The Road to a World Record - World's Longest Uninterrupted Livestream

[piemadd]

This will be the story of my record-breaking attempt at the World's Longest Uninterrupted Livestream. The old record is at 130 Hours, 30 Minutes, set in February of 2011. I plan on beating the record with a few other people over the summer. Here is what we need:

 

-a internet speed capable of livestreaming (check)

-something to stream (check)

-people to meet the requirements (no check)

 

We need the Following people to complete this record:

 

-Record-Setter A: For day shift

-Day Shift Witness 1

-Day Shift Witness 2

-Record-Setter B: For night shift

-Night Shift Witness 1

-Night Shift Witness 2

 

The record setters have to be of 16 years of age. So, I won't be able to do it, I will have to be a witness. The link to the old record is here:

 

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/373225-longest-uninterrupted-live-webcast video\

 

If you think something is missing from the plan, please quote me.

 

-ImplosiveTech

[terrytek]

so, what are you guys planning to do during the livestream? it's quite cool that you guys are attempting to break the record.

[piemadd]

3 minutes ago, terrytek said:

so, what are you guys planning to do during the livestream? it's quite cool that you guys are attempting to break the record.

seriously, just like the old record, gaming. we might even do some live tech reviews or stuff

[Mr.Meerkat]

Well I'm 16 (but in the UK) so I'm happy to help

Timezone differences may actually help you know...while you guys sleep, I'm awake during the day and while I sleep, it's day for you guys  

[kirashi]

You'll want to make sure the technical end of things is taken care of, as I'm sure the stream going down due to reasons beyond your control would invalidate the record breaking attempt. This means quad, or at least triple redundant failover for everything - power, internet, camera gear, streaming equipment, network switches, routers, etc.

Please keep in mind that these suggestions are for a worst-cast scenario of failures beyond your control, and NOT a requirement list to achieve your amazing goal.

 

So effectively, to guarantee the best possible outcome, you'll want the following:

• 3 PC's JUST FOR STREAMING, each with their own redundant peripherals (cameras, mice, keyboards, etc.)
• 3 additional PC's or consoles for playing the actual games - you pipe the video signal from these into the stream PC's above
• 3 separate internet connections - 1 cable connection, 1 DSL/Fibre line, and a 4G/LTE fallback
• 3 sets of prosumer-grade network switches/routers - 1 set for each internet connection
  OR
• 1 enterprise grade load balancing BGP router - automagically switches connections if an internet provider goes down
• 3 redundant battery backups, each capable of running all the equipment for at least 130 hours 31 minutes
  OR
• huge ass-generator and a lot of diesel fuel - don't forget to make sure the generator is actually hooked up to natural gas or fueled
• a fleet of IT support personnel to ensure all of these systems actually failover properly
• a hefty supply of snacks, coffee/tee (or energy drinks, if the devils' liquid is your thing), and supportive friends to cheer you on
• comfortable seating - IKEA furniture doesn't usually fit this requirement, and sitting for hours can get very uncomfortable fast

I've probably missed some things, but all in all, these are things you'll need to maintain about a 99.5% uptime guarantee. (Remember, just like service providers, I too can pull uptime guarantee numbers out of a hat with no actual guarantee or compensation to my clients. )

 

This assumes Twitch itself doesn't have issues internally within its' own datacenter or distribution network. Despite being owned by Amazon, I still suspect their infrastructure isn't fully running on AWS' Cloud yet, since I regularly get hiccups in various streams from the server's end, and not my home connection.

 

Estimated Cost: A LOT OF MONEY

 

I think the more realistic solution here is to just use whatever hardware you already have, and hope for the best. You might end up having a perfect stream, and smash that record hands down without any interruptions.

[Clanscorpia]

@Implosivetech Are we doing this with the TechBiz squad? Even if not Id be happy to help

[piemadd]

7 minutes ago, Clanscorpia said:

@Implosivetech Are we doing this with the TechBiz squad? Even if not Id be happy to help

You could be a chat mod, its just that the bystanders need to physically need to be there.

[Clanscorpia]

29 minutes ago, Implosivetech said:

You could be a chat mod, its just that the bystanders need to physically need to be there.

Kk Ill be a chat mod. Who are you being with?

[piemadd]

9 minutes ago, Clanscorpia said:

Kk Ill be a chat mod. Who are you being with?

