Description
Product Description
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• Multiple Video Streaming TypesChoose between multiple video streaming types to prioritize bandwidth consumption or image quality. Supports HTTP, UDP, RTP, RTSP, RTMP, RTMPS, SRT, HLS(M3U8), FLV, ONVIF, Unitcast, Multicast etc streaming protocol. |
• Multi-platform Live BroadcastingIt has 4 channels of video stream output, which supports to live broadcast on multiple platforms simultaneously. Except for RTMP or RTMPS, you can also push HLS stream to YouTube Live Broadcast(New Feature). |
• Compatible with Multiple SoftwareWorks with multiple software such as VLC, VMIX, OBS, Wirecast etc. Enter the video streaming URL of video encoder in the software and you can watch the video stream from computer or mobile phone. |
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• HDMI Local Loop OutIt supports single-channel HDMI signal local output, so that the input HDMI signal can be used for other purposes except for encoding, such as local display etc. |
• Web Page or APP ControlIt supports web page and APP control. You can choose the control mode according to different using occasions. You can even remotely control the encoder by port mapping technology. |
• On Screen Display SettingIt has many types of OSD setting, such as logo, text, scroll text, time etc. Meanwhile, you can customize the no signal image to display your own image when there is no input signal. |
SteveS –
Impressive number of features and customizationsI’m actually quite impressed with this device’s features and customization options however after playing around I found out that it’s probably best not to stray too far from the defaults.First, the setup. Setup is the biggest hurdle you MAY have to clear. The device comes configured with a default IP address of 192.168.1.168. If your home network uses the 192.168.1.XXX subnet(range), which is actually the most common default for most home routers (another reasonably common default if 192.168.0.XXX), then you’ll be good to access the device straight away over your network by just plugging into your network and entering http://192.168.1.168 into your browser. If your network assigns IP addresses in any other range than 192.168.1.XXX, then you need to take a few extra steps and connect the device directly to your computer and temporarily modify your computer’s IP address so that is in the same range, then log into the device and change it’s network address to one that is your network’s default. The instruction manual takes great care to describe this process in detail, and this process isn’t unique to this device, it’s relatively common to need to do this when setting up any network device you want to access remotely. I’m a computer professional so this part was a piece of cake for me, but with the instructions should be doable by just about anyone.While setting up the device, I figured this was the best to update the firmware to the latest and greatest. Unfortunately, they do not have the latest (or any) firmware on their website. They direct you to contact them via email to request it. I wasn’t happy about this as I figured it was going to delay my progress in setting up the device but I sent of the email thinking I’d get a response the next day or something. Instead, I received a reply within 1 minute. In fact, a short series of email exchanges with the support individual were so fast that it was faster than most chat sessions I’ve had with tech support. In the end, we determined that I already had the latest available firmware and an update was not necessary. They also sent me a PDF version of the user manual so I could keep it electronically. VERY RESPONSIVE SUPPORT.The device was up and running in a few minutes. I tested viewing it with VLC on my computer and it worked great. I also tested it with VLC on an Amazon Fire TV Stick attached to a bedroom TV to test watching on a regular TV instead of a computer and navigating the VLC app menus would sometimes cause screen glitches but that was within the VLC app and an VLC app issue. When VLC actually started streaming, the picture was clear and the experience excellent.I did have a couple of issues that most users probably will not encounter. I do not have the most common setup. That is: Source device (i.e. cable box, etc) -> Encoder -> TV. Instead, I have Cable Box -> Encoder -> Home Theater Receiver -> TV. It worked great until I turned off my TV, and actually via CEC control, the entire home theater system. The cable box remained on, as it should so that it could still provide a picture to the encoder and you could continue to stream the cable box source even if the attached TV is off. The encoder did continue to be reachable and you could stream, PERFECT (no problems here)! The problem happened when I tried to turn the TV back on. The TV / receiver would switch to the input but no video would be displayed until I turned the cable box off and then back on. It was as if the HDMI signal did not automatically “re-sync” through the encoder if the video source was never turned off and then back on. I could just turn the cable box off and on as a workaround, but the extra step I never had to do before bothered me. I changed the crappy HDMI cable I pulled out of the drawer to connect the encoder to the cable box to a certified cable I purchased on Amazon thinking that crappy cables sometimes cause these kinds of issues. Unfortunately, there