WebRTC Streaming

Owned by Patrick H
Last updated: Nov 29, 2024 by Dean Levinson
3 min read

What is WebRTC?

WebRTC is a technology that allows real-time communication, such as audio and video streaming, between web browsers or other devices without the need for any additional software or plugins. It is a set of protocols, application programming interfaces (APIs), and codecs that enable browsers to communicate with each other directly, without any intermediaries or third-party services.

Benefits of WebRTC

  • Low Latency: WebRTC uses peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, which means that data is sent directly between users' devices. This results in lower latency and faster communication.

  • Adaptive Streaming: Adaptive streaming allows the media stream to be adjusted dynamically to match the user's network conditions, which can improve the quality of the media and reduce buffering or stuttering.

WebRTC Availability

Platform

Availability

Platform

Availability

Windows

macOS

ChromeOS

Linux

iOS

Android

We recommend organisations using ChromeOS devices to switch to WebRTC by default.

WebRTC is restricted to 720p on Chromebooks and the Vivi Web App.

Native streaming on MacOS is the preferred streaming method.

Enabling WebRTC as default in Vivi Central

To enable WebRTC across your entire organisation, login to Vivi Central and navigate to ‘Organisations’ > ‘Stream’ and click the ‘Edit’ button where you will be able to adjust the default streaming method to WebRTC across all platforms.

Toggling to WebRTC in the Vivi App

To switch to WebRTC from the Vivi App, click on the settings icon on the top right and under ‘Video Settings’, switch the 'Streaming Method' over to WebRTC.

Toggling to WebRTC on iOS

To switch to WebRTC from the Vivi iOS App, click on the settings icon on the bottom right and under ‘Video’, switch the 'Streaming Method' over to WebRTC.

 

Toggling different Smoothness settings

From v3.7.4 and later, you can now toggle between different Smoothness settings when using WebRTC for a tailored experience!

You can now choose between 3 different Smoothness settings:

  • "Crisp" will preserve visual quality at the cost of a lower frame rate and is suggested for streaming slideshows, spreadsheets and images.

  • "Smooth" sacrifices visual quality for a more consistent frame rate and is suggested for video presentations.

  • "Balanced" is a compromise between a smooth frame rate and crisp video quality and is suggested for general use.

You can select the Smoothness settings in Vivi Central as the organisation wide default or directly from the Vivi App.

Select defaults in Vivi Central

Choosing the setting on the Vivi App