A few friends. BTW, this will be in a few months

[MoonlightSylv]

Oooooooh yeeeeah boi

[piemadd]

13 hours ago, kirashi said:

You'll want to make sure the technical end of things is taken care of, as I'm sure the stream going down due to reasons beyond your control would invalidate the record breaking attempt. This means quad, or at least triple redundant failover for everything - power, internet, camera gear, streaming equipment, network switches, routers, etc.

Please keep in mind that these suggestions are for a worst-cast scenario of failures beyond your control, and NOT a requirement list to achieve your amazing goal.

 

So effectively, to guarantee the best possible outcome, you'll want the following:

• 3 PC's JUST FOR STREAMING, each with their own redundant peripherals (cameras, mice, keyboards, etc.)
• 3 additional PC's or consoles for playing the actual games - you pipe the video signal from these into the stream PC's above
• 3 separate internet connections - 1 cable connection, 1 DSL/Fibre line, and a 4G/LTE fallback
• 3 sets of prosumer-grade network switches/routers - 1 set for each internet connection
  OR
• 1 enterprise grade load balancing BGP router - automagically switches connections if an internet provider goes down
• 3 redundant battery backups, each capable of running all the equipment for at least 130 hours 31 minutes
  OR
• huge ass-generator and a lot of diesel fuel - don't forget to make sure the generator is actually hooked up to natural gas or fueled
• a fleet of IT support personnel to ensure all of these systems actually failover properly
• a hefty supply of snacks, coffee/tee (or energy drinks, if the devils' liquid is your thing), and supportive friends to cheer you on
• comfortable seating - IKEA furniture doesn't usually fit this requirement, and sitting for hours can get very uncomfortable fast

I've probably missed some things, but all in all, these are things you'll need to maintain about a 99.5% uptime guarantee. (Remember, just like service providers, I too can pull uptime guarantee numbers out of a hat with no actual guarantee or compensation to my clients. )

 

This assumes Twitch itself doesn't have issues internally within its' own datacenter or distribution network. Despite being owned by Amazon, I still suspect their infrastructure isn't fully running on AWS' Cloud yet, since I regularly get hiccups in various streams from the server's end, and not my home connection.

 

Estimated Cost: A LOT OF MONEY

 

I think the more realistic solution here is to just use whatever hardware you already have, and hope for the best. You might end up having a perfect stream, and smash that record hands down without any interruptions.

OK.Here we go...

 

1 PC for streaming(can run for a week while folding.I suspect it will be fine with streaming)

2 consoles for gaming

2 internet connections (1 dsl and 1 phone 4glte)

1 set of high-end consumer internet equipment (the 4glte one can hook up via USB)

NO FUCKING GENERATOR (but we do have a car battery and an inverter with passthrough)

2 IT people (me and a friend in the area)

a hefty amount of snacks  

comfy seating for 4

 

in the end, we already have a good amount of stuff. we should be fine

[piemadd]

12 hours ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

Oooooooh yeeeeah boi

 

lol

 

u could probably be a chat mod, just I might be getting the night shift. we would criss cross a little in the awake time

[Centurius]

If the record allows for the stream to originate from different locations I would be interested in participating. I have a fairly strong computer and Gbps fibre with 4G failover.

[piemadd]

2 hours ago, Centurius said:

If the record allows for the stream to originate from different locations I would be interested in participating. I have a fairly strong computer and Gbps fibre with 4G failover.

 it doesnt. we will need some people from around the world to be able to manage the chat and see if anybody is being innapropriate. we also will need some sponsors. in early february, we will apply officially through Guinness World Records

[kirashi]

6 hours ago, Implosivetech said:

OK.Here we go...

 

1 PC for streaming(can run for a week while folding.I suspect it will be fine with streaming)

2 consoles for gaming

2 internet connections (1 dsl and 1 phone 4glte)

1 set of high-end consumer internet equipment (the 4glte one can hook up via USB)

NO FUCKING GENERATOR (but we do have a car battery and an inverter with passthrough)

2 IT people (me and a friend in the area)

a hefty amount of snacks  

comfy seating for 4

 

in the end, we already have a good amount of stuff. we should be fine

Alright, that's definitely a good start. I especially like the bit about the generator.  That was worst case, but still good to have, no-less.

Let us know how it goes and if you need any help getting things sorted out!

[piemadd]

UPDATE: If you saw on a recent status update, I might be picking up a system tomorrow along with 2 antec psus and an r9 270x and an hd  5970 or something like that. All I know about the system is that it has an intel cpu, a dedicated gpu (not one of the one mentioned before), and 3 hard drives. It should be able to boot up.

