Wowza
• Kaltura
• JW Player
• Brightcove
• Viostream
Features
• Automations and reporting insights are available regardless of which provider you use.
• Supports a custom holding image, shown before your stream starts. Host this image publicly and add its URL to the Block's configuration. Recommended size: 1920 x 1080px.
• Supports Picture-in-Picture, letting viewers reposition the video anywhere on their device.
• Captions are supported only if they're embedded in the HLS playlist by your video provider. Jomablue does not generate captions for this Block. If you need AI-generated captions, see
AI Closed Captions and Vocabularies, which applies to Jomablue Live Streaming only.
Setting Up a Self Hosted Live Stream Block
Adding a Self Hosted Live Stream Block to a Canvas
1. Go to the Jomablue Portal and log in with your email address and password.
2. Click Canvases under Community in the left-hand menu.
3. Click the Canvas type where you want to add the Block (Lobby, Session, Vendor, or Page).
4. Locate the specific Canvas and click Edit.
5. Click Layout.
6. Within a Flex, click Add Block. In Select Block Type, choose Self Hosted Live Stream (not Live Stream or Simulated Live Stream), then click Save.
7. The Block appears in the Flex as "Untitled". Click the pencil icon (Configure the block) to open it.
Open the Block's Configuration tab and apply the settings below.
Block Settings
• Content URL: the HLS playlist URL from your video provider. It must start with https:// and end with .m3u8; other sources cannot be played.
• Holding image URL: displayed before the stream starts.
• Auto-play: on or off. We recommend keeping this off.
• Automatically Poll For Progress: periodically checks whether the player is progressing and resets the stream if it isn't.
• Progress Polling Interval: how often the player checks progress.
Activating the Block
A new Block is inactive. To show it to attendees, open the Details tab, set Active to Yes and click Save.
Available Interactions
The Self Hosted Live Stream Block tracks the following interactions for post-event reporting and Block automations:
• playback_started: fires when the stream begins playing in the viewer's browser.
• playback_paused: fires when the viewer pauses playback.
• chunk_played: fires each time a one-minute portion of the stream has fully played. This shows which parts of the stream viewers engaged with, to the nearest minute.
• time_watched: total time a viewer has spent watching the stream.
• first_playback: a timestamp (in the event's timezone) marking when the first playback_started interaction occurred.
Troubleshooting
If your stream isn't playing:
• Check the Content URL starts with https:// and ends with .m3u8.
• Check the stream is live at the source. If it hasn't started or was stopped, viewers see an "unavailable" message and can use the refresh button to reconnect.
• If both are correct, contact your video provider to check the stream at their end.
