--- title: "Setting Up SimLive" url: "https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/setting-up-simlive" category: "Simulated Live" updated: 2026-10-13 summary: "SimLive is Sardius's virtual source option that allows you to simulate a live broadcast using pre-recorded content and deliver it to connected outputs just like a traditional live stream. Instead of sending a feed from a physical encoder, SimLive allows you to use existing Assets or Feeds…" --- # Setting Up SimLive SimLive is Sardius's virtual source option that allows you to simulate a live broadcast using pre-recorded content and deliver it to connected outputs just like a traditional live stream. Instead of sending a feed from a physical encoder, SimLive allows you to use existing **Assets** or **Feeds** (collections of Assets, explained below) and stream them through Sardius as if they were happening in real time. This makes it ideal for scheduled services, replay events, premieres, or recurring broadcasts that need a live presentation without the complexity of live production. As the SimLive Event plays out, viewers will be able to rewind, but they will not be able to skip ahead. SimLive reduces setup risk, eliminates encoder configuration, and provides a consistent, repeatable workflow — all while maintaining full output distribution through Sardius Stream. **Video** > **Transcript:** Sardius SimLive can be set up in two different ways. The first way is by using a feed. And the second is by directly using an asset. This tutorial will walk you through setting up both of these methods. We'll start with preparing your feed for SimLive. If you don't plan to use a feed, you can skip ahead to the title card that says, “Prepare Your Asset.” Before we can prepare the feed, we'll need a category. You can use a preexisting category if you like, but let's create a category just for SimLive. We'll start by selecting Categories on the sidebar, then we'll click Add Category in the upper corner. Let's call this “Rebroadcast.” Click Create to finish. Our category is ready now. Let's go to Feeds. With feeds, it's important to note that our SimLive process will only play the most recent asset in a feed. This allows you to automate your process so you don't have to worry about what's going to play next. Again, you can use a preexisting feed for this process. We'll go ahead and create one just for our SimLive. Click Add Feed in the upper corner. Let's call this “Rebroadcast.” Click Create to finish. Next, we'll go to the Assets tab so we can create a smart playlist. Click Advanced Filter Select Category from the dropdown menu and enter rebroadcast in the Open Text Field. Click Show Results. If your library has any assets already tagged with the rebroadcast category, they will now be displayed in this smart playlist. Click on Update Feed. Before we leave, we need to make one final adjustment. Click on the Restrictions tab and look for the toggle switch for restrict assets by availability dates. By default, assets are not generated with an available date. Since we're also not adding availability dates as part of our automated process, uncheck this toggle switch, then click update feed. Our feed is now ready for SimLive, so let's get our first asset ready. We'll start by checking for an asset already in our library. Search for the asset you will use in this SimLive, We will need to make sure our asset has an HLS version as our SimLive will only play HLS assets. You can also check the media tab to see if there is a default playlist.m3u8 file. If your asset does not have either of these, you will first need to apply an HLS publishing profile. Your asset is now ready to be scheduled for a SimLive, but if this asset will be used in a feed, you will need to take some additional steps. First, you'll need to approve your asset. If your asset is tagged correctly and is HLS but not approved, the feed will skip over this asset and play the first asset in your feed that meets these requirements. Let's click Approved and then Update. Second, let's go to the asset’s metadata tab. Scroll down to the categorization area and select your Rebroadcast category. Click Update. Now your asset is ready for your feed If you want to completely automate this process by recording your live streams and setting them up for broadcast, let's take a quick look at auto archiving, Know that this auto archiving solution works for users using Sardius stream or Sardius Entrypoint. If you're using Linked Asset, you will not be able to use this process. Please contact us if you're using a linked asset for live streaming so we can assist on setting up your cloud recording workflow. Access your channel’s event calendar and locate your future live event that you want to broadcast as a SimLive. Click on the Event and select Edit Select the Archived Settings tab. Click the toggle for Create an archive of this event. Select Auto Approve. You won't need to auto publish or select the publishing profile since this has already been recorded as an HLS asset. Finally, scroll down to asset metadata and assign your rebroadcast category to this asset. Click Save. This live event is now ready for the SimLive process. This is the last leg of the setup process. So here we go. Start by creating an event. Enter your title. Next click on the More Details button. Now select the streaming tab. Click on the Override Event Defaults button in the model that appears select Simulated Live. In the next step, you will get to choose your media type: asset or feed. In step three, search for the name of the asset or feed that you want to use. After you make your selection, click Next, Take a moment to review your settings. Once you are satisfied, click Finish. Finally, you will need to click Create Event in the lower right corner of the screen. One very important note I want to give you real quick. Your scheduled event will not be synchronized with the duration of your asset. If your event is scheduled for 90 minutes, but your asset is 91 minutes, the event will cut playback off at the 90 minute mark. If your asset is shorter than the 90 minute window, then the event will show as offline once the asset is done playing back. So if your asset has a different time than the scheduled time, you will need to make adjustments to the event time. Congratulations, you have completed this tutorial and your SimLive event is set up and ready to go. We'll see you in the next video. SimLive events can be set to repeat on your calendar, using either the same Asset or the same Feed, which can be updated dynamically and automatically. ### **Should I Use an Asset or a Feed?