Set up your stream on Xive
Everything you need to go live on Xive from OBS or any other encoder: where your stream key is, which encoder to pick, and the exact bitrate, keyframe and audio settings that play smoothly for your viewers.
The short version. Server rtmps://ingest.xivecdn.com:443/live/ with the stream key from Creator Studio. Video encoder x264 or NVIDIA NVENC H.264 (never AMD), CBR, keyframe interval 2 seconds. 1080p at 30 fps and 6,000 kbps on the free plan, or 1080p at 60 fps and 8,000 kbps with Pro. Audio AAC, 48 kHz, 160 kbps.
Before you start
- A Xive account. Streaming is free on every plan. You must be 18 or older to use Xive.
- An encoder. Free OBS Studio is what most creators use and what this guide shows. Streamlabs, vMix, XSplit and hardware encoders work the same way: they all take a server address and a stream key. On a phone you can go live straight from the Xive app instead.
- A steady upload connection. Xive recommends at least 5 Mbps of upload for HD. Run a speed test and keep your total stream bitrate at or below about 70% of your upload speed, so the stream has headroom when your connection dips. A wired connection beats Wi-Fi.
Step 1: Find your server and stream key
Open Creator Studio → Settings → Stream (thexive.com/live-dashboard/settings/stream). You will see:
- Server: rtmps://ingest.xivecdn.com:443/live/. Xive only takes the encrypted RTMPS address; there is no plain RTMP one.
- Stream key: hidden until you press Show, with a Copy button next to it.
- SRT details, if you would rather use SRT (see below).
Your key is permanent. It works for every broadcast until you press Regenerate key, so you only set your encoder up once.
Treat the key like a password. Anyone who has it can broadcast on your channel. Never show it on stream, and if it leaks, regenerate it straight away: the old key stops working immediately (you can’t regenerate while you are live).
Step 2: Connect OBS to Xive
The easy way: the Xive plugin for OBS
Xive for OBS (OBS Studio 32 or newer, on Windows, macOS on Apple Silicon and Linux) signs you in and writes the server and your stream key into OBS with one click. It also adds Xive chat, activity, quick actions and a stream manager as OBS docks, and it picks up a regenerated key the next time OBS starts. If you install it, skip to Step 3.
By hand
In OBS open Settings → Stream, set Service to Custom and paste both values from Creator Studio:
Service: Custom
Server: rtmps://ingest.xivecdn.com:443/live/
Stream Key: (paste your key)
SRT, for shaky connections
SRT copes better with packet loss on Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot. It is the same stream, with the same replays. Creator Studio gives you one SRT server URL that already includes your stream id and passphrase: paste it as the Server and leave Stream Key empty. Use RTMPS or SRT, not both at once.
Service: Custom
Server: srt://live.cloudflare.com:778?streamid=…&passphrase=…
Stream Key: (leave empty)
Put Xive in Settings → Stream, not in a “Multiple RTMP outputs” plugin. Sending Xive through the obs-multi-rtmp plugin has broken the video entirely for creators. Stream to Xive from OBS’s main stream output, and let Xive send copies to Twitch, YouTube and Kick for you: see Rebroadcast to other platforms.
Step 3: Choose your video encoder
In OBS open Settings → Output and set Output Mode to Advanced. On the Streaming tab, pick the Video Encoder:
| Your computer | Use this encoder |
|---|---|
| Any computer (works everywhere) | x264, CPU usage preset veryfast. If your game stutters, use a hardware encoder below instead. |
| NVIDIA graphics card | NVIDIA NVENC H.264. The best choice if you have one: it barely touches your CPU or your game. |
| Intel graphics | QuickSync H.264, or x264. |
| Mac with Apple Silicon | Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder, or x264. |
| AMD graphics card or AMD APU | x264. Do not use the AMD encoder (see below). |
Do not use AMD hardware encoding. Pick anything but the AMD encoder: AMD HW H.264 (AVC), also shown as AMF or AMD AMF H.264. Xive’s video network can’t decode the video it produces. Your stream connects and looks fine in OBS, and it may even play normally on Twitch, but on Xive your viewers see a solid green screen (or a black one) with sound. Switching to x264 fixes it immediately, which is how we found it.
This applies to AMD’s HEVC and AV1 encoders too: Xive only takes H.264.
Whichever you choose, it has to be H.264. Xive does not accept HEVC (H.265) or AV1 for live streams.