was no change. And truth be told, the connection between the cable box and encoder always continued to work as I could continue to stream, it was between the encoder and Home Theater receiver and TV that the video link was broken. I contacted support for ideas, but this time they never got back to me. I never bothered following up, because the next day I also changed the cable between the receiver and the TV (still have not changed the cable between the encoder and the receiver) and re-ran my Samsung Smart TV’s input detection which I had not re-done since the encoder was installed. I’m not sure which of the last 2 changes it was (the new cable between the receiver and the TV, or re-running the Samsung Smart TV’s input detection) but the problem was solved thereafter. I’m willing to put money on it was re-running the Samsung TV’s input detection. I guess there is a reason it runs through an input detection diagnostic. So keep that in mind if you have anything similar.Beyond that, running the defaults works pretty darn good. I can never leave good enough alone and turned up most of the quality settings way up. Could I see a difference remotely? Honestly, no, I couldn’t notice any appreciable difference but I knew it had to be better. However, turning up the settings increased latency and also after hours would cause the device to not stream smoothly as if it was overwhelmed. Changing the settings back to something much closer to their defaults fixed all those issues and I can’t say I’m upset as the picture still looks great. Moral of the story: Don’t mess with it if it ain’t broken.I purchased this device to replace my SlingBox, which is going end of life in November of this year, that I used to watch my primary home cable TV subscriptions at my vacation home. The SlingBox does have the advantage of transmitting back remote control commands so you can change channels and control just about bit of your cable box remotely. This device is only and encoder. It will only take the video signal, encode it and send it to your streamer. It has no source control capabilities at all. If you are using it to display fixed video stream like a camera then none of this applies. On the other hand, if you are using it to watch your cable box, then you need some other method to remote control your cable box. I already had a Harmony Hub integrated into my Home Theater system. I can use the Harmony Hub app on my cell phone as a remote control and it works remotely too! Also the Harmony Hub integrates with Alexa, so you can direct her to “Alexa, Change channel to Food Network”, or “Change channel to 15” and she will do that through the Harmony Hub. Since my Alexa at my vacation home is on the same account, I can also give my echo show at my vacation home the same commands and it will control my cable box back at my primary home and change the video I’m viewing while streaming at my vacation home!. Cool! Again, this has nothing to do with this encoder as it just sends whatever video the cable box is outputting, the control is all via the Harmony Hub and optional Alexa integration, but the problem is solvable.As stated earlier, if you turn the quality settings up too high, the encoder works much harder to encode the video before sending it out so there is more of a delay in what you see relative to what the Cable box is outputting in real time. So, remote control commands can seem to take longer (or a long time, like a minute) to be seen remotely. When I lowered my quality settings a bit, the delay is acceptable. I can’t say how long as it seems to be variable to a degree but acceptable. I’ll probably play with the encoder settings again, maybe even reset them completely to default. I think at default they were ALWAYS under 5 seconds, maybe just 2-3 seconds.In Summary, this is a pretty impressive device that does it’s just well. I can’t say that I notice much quality difference between the h.264 and h.265 settings (a little if I look VERY closely) but the h.265 does have increased lag. If you watching a fixed video source, then probably even 10-20 seconds of lag is a non-issue. If you are trying to control the video source remotely, then it’s like trying to drive while looking in the rear view mirror. You have to anticipate what is happening as you look at what happened 10-20 seconds ago. The SlingBox had the same issue with lag.I got this to work as I needed / expected. I’d purchase this again. I might even try and save some money and purchase the h.264 model next time as this I’m finding this model has an overkill number of features and settings I either don’t need, or don’t really provide benefit I notice streaming cable quality video.Nice device. Well made.
Mike –
Slingbox replacementI have used Slingbox for many years in order to watch my home TV while on the road. Slingbox is discontinued Nov. 2022, and this is a perfect replacement. The encoder has four streams that can be set for different video quality. When I began I had an upload speed of 0.8Mb and was still able to stream a GOOD picture to a 48″ TV. Now I have 100 Mb upload speed and have the four streams set for increasing bitrate and quality so I can choose the picture quality depending on the download speed at the location I’m visiting. For more information on this application search “Build your own Slingbox Alternative/Replacement DIY”. Customer service seems very good. I received next day response to my questions.