** An **Asset** is a single video that already exists in your Sardius Control Panel. To be playable through SimLive, the Asset must be transcoded using HLS. Using a single Asset for SimLive is ideal for one-off events. A **Feed** is a collection of Assets strung together using Metadata categories. Using a Feed, you can automate SimLive Events that repeat over an extended range of time. A Sardius SimLive Event will only play the most recent approved Asset in the Feed. Many clients use a Feed to rebroadcast their Sunday morning service automatically the same evening. ### **Prepare Your Feed** Feeds are most often used by clients who wish to automate recurring or scheduled SimLive Events. To prepare a Feed for use in SimLive, determine the following: - A category name that you will attach to your SimLive Assets. - A name for the Feed that all Assets tagged with the category will be attached to. > **Note:** **Using both Feeds and categories is essential to automating the creation and execution of your SimLive events.** - [**How to Create a Category**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/add-a-category) - [**How to Create a Feed**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/how-to-create-a-feed) After creating your Feed, take a moment to review your Feed's restrictions. These are viewable by clicking on the Feed's **Restrictions** tab. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/eb173d200cd1895a.png) Assets, by default, are not generated with an Available Date. If you are not setting Availability Dates for your Assets, especially in the auto-archiving process, be sure to uncheck **Restrict Assets by Availability Dates**. [](#setup-asset) ### **Prepare Your Asset** **Standard SimLive only works with an Asset that is in an HLS format.** - **If you are streaming an Asset that was recorded from a live stream within the Control Panel, your file is already formatted for HLS.** - If you want to use an Asset or video you uploaded into the Control Panel, you will likely need to re-transcode the file into an HLS format. Learn how in [**Transcoding an Asset**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/publishing-an-asset). > **Note:** Assets in other formats, such as MP4, can only be used with **Advanced SimLive**. To learn the difference, see [**SimLive Standard vs Advanced SimLive**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/simlive-standard-vs-advanced-simlive). **SimLive Assets must also be approved for playback. To do this:** 1\. Navigate to the **Assets** area of your Sardius Control Panel. 2\. Select the Asset that you wish to use. 3\. In the Asset's **Overview** tab, locate the **Approved** toggle at the bottom left. 4\. Click the toggle to approve the Asset. 5\. Click **Update** to complete the process. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/efee44ed03becf0d.png) **If you wish to attach an Asset to a Feed that you created:** 1\. Navigate to the **Assets** area of your Sardius Control Panel and select the Asset you want to attach. 2\. Click on the **Metadata** tab. 3\. Scroll down to the **Categorization** menu. 4\. Click the **Categories** dropdown and select the Category that your Feed is pulling from. 5\. Click **Update** to apply the changes. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/c59aa5f2c688d6c6.png) If you're recording a live service to restream later, you can add the Metadata and Auto-Approve the file from the Calendar event. You can learn how to do that **[here](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/create-an-asset-using-autoarchive)**. ### **Set Up Your SimLive Event** > **Note:** **Creating a new channel?** You can set SimLive as your channel's default source during channel creation. In **Step 3: Streaming** of the setup guide, choose **Simulated Live**, select **Feed** or **Asset**, then connect your media and click **Finish**. See [How to Create a Channel](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/how-to-create-a-channel). To create a SimLive Event, you must **create a new calendar event**, given you have already set up your channel for streaming. If your channel isn't set up for streaming yet, set your default stream settings when you [create your channel](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/how-to-create-a-channel), or see [**Setup and Change Default Stream Settings**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/setup-and-change-default-stream-settings). If you have not set up a calendar event before, please review [**Adding a Calendar Event**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/adding-a-calendar-event). > **Note:** The following steps are only used for clients streaming with the Sardius Stream protocol. For clients that have not enabled Default Stream Settings, please follow the walkthrough [**here**](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/setup-and-change-default-stream-settings). 1\. Locate the event you just created. **Click on your event and click the Edit button.** This will take you to your stream settings overview, which shows your default settings. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/87ba8fd4ed7b5079.png) 2\. Go to the **Streaming** tab and click **Edit default settings**. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/a4e7068f77074d95.png) 3\. **Hover over your Source and click Edit.** ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/613500c7d9d1b61a.png) 4\. A window will appear. Under **How is your stream coming in?**, select **Simulated Live** and click **Next**. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/5484d6848640fd4758d4.png) 5\. Under **Select the type of media**, choose **Feed** or **Asset**, then click **Next**. ![](https://support.sardius.media/kb-media/fcb3de12265258891cc0.png) 6\. Under **Connect the media**, search by title or sort the