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To stream live video to social media with AWS Elemental Link, send your camera or production feed to a Link HD or Link UHD device, bring that device into an AWS Elemental MediaLive input, then use a MediaLive channel or workflow to deliver the encoded stream to a supported social destination. Link is the physical ingest device; it does not publish directly to YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch. AWS documents those three platforms as output choices in the MediaLive workflow wizard. AWS explains how Elemental Link works with MediaLive, and its workflow wizard documentation lists the destinations.
How the live-video path works
The complete path is camera or production source → AWS Elemental Link hardware → AWS Elemental MediaLive input and channel → social destination. Link gets the source video into AWS. MediaLive handles the cloud-side encoding and delivery workflow. The workflow wizard can provision much of that upstream and downstream setup, but it does not replace the destination platform’s account access or permissions.
This is a live contribution workflow: the source must be producing video, the Link device must be online, and the MediaLive workflow must be configured before viewers can receive the output.
Choose Link HD or Link UHD
Choose the model according to the highest resolution of the source you need to ingest. AWS documents both devices as producing the same resolution in HEVC when used as a MediaLive input.
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| Device | Maximum source resolution | MediaLive input output | Other documented use |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Elemental Link HD | HD or lower | Same resolution, HEVC | Not stated by AWS for this comparison |
| AWS Elemental Link UHD | UHD or lower | Same resolution, HEVC | Can also feed a MediaConnect flow, producing AVC or HEVC |
These are AWS’s documented capabilities, not a guarantee that a social destination accepts every resolution or encoding configuration. Check the output requirements for the destination and workflow you configure. See AWS’s HD and UHD Link device comparison.
Set up the device, input, and channel
- Confirm your AWS account, permissions, and Region. Use an AWS identity with IAM permissions for the Link input-device interface. If the hardware came from an AWS reseller, AWS says it must be claimed. Keep the Link device, MediaLive input, and channel in the same AWS Region. Select that Region in the console before creating the input. See AWS’s Elemental Link input guidance.
- Deploy Link and connect it to the network. Follow the instructions packaged with the hardware. After it is online, it automatically connects to MediaLive in its configured AWS account and Region. AWS provides a diagnostics utility for investigating connectivity problems; deployment instructions are at Deploying the Link hardware.
- Create the MediaLive input. In the MediaLive console, select the device’s Region, create an input of type Elemental Link, and choose the device. AWS provides single-class and standard-class input choices: its procedure uses one device for a single-class input and two devices for a standard-class input. Follow the current console workflow and class requirements when provisioning. See Create an Elemental Link input.
- Feed the source and verify video. Connect the camera or production source to Link and confirm that the device is powered on, connected to the internet, and sending video. MediaLive can display a content thumbnail while the device is streaming; AWS says the device captures a frame approximately every five seconds for thumbnails.
- Attach the input to a channel when you are ready to go live. AWS recommends waiting until Link is on, connected, and sending video before attaching the input to a channel. This avoids incurring idle-input and running-channel charges while the feed is not ready. Follow the input and channel configuration steps in AWS’s Link input documentation.
Select a social destination in the MediaLive workflow
In the MediaLive workflow wizard, choose Link hardware as the single source and select the required output: Facebook, Twitch, or YouTube. The wizard can create much of the workflow’s upstream and downstream resources. AWS says, “The workflow wizard works best when you use it to create these resources, rather than using existing resources.” See About the workflow wizard.
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Do not assume choosing a platform in the wizard grants access to an account, creates every platform-side permission, or resolves destination-specific restrictions. Confirm the destination account and its live-streaming access are ready, then review the configured workflow and destination before starting the channel.
Check connectivity and monitor the signal
Link’s network diagnostics check specific parts of the device-to-AWS path. They report whether the configured IP address is applied, the gateway responds, DNS resolves, AWS is reachable over HTTPS, time synchronization works over NTP port 123, and video packets can be sent to AWS over port 2088. These checks concern connectivity from the device; they do not prove that MediaLive is publishing successfully to a social destination. AWS describes the checks in Deploying the Link hardware.
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Use the MediaLive input thumbnail and device metrics to distinguish an incoming-video problem from a later channel or destination problem. A visible thumbnail indicates Link is sending video into the workflow; it does not by itself confirm that the social platform is receiving or displaying the stream.
Troubleshoot common setup failures
- The device is not visible or will not connect: confirm the configured AWS account and Region, check that the device is online, and run the deployment diagnostics for IP configuration, gateway, DNS, HTTPS reachability, NTP on port 123, and video packet delivery on port 2088.
- The input exists but no video appears: confirm the source is connected and producing video, Link is powered on and online, and the device is sending video before attaching it to the channel. Check the MediaLive thumbnail and device metrics.
- The input or channel is in another Region: align the Link device, input, and channel in the same AWS Region, then use that Region in the MediaLive console.
- A reseller-supplied unit cannot be used: check whether the device needs to be claimed in the AWS account.
- The device sends video but the social destination does not show a live stream: treat this as a later-stage workflow or destination issue, not a Link network diagnostic result. Review channel and output state, destination selection, and the destination account’s access and permissions.
Understand charges before starting
AWS specifically cautions that an idle input and a running channel can incur charges. Keep the Link device online and sending video, and attach the input to the channel when you are ready to go live rather than starting the channel around an unready feed. AWS’s MediaLive Link guidance explains this timing recommendation. The available documentation cited here does not establish a universal total cost; check current AWS pricing for the Region, channel configuration, and resources you plan to use.
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