Reliable streaming (or the playing of local video files) requires a wired connection from your device to the external monitor(s). Wireless connections are too slow to work reliably.
The default method of streaming with MediaMogl is MPV, which is bundled with the program. MPV generally works well with YouTube, Facebook and DailyMotion. We have found that it does not work with Vimeo. Therefore Vimeo Media records default to Browser. This could change in the future and at such time we'll push out an update to the program.
| Streaming Service | MPV | Browser | Considerations |
| YouTube | Yes | Yes | Browser required for offline |
| Yes | No | Cannot directly stream offline | |
| DailyMotion | Yes | Yes - not practical | Ads will display, cannot stream offline |
| Vimeo | No | Yes | Cannot directly stream offline |
In both cases (MPV and Browser), there is a delay from the time the video is launched until it appears on the external monitor. We refer to this as Prelaunch. If you want a streamed video to play immediatly when starting a new song, skit, presentation, etc. it must be prelaunched. Similarly, if you have several short sequences of streamed video in close proximity, they must also be prelaunched to avoid gaps in the media stream for the audience. This holds true for YouTube videos that are dowloaded to your device via their premium service. There are still several seconds of delay from the launch until the video starts playing.
MediaMogl provides two solutions to this. In Settings, there is a switch to Prelaunch Next Record. When ON, as MediaMogl is playing/displaying media for the current record, it will look for opportunities to prelaunch video streams in the next record. These streams are prelaunched in an idle state so that they can be played immediatly when the time comes. There is also a Prelaunch button. This enables the "manual" prelaunching of video streams beflore the Play button is pressed. For example, a band leader can prelaunch the first song before starting their set.
When a browser is used for streaming (and for some other media types) they are initially launched on the Main monitor before being moved to the external monitor. This is done so the audience experiences smooth video transitions. Immedialy before being moved to the external monitor, the a streamed video will momentarily appear on the Main monitory in full-screen mode. This reduces or eliminates any undesireable screen artifacts from appearing on the external monitor.
Browsers are also a bit klunky when it comes to audio. There is no way for MediaMogl to programmatically retrieve from YouTube or Vimeo it's current mute status or volume level. Therefore MediaMogl keeps track of these settings internally. Although extremely unlikely, this can lead to a situation where you inadvertently press a button on your device that unmutes YouTube and MediaMogl will think that it is still muted. Fortunatlely, if anything unexpected happends during a live performance, the Halt and Reset buttons will help minimize any ill effects and help get you back on track.
But we have also experienced a brief period when MPV simply stopped working with YouTube - probably due to some maintenance that they were performing in their data center. We were able to switch to the browser and carry on. And of course, any streaming service can have glitches or temporary outages.
Such problems can be avoided if videos are launched directly from our hard drives. But we'll never be immune. A computer could crash. A software update kicks off in the middle of a live performance. A power chord can be accidentally yanked from an outlet, etc. These things happen and performers have no choice but to carry on with the show, sometimes with a brief pause to get the problem fixed. At the end of the day, the ease and convenience of live streaming generally outweighs the technical downside.