[Zoravar]

On 11/4/2016 at 7:58 PM, kirashi said:

You'll want to make sure the technical end of things is taken care of, as I'm sure the stream going down due to reasons beyond your control would invalidate the record breaking attempt. This means quad, or at least triple redundant failover for everything - power, internet, camera gear, streaming equipment, network switches, routers, etc.

Please keep in mind that these suggestions are for a worst-cast scenario of failures beyond your control, and NOT a requirement list to achieve your amazing goal.

 

So effectively, to guarantee the best possible outcome, you'll want the following:

• 3 PC's JUST FOR STREAMING, each with their own redundant peripherals (cameras, mice, keyboards, etc.)
• 3 additional PC's or consoles for playing the actual games - you pipe the video signal from these into the stream PC's above
• 3 separate internet connections - 1 cable connection, 1 DSL/Fibre line, and a 4G/LTE fallback
• 3 sets of prosumer-grade network switches/routers - 1 set for each internet connection
  OR
• 1 enterprise grade load balancing BGP router - automagically switches connections if an internet provider goes down
• 3 redundant battery backups, each capable of running all the equipment for at least 130 hours 31 minutes
  OR
• huge ass-generator and a lot of diesel fuel - don't forget to make sure the generator is actually hooked up to natural gas or fueled
• a fleet of IT support personnel to ensure all of these systems actually failover properly
• a hefty supply of snacks, coffee/tee (or energy drinks, if the devils' liquid is your thing), and supportive friends to cheer you on
• comfortable seating - IKEA furniture doesn't usually fit this requirement, and sitting for hours can get very uncomfortable fast

I've probably missed some things, but all in all, these are things you'll need to maintain about a 99.5% uptime guarantee. (Remember, just like service providers, I too can pull uptime guarantee numbers out of a hat with no actual guarantee or compensation to my clients. )

 

This assumes Twitch itself doesn't have issues internally within its' own datacenter or distribution network. Despite being owned by Amazon, I still suspect their infrastructure isn't fully running on AWS' Cloud yet, since I regularly get hiccups in various streams from the server's end, and not my home connection.

 

Estimated Cost: A LOT OF MONEY

 

I think the more realistic solution here is to just use whatever hardware you already have, and hope for the best. You might end up having a perfect stream, and smash that record hands down without any interruptions.

 

Just curious: I understand the mechanics of how the electrical failover would occur and how the internet failover would occur, but how would the streaming failover occur?  Would the standby streaming computer just be monitoring the stream and then simply start streaming if it notices the stream that it's monitoring go down? Is there software available that already does this or would something custom need to be made? 

[kirashi]

12 minutes ago, Zoravar said:

Just curious: I understand the mechanics of how the electrical failover would occur and how the internet failover would occur, but how would the streaming failover occur?  Would the standby streaming computer just be monitoring the stream and then simply start streaming if it notices the stream that it's monitoring go down? Is there software available that already does this or would something custom need to be made? 

More than likely Twitch (or the streaming platform) would need to allow multiple failover streams to all be broadcasting at the same time, but only actually display the first stream to viewers. If stream 1 goes down, Twitch would immediately detect this and switch to stream input 2, and then 3, and so on. Again, this is an extreme example, but definitely something that has happened during a live stream before.

[Zoravar]

1 minute ago, kirashi said:

More than likely Twitch (or the streaming platform) would need to allow multiple failover streams to all be broadcasting at the same time, but only actually display the first stream to viewers. If stream 1 goes down, Twitch would immediately detect this and switch to stream input 2, and then 3, and so on. Again, this is an extreme example, but definitely something that has happened during a live stream before.

 

 

I didn't consider having the failover be on the Twitch end, but that would make sense.  I wonder how some of the larger events, like Dota's International, ESL One's CS:GO tournament and others similar events do their streaming.  I'll have to do some googling...

[piemadd]

3 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

or just LTT open

lol

 

really, i should be able to sustain any issues

[CaseyMazur]

This sounds like an extremely awesome idea. Let's tag @LinusTech and @Slick 

[iiNNeX]

This is pretty sad i must admit...

[MoonlightSylv]

12 minutes ago, iiNNeX said:

This is pretty sad i must admit...

Why?

[Clanscorpia]

16 minutes ago, iiNNeX said:

This is pretty sad i must admit...

Why? I think its a cool idea

[BuckGup]

130 hours? That's it? Are there any rules against sleeping? I would just start streaming on twitch and never turn it off.