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How to Convert a Completed Livestream to VOD: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1342839
PatronManager's Virtual Event solution allows you to securely gate access to livestreams hosted on our platform, or sell tickets to separate Video On Demand Event Instances that patrons can watch when they choose.
But what if you want to convert a finished livestream into an on-demand recording, so that folks who may have arrived late to the livestream can catch up on the content later with their existing tickets? In this article, we'll walk you through the steps, and we'll cover some FAQs at the end.
A few steps in this article are irreversible, so it's crucial to follow these instructions closely.
Look out for warnings like this one throughout the article to ensure your livestream converts correctly!
1. Set up a "Livestream (RTMP)" Event Instance
If you're not sure how to do that, refer to this article.
Direct conversion to VOD is only available for "Livestream (RTMP)" Event Instances.
To give patrons ongoing access to content hosted elsewhere (i.e. a "Livestream (External)" Event Instance), you can set the Instance End Date to the latest their tickets should allow them access to the external link.
2. Run your livestream normally
We've collected some tips and best practices for livestreaming if you're new to the process.
3. Download all livestream recordings from the Control Panel
After your livestream is complete, open the Control Panel on your "Livestream (RTMP)" Event Instance:
Then download all recording segments to your computer:
You will not be able to access these recordings after you convert to VOD. Be sure to download first so you have a backup if anything goes wrong.
4. Back on the Event Instance, click to convert to VOD
5. Choose the livestream recording to convert
If you started and stopped your RTMP feed, you may have multiple recording segments to choose from. If you have only one, it will be preselected.
Make sure you've already downloaded all recording segments!
Whichever segment(s) you don't select during this step will be lost after you convert.
6. Set the video availability window
These dates represent the window during which patrons with valid, unexpired tickets will be able to access the VOD content.
If ticket validity exceeds the Video Availability End Date, the video availability window wins.
In other words, no patrons will be able to access the content after the Video Availability End Date, even if their ticket hasn't yet expired.
7. Set the validity period for existing tickets
This defines the validity period for all Ticket Allocations that currently exist on the Event Instance. Consider this step carefully (see below).
- Validity Period (Hours) - the number of hours tickets sold in existing Allocations should be allowed to access the content.
-
Starting From - choose whether that validity period starts from when the tickets were purchased, or from the first time the patron viewed the content.
- Be careful! If the patron clicked to view the livestream, their "First Viewed Date" will reflect that, and may therefore already be in the past.
You cannot change the validity period for existing Allocations after you convert.
Be sure you're setting a validity rule that will allow existing ticket holders to access the content for as long as you intend.
8. Double-check your settings, then click "Convert"
9. Click "Ok" on the warning message
Did you double-check your settings, and have you already downloaded your recording segments? Once you click "OK", you can't undo.
10. You're done! Your Event Instance is now Video On Demand.
Most settings from the original Event Instance remain in place, though some fields are no longer available (e.g. the Pre-Stream Content). For more information on interacting with VOD Event Instances, head over to this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, by adjusting the Instance Date and Sale Start/End Dates appropriately, but we don't recommend it. Converting a livestream to VOD is a great option if you want patrons who bought tickets to the livestream to have access to the recording for a set period of time afterward, e.g. for folks in different timezones or in case patrons had internet connectivity issues during the stream.
If you want to continue to sell tickets to the VOD version specifically, we'd recommend setting up a separate VOD Event Instance. That will make it easier to keep your reporting clean, and understand which patrons bought tickets to the livestream vs which bought tickets to the recorded version later on.
Click the button to open the Control Panel on the now-VOD Event Instance. You can preview the video file from there.
As long as you followed the instructions and downloaded all recording segments before converting to VOD, that's no problem! You can follow the Video Upload instructions in our article on setting up a VOD Event Instance to replace the video file.
If you recorded the livestream separately (e.g. on your own computer), you can upload that recording (or an edited version, etc) in the same way.
Yup! You can edit the video availability window on the VOD Event Instance after it's converted.
You cannot change the ticket validity period for existing Allocations after converting to VOD. At this point, you have two options:
Option 1: create a new Allocation and exchange tickets
This is a good option for a relatively small number of ticket holders.
- Create a new Allocation on your converted Event Instance, with the correct validity window and the same Price Levels.
- Exchange folks from their original Allocations into the new one.
- Send the default Exchange Confirmation Email during the exchange, as that will include their new ticket link.
Option 2: set up a new VOD Event Instance and offer livestream ticket holders special purchase access
This is a less time-consuming option if you have a large number of ticket holders to accommodate.
- Create a new VOD Event Instance and upload the recording you downloaded
- Create a Discount Code for livestream viewers that allows them to get tickets to the new Event Instance at a heavily discounted or free price
- Sell tickets publicly, or gate ticket sales with an Access Code
- Use Automated Communications to send a modified cancellation email (steps 2-4 of this article) to ticket holders of the converted livestream Event Instance. Include the Access Code link and Discount Code in the email template.