Step 4: Bitrate, keyframes and the rest
Still on Settings → Output → Streaming:
| Setting | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rate Control | CBR | A constant bitrate is what Xive’s video network is tuned for. Variable bitrate spikes cause buffering. |
| Bitrate | See the table below | Your plan and resolution decide it. |
| Keyframe Interval | 2 s | Never leave it on 0 (auto). It must be a fixed value between 2 and 10 seconds or the stream won’t start. 2 seconds keeps your viewers closest to live. |
| Profile | high (main or baseline also work) | Matches the presets in Stream Tools. |
| B-frames (if shown) | 2, or 0 | If playback stutters, set B-frames to 0. |
Resolution, frame rate and bitrate
Set the resolution in Settings → Video (Output (Scaled) Resolution and Common FPS Values) and the bitrate on the Output tab. These are the presets Creator Studio shows under Stream Tools; the bitrates are video bitrates.
| Preset | Resolution | FPS | Video bitrate | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p 60fps | 1920 × 1080 | 60 | 8,000 kbps | Pro |
| 1080p | 1920 × 1080 | 30 | 6,000 kbps | Free and Pro |
| 720p 60fps | 1280 × 720 | 60 | 4,500 kbps | Free and Pro |
| 720p | 1280 × 720 | 30 | 2,500 kbps | Free and Pro |
- Free plan: up to 1080p, and keep video plus audio at or under 6,500 kbps (6,340 kbps of video with a 160 kbps audio track). Viewers on the free plan watch at up to 720p.
- Xive Pro: 1080p60, and up to 9,000 kbps video plus audio. See plans and pricing.
- Don’t send more than 1080p. 1080p is the most Xive delivers to viewers, so 1440p or 4K only uses up your upload.
- Don’t go below about 2,500 kbps. Xive’s video network needs at least 2 Mbps of video and audio combined.
- Slow upload? 720p at 30 fps and 2,500 kbps looks good and plays well on phones. Lower resolution before you lower the bitrate further.
Step 5: Audio
- Codec: AAC. It is OBS’s default (FFmpeg AAC or CoreAudio AAC). Xive does not accept Opus or other codecs over RTMPS.
- Audio bitrate: 160 kbps (Settings → Output → Audio). Xive’s bitrate limits assume 160.
- Sample rate: 48 kHz, stereo (Settings → Audio).
Step 6: Let OBS reconnect by itself
In Settings → Advanced, keep Automatically Reconnect turned on (it is by default). If your connection drops for a moment, OBS reconnects and Xive carries on with the same broadcast and the same replay, instead of ending your stream.
The requirements behind these settings
Xive’s live video runs on Cloudflare Stream. These are its published requirements for incoming streams; the settings above already meet all of them.
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Video codec | H.264 only |
| Audio codec | AAC only (ADTS; LATM is not supported) |
| Total bitrate (video + audio) | Between 2 and 14 Mbps; under 10 Mbps recommended |
| Keyframe interval (GOP) | A fixed 2 to 10 seconds, closed GOP (the default in OBS) |
| Rate control | CBR recommended over VBR |
| Disconnects | The encoder must be set to reconnect |
Source: Cloudflare Stream, “Start a live stream”. Xive uses a 2-second keyframe interval, the low end of Cloudflare’s range, to keep delay down.
Step 7: Go live
- 1
Set your title and category in Creator Studio (or the plugin’s Stream manager dock) first, so followers get a go-live alert with the right title.
- 2
Press Start Streaming in OBS. That is the on switch: your channel goes live as soon as Xive receives video. There is nothing to click on the website.
- 3
Open your channel on another device to check picture and sound. Expect it to run about 15 seconds behind OBS; that is normal for live video.
- 4
Press Stop Streaming to end. Every broadcast is saved as a replay automatically; how long it is kept depends on your plan.
Troubleshooting
Viewers see a green or black screen, but sound works
Almost always the AMD encoder. Change Video Encoder to x264 (or NVENC on NVIDIA), then stop and start streaming again. If you send Xive through a multi-output plugin, move it to Settings → Stream.
OBS says it’s connected but the channel never starts
Check that the keyframe interval is a fixed number (2), not 0 or auto, and that audio is AAC. Then stop and start streaming. Wait about 30 seconds after connecting before deciding it hasn’t started.
Buffering or freezing for viewers
Your upload can’t keep up. Lower the bitrate to about 70% of your upload speed or less, use a wired connection, close uploads and cloud backups, or try SRT. Check that Rate Control is CBR.
The stream suddenly plays badly or not at all mid-broadcast
Stop and start streaming in OBS. Each new connection gets a fresh recording, which clears most one-off problems.
“Failed to connect to server”
Re-copy the server and key from Creator Studio (keys can contain characters like ? and =, so paste exactly). If you regenerated your key, update OBS, or restart OBS if you use the plugin.