Live streams on your screens.
Put a live broadcast on your screens: a church service, a prizegiving, a sports final, a conference keynote or a town hall. Paste the stream's HLS link into a Video URL screen and POMP plays it live, for as long as the event runs.
- Menu board
- News
- Raised fundraiser
- Live weather
- What's On
- Room sign
- Calendar
- Notices
Amazon Fire TV, Samsung and LG apps are coming soon.
How it works
A live stream screen is a Video URL screen pointed at a live HLS link instead of a video file. HLS is the format almost every live video service uses for playback. It plays natively on Apple TV, iPad and Android, and in browsers through the web player.
Ordinary videos are downloaded to the screen before they play. Live streams can't be, so POMP plays them straight from the internet and watches the connection. If no new video arrives for 30 seconds, or the stream ends early, the player reconnects on its own, waiting a little longer between each try so it doesn't hammer the service. Nobody has to walk up to the TV with a remote.
For an event, tick Show until changed so the player stays on the stream however long the broadcast runs. Use the screen's schedule to bring it on for the event and drop it afterwards, and your normal content comes back by itself.
What you get
- Plays HLS live streams (links ending in .m3u8) from services such as Cloudflare Stream, Mux and Amazon IVS.
- Tick Show until changed and the stream stays on screen until you change the playlist, with no restarts.
- If the stream hasn't started yet or drops out, the screen shows "Connecting to the live stream" and reconnects by itself.
- Schedule the screen for the event's date and time, and the playlist goes back to normal afterwards.
- Live streams aren't downloaded, so they don't use your media storage.
- Needs POMP player 2.1.4 or later. The web player already has it, and the store apps are rolling out.
Set it up
- 1Send your broadcast to a live video service that gives you an HLS link, as well as to YouTube.
- 2In a playlist, turn on expert mode and add a Video URL screen.
- 3Paste the .m3u8 link, tick Show until changed and save.
Great for
- Church and community services
- School assemblies and prizegivings
- Sports finals in the clubrooms
- Conference keynotes in overflow rooms
- All-staff town halls
Overflow rooms and foyers
Show the main stage in the overflow room, the foyer and the café, so nobody misses the keynote or the service while they're queuing.
Live eventsSchool prizegiving
Stream prizegiving from the hall to screens around the school, and to families watching on YouTube at home.
School digital signageYouTube Live on Apple TV
Already broadcasting on YouTube? Send the same stream to a second service for your screens. Our guide walks through it with OBS, vMix or Restream.
YouTube Live guide
Live streams questions
Can I paste a YouTube Live link?
Not directly. YouTube doesn't let other apps play its live streams on Apple TV. Send your broadcast to a live video service as well as YouTube (OBS, vMix and Restream can stream to both at once) and use that service's HLS link. Our live streaming guide at pompsignage.com/live-streaming has the steps.
Which live stream links work?
HLS links, which usually end in .m3u8. Cloudflare Stream, Mux, Amazon IVS and most live video services give you one. The link must play without a login.
How long can a stream stay on screen?
As long as you like. Tick Show until changed on the screen and it stays up until you change the playlist or its schedule ends.
What happens if the stream drops?
The screen shows "Connecting to the live stream" and keeps trying to reconnect, so the picture comes back by itself when the broadcast does. It also waits like this if the screen starts before the stream goes live.
Does the stream play with sound?
On Apple TV, iPad and Android, yes, at the TV's volume. Browsers often block sound until someone taps the page, so the web player plays the stream muted when that happens.
How far behind live is the screen?
Usually 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the service. Some services offer a low-latency mode that brings this down.
Which devices can play live streams?
Apple TV, iPad, Android TV, Google TV, Android tablets and the web player at player.pompsignage.com, from player version 2.1.4. Native apps for Amazon Fire TV, Samsung and LG smart TVs are coming soon.
Is it on the Free plan?
Yes. Video URL, which plays live streams, is included on every POMP plan, including Free. Live streams don't use your media storage.
Put your first screen live in minutes.
The Free plan is free forever. No card, no contract, no special hardware.