To broadcast a Centova Cast radio station on YouTube Live, start the station, connect a compatible live-source encoder using the station’s Centova connection details, and send that encoder’s output to YouTube with the stream URL and key. Use RTMPS if your encoder supports it. For a scheduled YouTube stream, start the encoder, wait for its preview in Live Control Room, then click Go live.
How the connection works
Centova Cast and YouTube handle different parts of the broadcast. Centova supplies the station audio; a compatible live-source application connects to that station and sends its output to YouTube. YouTube receives the encoder’s video and audio stream. The Centova manual does not specify one universal application for relaying a station to YouTube, so confirm compatibility with your radio host.
You will need access to the Centova control panel, the station’s live-source connection details, a compatible encoder or live-source application, and a YouTube channel with live streaming enabled. Keep the YouTube stream key private: it functions as a credential for sending a broadcast to your channel.
Set up the Centova station and encoder
- Start the station. In Centova Cast, open Server and select Start. If your account includes AutoDJ, it can begin playing uploaded media. Without AutoDJ, starting the server alone does not supply audio; you need to connect a live source. See Centova’s Starting The Stream instructions.
- Copy the live-source details. In Centova Cast, open Quick Links and find Live Source Connections. Copy the host, port, and source password or other connection values provided for your station. Enter these into the compatible live-source application. Ask your hosting provider which applications and source protocols work with your specific station. Centova’s Performing A Live Broadcast guide explains the connection workflow.
- Check AutoDJ and source conflicts. With SHOUTcast v1 and AutoDJ, stop AutoDJ before starting the live broadcast. Centova says this is not required for SHOUTcast v2 or IceCast. A server connection may also fail if another source is already using the available connection.
- Configure the encoder for YouTube. In YouTube Studio, choose Create → Go Live and use the Stream tab, or schedule a broadcast from Manage. Copy the stream URL and stream key shown in Live Control Room into the encoder’s server and key fields. Keep the Centova station details in the encoder’s source or input settings, and the YouTube details in its output or destination settings; exact labels vary by application. Follow YouTube’s encoder setup instructions.
- Prefer RTMPS when supported. YouTube supports RTMPS, an encrypted form of RTMP. Copy the RTMPS URL from Live Control Room and use it only if the encoder supports RTMPS. Google’s RTMPS ingestion guide specifies protocol `rtmps` and port 443; the hostname must be available for TLS SNI authentication. Do not assume that changing `rtmp` to `rtmps` in an address is sufficient if the application does not support the protocol or hostname handling.
Choose YouTube encoder settings
Match the encoder configuration to what your station and connection can sustain. YouTube’s encoder settings and bitrate guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS ingest; H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or AV1 video; up to 60 fps; AAC or MP3 audio; and constant bitrate (CBR). It recommends a two-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed four seconds.
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Bitrate depends on codec, resolution, and frame rate, so there is no single suitable value for every station. As examples, YouTube’s published recommendations for 1080p at 30 fps are 14 Mbps for H.264 and 10 Mbps for AV1 or H.265. These are YouTube’s encoder targets, not proof that your internet connection or hosting setup can maintain them. Choose a setting your actual upload connection can sustain, and consult YouTube’s current bitrate table for your intended format. YouTube advises: “We recommend running a speed test to test your upload bitrate.”
For a radio station whose source is audio, check how the chosen application handles audio input and routing. If the YouTube broadcast also needs a visual, configure an appropriate video source in the encoder; Centova’s station audio by itself does not establish what image or video the application will send.
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Test, go live, and end the broadcast
- Before the public broadcast, test the complete path: Centova station audio into the live-source application, then the application’s output into YouTube. Listen for clean, continuous audio and check any video being sent.
- Start the encoder and watch YouTube Live Control Room for the incoming preview and stream-health information. YouTube recommends testing with representative movement in the video as well as audio, and choosing quality based on the available upload connection.
- For a scheduled stream, wait until the preview appears in Live Control Room, then select Go live. An encoder sending data does not necessarily start a scheduled broadcast for viewers automatically.
- To finish, stop the encoder; for a scheduled broadcast, also select End Stream as directed in YouTube’s encoder instructions. YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived.
Troubleshoot connection and ingest problems
The encoder cannot connect to Centova
- Recheck the host and port against Quick Links → Live Source Connections; do not substitute `localhost` or `127.0.0.1` for the station’s actual address.
- Use the source password, not the Centova administrator password.
- Confirm that AutoDJ or another source is not already occupying a SHOUTcast connection. For SHOUTcast v1, Centova notes that the source port is the stream port plus one; its example is stream port 8000 and source port 8001.
- Check that the relevant stream port is allowed through the machine’s firewall and that the encoder is using the source protocol your host supports.
Centova’s live-source troubleshooting guide covers these connection checks. If the values appear correct but the connection still fails, ask the station host to verify the account’s server details and compatible applications.
YouTube does not receive the broadcast
- Verify that the encoder’s destination fields contain the YouTube stream URL and the matching stream key, rather than Centova’s source details.
- Check that the stream key is current and has not been copied with extra spaces. Do not share it publicly.
- Confirm the encoder is actually sending data, then check Live Control Room for its preview and stream health. For scheduled streams, select Go live after the preview appears.
- If using RTMPS, check that the address uses the RTMPS URL from Live Control Room, the encoder supports RTMPS, port 443 is configured, and the hostname is preserved for SNI. An SSL error or timeout can result from a mismatch in these settings.
The stream is unstable or the audio is poor
Lower the output quality or bitrate to a level the available upload connection can sustain, then test again. Check the encoder’s audio routing and input level, and monitor YouTube’s stream-health feedback rather than assuming that a successful Centova connection guarantees a healthy YouTube ingest.
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