Tixati's p2p streaming function accepts .ts (Transport Stream) video files in the built-in streaming playlist.
These files are most appropriate when streaming due to their ability to be cut in arbitrary places (due to segment loss or joining mid-stream) and simple flow-control mechanism.
Any common video file, such as .avi .mkv or .mp4, can be quickly and easily converted to a .ts file using free open-source tools.
We recommend using
FFmpeg. This program produces high quality output even at low bitrates, and runs fast by using multiple CPU cores.
Here are some examples using FFmpeg on the command line. This will convert the video to H.264 video codec (using x264) and MP3 audio (using mp3lame) and save to a .ts file:
# Low Bitrate Video, 40 KB/s stream:
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -b:v 384k -bufsize 384k -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 16k output.ts
# Better Quality Video, 120 KB/s stream:
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -b:v 768k -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 32k output.ts
You can find more examples online, adjust codec options for quality etc. Bigger files mean higher bandwidth during streaming for everyone! Alternatively you can prepare a really efficient video file by using an easy tool like
Handbrake and then repack the .m4v/.mp4 file as .ts:
# Do not recompress the video, just change the file format:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -codec copy output.ts