See Through –
Low cost, high qualityI am extremely happy with this unit. The price is very good. The unit does not get hot like I have read others do.The setup is pretty easy. I didn’t have to change IP but that is not hard if you follow the directions.To stream to YouTube/Facebook, you just add the RMTP URL and set to H.264.If you want to use YouTube H.265, (2K, 4K) you must use HLS PUSH URL instead. (learned from another user review, thanks!).If you don’t want to use H.265, URay has another encoder exactly like this without that codec.One thing I needed customer support for was I had one machine (AMD, Lenovo) that did not pass sound through HDMIeven after updating my graphics driver (sound playback showed up as not plugged in).It turned out to be an advanced setting EDID needed to be changed, try each of the other settings untilaudio and video get through HDMI.Happy Streaming!
Steve G –
Great Alternative to Soon to be Discontinued Sling BoxWe have used Slingbox for years as a way to access our home DVR over the internet when we are on the road. Since it will be discontinued in November, we have been searching for an alternative and we sure found it in the URay HVEC H.265 decoder. It works like a charm with great pictures and sound over the internet through the VLC app on our Firestick. The pictures and sound are far superior to the older Slingbox codecs and much more stable.We use a pair of Keene IR Anywhere modules to send the IR signals over the internet to control the Playback functions at home and all of this together works GREAT! We’re set for November when they pull the plug on Slingbox.The Customer Service that URay provides is really great. Not being a streaming expert by any means, I had lots of questions on the initial setup. I would email a question and usually within a day, I got a response back from Linda at URay with information from their techs. We worked through everything in getting the encoder set for streaming over the internet and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.Of course, there are lots of other uses for the URay H.265/.264 but for our particular application, we couldn’t be more pleased. It is a terrific product backed up by terrific customer service. 5 Stars all around for sure.
Charles M. –
Confusing if you don’t know networking, but really great once you learn!I purchased this unit after trying and returning a similar product from Magewell called the Ultra Stream. That product was considerably more expensive ($378) but quite literally did everything for you – which also meant the user had no real control over what was happening to the encoded file.This product from URay is fabulous. I actually ended up returning my unit only because I upgraded to their WiFi capable unit. It’s extremely bare bones, but with that comes a cheaper price tag and tons of control. So much control, that it might actually feel overwhelming (like it was for me).Things to look into or expect to learn before choosing this product:1. How to change your device’s IP and Gateway to access the web ui settings of this device2. How to change the device’s IP and Gateway to properly send data through your router3. How to properly adjust your video encoding settings to maximize picture quality and reliability4. Understand that h.265 is incompatible with RTMP streamingMost of this is basic networking… networking I had never done before purchasing. I’ve always had my IP assigned to me through DHCP servers. I now know how to change this and I know how to access the settings.Once I knew that, it was easy for me to know how to assign a new IP to the device and change its gateway to my router’s.Encoder settings has been a LONG learning process for me. I just recently discovered what GOP length was and how changes to that can make or break a video feed. At first, I thought I was given a defective unit and then I thought I had a defective router. It was also a learning moment for me to realize that the reason why I couldn’t access my RTMP feed was because I was trying to encode using h.265, which is incompatible with RTMP. Their customer support was very patient with me in helping me to discover that.What I’m left with is an incredible device that gives me complete and total control over my video encoding parameters. It’s been just over a week from me receiving the device to learning enough about how it functions to make it work for my use case (YouTube and Facebook live streams).The device itself is super sturdy. The casing is metal and very well put together. Whereas the Magewell Ultra Stream was plastic and would get very hot, this unit, after testing out a 2 hour long 1080p60 stream, was barely warm to the touch. Incredible!One last thing to mention: the Magewell advertised the ability to record to a usb drive and stream at the same time while this unit does not. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. This device encodes two streams – a main stream and a second stream. I can do what the Magewell unit advertised, but better, by using the main stream to encode a super high quality stream at 1080p60 with a high bitrate using h.265 and setting up my second stream to encode 720p60 at a more reliable bitrate using h.264. The x264 stream goes to my rtmp server (and to my viewers eyes) while my x265 feed gets captured through rtsp using ffmpeg and saves to a drive.TL;DR – Barebones service, but the sky is the limit and the build quality is top notch. You are given full control of the settings, meaning you are given full control to make the device not function if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Minister –
