Understanding Media Connect Input Health Metrics

Spalk's streaming platform provides detailed metrics for the Media Connect input type to ensure high-quality, reliable live video delivery. This guide will help you understand the key Media Connect input metrics, their significance, and how to respond if these metrics indicate potential issues.

You can find input health metrics on your Spalk Dashboard under the Stream Status dropdown.

Key Metrics

Metrics are broken down into 3 sections, each reflecting a separate part of the ingest workflow. In the case where you are not using an Ingest Configuration, applying a No-Signal Slate, or HTML5 Graphics, Spalk will not insert a Media Live instance, and so you will not see the Media Live section.

Media Connect

This section displays metrics for the AWS Media Connect input flow. These metrics can help you diagnose connectivity or transport layer issues.

1. Source Bitrate
   
   • Description: The rate at which data is being transferred, which can indicate the quality and smoothness of your stream.
   • Troubleshooting: Low bitrate can lead to poor video quality. Ensure this matches the expected output bitrate from your encoder and that your network supports the required bitrate for your stream's resolution and frame rate.
2. Source Total Packets
   
   
   • Description: The total number of packets received each minute.
   • Troubleshooting: Monitor this metric to ensure consistent packet reception. Fluctuations may indicate network instability or packet loss.
3. Source Not Recovered Packets
   
   
   • Description: The total number of packets lost during transit and not recovered by error correction each minute.
   • Troubleshooting: High values suggest significant packet loss. Investigate the network connection and error correction mechanisms.

Media Live

This section is only present if you are re-encoding the input feed. This might be to add HTML5 Graphics, use Live Input switching, add a No-Signal Slate, or for some other technical reason. These metrics provide information on the health and input to the Media Live transcoding step, and can help in diagnosing the root cause of visual artefacts, frame drops, or other observable issues that may not be present in the transport layer after transcoding.

1. Average Input Video Frame Rate
   
   
   • Description: The average video frame rate received by Media Live each minute.
   • Troubleshooting: Ensure the frame rate is consistent with the expected input. Variations can affect the viewing experience.
2. Minimum Input Video Frame Rate
   
   
   • Description: The minimum video frame rate received by Media Live each minute.
   • Troubleshooting: Drops in frame rate can indicate network or encoder issues. Ensure the encoder system can handle the required frame rate and is not overloaded.
3. Alert Details
   
   
   • Description: Details of any alerts on the MediaLive encoder. No Data indicates no alert logs to show.
   • Troubleshooting: Investigate alert details to diagnose issues. If you are unable to connect the input stream and seeing No Data, it may indicate an error starting the MediaLive encoder. Contact Spalk support if needed.
4. Active Alerts
   
   
   • Description: The maximum number of alerts on the MediaLive encoder that are active each minute.
   • Troubleshooting: High numbers of active alerts may indicate underlying issues with the encoder or input stream. Investigate the specific alerts to diagnose and resolve issues

MPEG-TS Health

This section displays metrics of MPEG Transport Stream internals at the final step of the ingest workflow.

If you are re-encoding your input feed, this displays the internals of the input feed that you have sent Spalk after it has been re-encoded by Media Live. If you are not re-encoding your input feed, this displays the internals of the input feed that you have sent Spalk.

1. NULL Packet Bitrate
   
   
   • Description: The bitrate of NULL packets in the MPEG-TS stream, used to maintain a constant bitrate. For CBR streams, 384kbps is ideal, with a minimum of 90kbps.
   • Troubleshooting: A low or zero NULL packet bitrate suggests the MPEG-TS multiplexer is running in Variable Bitrate Mode. Ensure the multiplexer is set to maintain a constant bitrate (sometimes called muxrate) if required. See here for more information
2. MPEGTS Bitrates by PID
   
   
   • Description: Bitrate for each Packet Identifier (PID) in your MPEG Transport Stream.
   • Troubleshooting: Monitor the bitrates to ensure each stream component transmits at the expected rate. Significant deviations might indicate issues with specific stream elements.
3. Program Clock Reference (PCR)
   
   
   • • Description: PCR values should be constantly increasing on a 27MHz clock, resetting to zero at 2576980377599. Note: This panel is only active if you have an active commentator or team output.
     • Troubleshooting: Ensure a straight line increasing at a rate of 27,000,000 per second. Deviations indicate problems with the PCR in the Transport Stream. Check the encoder for accuracy.

Regular Monitoring and Troubleshooting

Regularly monitoring these metrics will help you quickly identify and resolve issues, ensuring a high-quality streaming experience for your audience. If problems persist despite these adjustments, please contact Spalk’s technical support for further assistance.

By understanding and managing these input metrics effectively, you can maintain optimal streaming performance and deliver a seamless experience to your viewers.