You learn something every day. I am probably well beyond being first across the line on this one, but I just discovered you can easily live stream footage from a DJI drone controller as long as you have a smartphone with an interne connection on hand.
Of course, you also need a host such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TWITCH etc to carry the stream, and if you are unaware of how to do that, I’ll post the steps at the end of this article for YouTube. I am sure a quick Google search will dig out the others.
Anyway, the steps for the drone side involve a bit of poking into DJI Fly, and it doesn’t matter if you are using an RC 2 controller say, or DJI Fly on a smartphone connected to a controller. In fact, the smartphone + controller option gives better results as this will allow to stream at 1080p whereas, are at this stage at least, the dedicated controllers only support 720p.
Since DJI Fly 1.16.0, the RC 2, RC Pro and Smart Controller you also must have a microphone plugged in to stream. A USB-C microphone or receiver in the controller’s bottom USB-C port works, and the RØDE Go mics is confirmed to work through a male-to-male USB-C adapter.
The DJI Mic and DJI Mic 2 also attach easily as you’d expect, and the new Insta360 Mic I reviewed yesterday should work the same way as will the Sennheiser Profile. With the mic connected, you can stream your voice commentary at the same time.
Steps
- Power on the drone and controller, and open DJI Fly.
- Go into the camera view, then open Settings (the three dots) > Transmission > Live Streaming Platforms and choose RTMP.
- In RTMP Address, enter the server URL followed by a slash and then the stream key, as one address. Add a slash at the end of the stream URL, then paste the stream key after it. Example: rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/your-stream-key
- Check Livestream Resolution and Livestream Bitrate, then tap Start.
- A notification at the top of the screen confirms the stream is running. To stop, tap the notification and hit Exit.
For YouTube, create the live event first so the stream key is ready, and the stream is set to start.
Getting a YouTube Stream Key
Do this on a computer, as it’s easier than on a phone.
One-time setup: enable live streaming
- Sign in to YouTube with the channel you want to use.
- Verify your channel with a phone number (youtube.com/verify or click Enable if YouTube says live streaming isn’t available).
- Wait. After verifying, you must wait 24 hours before you can go live. Do this a day before your first drone stream.
Get the stream key
- Open YouTube Studio and click Create (the camera icon), then Go live.
- Choose the Stream tab (not Webcam).
- In the stream settings, you’ll see the Stream key (paste in encoder) hidden behind dots. Click the eye icon to reveal it, then press Copy.
- Just below it is the Stream URL, which is normally rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2.
- Keep the key private. Anyone who has it can stream to your channel.
Put it into DJI Fly
In the RTMP Address field, join the two with a slash, with the URL first and the key after:
rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/your-stream-key
Tips
- Typing a long key on the controller is error-prone. Copy and paste it if you can, for example by sending it to yourself in a message or note you can open on the RC 2.
- Test your stream as Unlisted before going public to check the video and audio quality. You set visibility on the same Go live screen.
- Consider ticking the persistent stream key option in Studio if you stream often, so the key stays the same each time and you don’t have to re-enter it.
- Start the YouTube stream in Studio first, then tap Start in DJI Fly. The preview in Studio should show your drone feed within a few seconds.
- If a key fails, check for a stray space, and make sure live streaming is fully enabled on the account.
Note: YouTube can take up to 24 hours the first time.
