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TransferSize

Guide

Protect an HLS stream with Live Relay

Already run a live stream and want a controlled playback link for your audience? Live Relay sits between that stream and the viewer. It passes along an existing HLS source you operate or have permission to publish; it does not turn a camera or uploaded video into a stream.

5 steps · Paid plan, Live Relay add-on, and an authorized HLS origin · Updated 2026-09-10

Where to startWorkspace → Live Relay → Add authorized source
An owned live source and its controlled playback route.

At a glance

A live event you produce

Source → delivery → playback
  1. Your HLS sourceYou operate it and have publishing rights.
  2. TransferSize relayPasses through the configured stream.
  3. Viewer’s playerMust support the source formats.

Your production team already publishes a working HLS feed of its own conference. TransferSize can provide the audience-facing playback link while the team manages the source separately. Rehearse the whole path before the event, including the actual phones and TVs people will use.

Steps

Follow these steps

  1. 01

    Make sure you have permission

    Use only a stream you own, run, or have clear permission to republish.

  2. 02

    Test the original stream

    Open the HTTPS .m3u8 address directly and check that its playlists and segments work.

  3. 03

    Open Live Relay

    Add Live Relay to a paid plan and open it in your workspace.

  4. 04

    Add and check the stream

    Enter the source address and wait for TransferSize to show that it is healthy.

  5. 05

    Use the new playback link

    Share it only with the allowed player or audience and watch the source during the event.

What the viewer sees

The viewer opens a TransferSize playback URL. Live Relay serves the HLS stream from the source you approved. It does not change the video quality.

Keep this in mind

Know what happens next

HLS in everyday language

HLS sends video as a regularly updated playlist and a sequence of short pieces. The playlist usually ends in .m3u8. The player reads it to know which pieces to request next. Your origin is the server that already provides that playlist and those video pieces.

What the relay adds

The relay provides a controlled TransferSize playback URL and forwards the required playlist and media requests. This can help you manage audience access separately from your source address. It does not give you permission to republish a stream or prevent an authorized viewer from recording playback.

Get the original stream working first

Confirm the source is HTTPS, its playlist updates, its segments load, and the intended devices support its video and audio. Source access must remain valid throughout the event. If the original feed stops, the relay has no healthy stream to pass along.

Keep expectations about quality precise

The current release does not transcode. That means it does not create a lower-resolution option, repair missing media, change an unsupported codec, or convert a normal MP4 upload to live HLS. Any quality choices must already exist in the source.

Work out the audience traffic

The base paid add-on includes one source, 100 hours, 250 GB of traffic, and up to 12 Mbps. Hours and traffic are different allowances. As an illustration, 100 viewers watching a 4 Mbps stream for one hour use roughly 180 GB before overhead. Check current account limits before inviting a large audience.

Keep someone watching during the event

Monitor the encoder or source, the relay, and an actual viewer device. Have a way to tell the audience what is happening if playback fails. If access or publishing rights change, stop the affected delivery instead of relying on a hidden source address as protection.

Want the technical detail?

Estimated audience GB = average bitrate in Mbps × seconds watched × viewers ÷ 8,000. This is a decimal-unit estimate and excludes overhead. Variable bitrates, retries, and audience duration change the real total; it is not a billing quotation.

Questions

Questions people ask

Can I relay any website's stream?

No. The HLS source must be yours or explicitly authorized.

Does it create new video qualities?

No. The current version does not transcode.

Your next step

Bring a working source you are authorized to publish, then rehearse the viewer experience.

Open Live Relay