You Don’t Need To Know Networking To Use This!My church was using an iPad to livestream, but our circumstances changed to where we needed to use a camcorder. As the local expert (Zero knowledge of networking…), I decided on using a hardware encoder to make it easier on our volunteers to start and stop the live stream. After doing some research and not really understanding what I was reading, I purchased this encoder, and I am very glad I did! Where we are right now, our volunteer only has to turn on the encoder to start the live stream and turn the encoder off to stop the live stream (The encoder is plugged into this to make turning on and off easy https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W53C4FQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).I am sure if you are competent in networking, setting up the encoder would be a breeze. Competent I am not. Thankfully, the instructions were clear and helpful. You will have to do some technical things to get this encoder up and running, but the instructions made it simple. I did not know what I was doing (I still do not know what I did), but I was able to get the live stream working just by following the instructions step by step.I was able to easily test it out on Facebook and YouTube (instructions were very clear!). I had some trouble setting up the live stream through our streaming host, but that was because I was confused on my credentials.The only issue I ran into with this encoder regarded the audio. Whenever the audio would come through the live stream, the sound kept popping. I swapped out cameras, cables, audio inputs, etc. and concluded the issue was the encoder. I contacted support, and they were able to fix my issue. I had spent hours trying to resolve the issue, and it turns out I just needed to adjust a single setting on the encoder. If you are experiencing this issue, try changing the Audio Sampling Rate from 44100 to 48000.Great encoder, great instructions, and great support!PS: Whenever you are inputting your server url into the encoder, make sure there are no spaces! I don’t know how many times that messed me up…
John –
Just works!I needed to send HDMI video over the internet to another location. I came across this item and I am very glad I did!This item was VERY easy to setup and configure. What I really liked about this item is that it can transmit FOUR different streams, so I was able to set stream 4 to a lower quality video with 600kps for slower remote connections, and set stream 3 to be a little better image quality, stream 2 even better, and stream 1 to full 1080P video at 4mps.Then, all you need to do is:1) Setup a port forward on your router so someone on the internet can access the desgnated port/url of this encoder.2) At the remote location, run a VLC player and configure it to the encoder’s IP address and the designated Port/URL.That’s it – You’ll have excellent quality video and sound (audio can be set to 48k).I also believe that this company sells “decoders” that you can use instead of the VLC app and connect the decoder directly to any HDMI display.The best part of this encoder to others is that it can encode in H.265, which offers the same video quality of H.264 but using HALF the bandwidth.I have had this encoder running 24/7 for weeks and I have not had to reboot it at all and it runs super cool.Another advantage of this item is that it has IN and OUT ports, so you can tap into any HDMI source and have it continue to send the HDMI signal onto the next device.You do need to have a little technical knowledge to configure this item, but once it’s configured, it just runs!
Phil Moore –
Solid unit for church, I bought moreBought one for permanent church streaming. I liked it so much I bought 2 more for additional church buildings. It takes a bit to get used to the interface and optimizing the settings. But these have been solid for me and so far are more reliable then some of the other models and comparable brands. The analog audio input is clean and the HDMI input handles my 1080 cameras well. HDMI is pass through and a nice enhancement would be to choose pass through or the actual production to see how the settings are compressing the video. Another nice feature would be to have OSD of status, active bit rate, stream health, etc on HDMI out. But for the price point, it’s great.Without an external readout (lcd screen or like) I don’t think I would use this for a mobile situation because of IP management and changing networks. Best for install where network and device can be co-configured.UPDATE FEB 18, 2022: Almost a year since I installed these devices. Streamed over 100 events on each unit. One of the units we have setup to stream to two different CDNs simultaneously. Rock solid. No issues.I have different model by same brand with another 100+ streams. Super happy.
Round Rock Head –
Exceeds ExpectationsWorks as described. Setup was easy and I had it fully functional in no time. Contacted support to check on firmware updates and received a quick response.
MMP GLOBAL LLC –
Great ProductThis is an amazing product with awesome tech support service to setup the device.