SimLive Standard vs Advanced SimLive

Sardius offers two different ways to produce and manage SimLive events: Standard and Advanced. They share a last name and a goal, but under the hood they are two very different products.

This guide breaks down exactly what each one does, what it requires, and how to choose between them so your next broadcast goes out clean the first time.

The quick comparison

Think of Standard as a private screening in your own theater, and Advanced as a touring concert that plays your theater plus every major venue in town on the same night.

SimLive Standard is the default Simulated Live product baked into the Sardius platform. When you point it at a pre-recorded asset, it streams that file out via HLS (the same adaptive streaming format all major streaming platforms use) and serves it directly to viewers through the Sardius Player embedded on your website or app.

What it accepts

Standard is happy with anything you have already published in an HLS-ready container — that almost always means an asset that was either recorded directly through Sardius Stream (your live feed automatically archives in HLS) or a video you uploaded and republished as HLS inside the Control Panel. The video codec must be H.264 (the universal standard for streaming compatibility).

What it can push

Resolution-wise, Standard is generous. It will happily run up to 4K as long as the file stays inside H.264. That said, anything beyond H.264 (think HEVC/H.265 or AV1) will not work. If your source is in one of those formats, you will need to transcode before SimLive can touch it.

Where it sends the stream

Only one place: the Sardius Player. That means your website, your app, your embed or anywhere the Sardius Player lives. There is no built-in path to Facebook, YouTube, or other social platforms with Standard, nor can those platforms be added on the fly. If your strategy lives entirely on your own digital properties, that is perfect. If you need to reach audiences scrolling Facebook on a Sunday morning, see the section about Advanced SimLive below.

The viewer experience

For your audience, Standard SimLive feels exactly like a live event:

• They cannot skip ahead of the live moment (it would be like fast-forwarding a TV broadcast that has not aired yet).
• They can rewind to catch something they missed.
• They can jump back to the live marker whenever they want to rejoin the moment with everyone else.

That subtle dynamic — 'I cannot skip the future, but I can revisit the past' — is what gives SimLive its authentic live feel, even though the file has existed for hours, days, or weeks.

SimLive Advanced is a separate engine entirely. It exists for one core reason: to push your simulated live event out to social media platforms like Facebook Live and YouTube Live alongside the Sardius Player in a single, synchronized broadcast.

What it accepts

Advanced is stricter on the input side. It requires an MP4 file, not an HLS package. The codec is still H.264, but the container needs to be MP4 so the system can hand it off cleanly to social platforms.

If you only have an HLS asset today and want to use Advanced SimLive tomorrow, you will need to publish a fresh MP4 version of the file first.

What it can push

This is where Advanced trades flexibility on resolution for reach. The maximum resolution drops to HD (1080p). The reason is practical: every social platform you simulcast to caps inbound RTMP streams at HD (Facebook especially), so the system enforces that ceiling to guarantee compatibility across every destination.

Where it sends the stream

Multiple destinations at once:

• The Sardius Player on your own properties
• Facebook Live (page only)
• YouTube Live
• Any other RTMP-compatible social destination configured by your account manager

That simulcast capability is the entire reason Advanced exists. One click, one schedule, one event — broadcast across every audience you care about.

Account access

Because Advanced SimLive talks to third-party social APIs and uses additional infrastructure, it is not enabled by default on every account. You need to contact your Sardius account manager to flip it on. If you are unsure whether your organization has it, still check with your account manager.

How to choose: a decision framework

Ask yourself these four questions, in order:

1. Where do my viewers actually watch? If 100% of them watch through your website or app, Standard is the right call. If a meaningful percentage watch on Facebook or YouTube, Advanced SimLive is your answer.
2. What does my source file look like? Already in HLS? You are set for Standard. Sitting on an MP4 master? You’re ready for Advanced SimLive. If you need one or the other, you’re free to transcode into the desired format.
3. Do I need 4K? Standard supports it. Advanced does not. Most live audiences on phones and tablets will never notice the difference, but if 4K is part of your brand promise, Standard wins.
4. Is the Advanced feature enabled on my account? If not, factor in the conversation with your account manager and any onboarding lead time before scheduling your first Advanced event.

Common misconceptions

"They are basically the same thing, just with a bigger price tag."

Not really. They are two distinct streaming engines with different input requirements, different codecs of preference, different resolution ceilings, and totally different output destinations.

"If I switch to Advanced I will lose my Standard SimLive setup."

Nope. Once Advanced is enabled, you have both options when scheduling a SimLive event. The difference in setup is utilizing the correct file type, and the presence of social media outputs.

"My 4K source will downscale automatically inside Advanced."

It will not. Advanced expects an HD MP4. If you hand it a 4K file, you will either get an error or unpredictable behavior. Publish an HD master before scheduling.

Action plan: getting your next SimLive right

1. Identify the event type. On-platform only, or multi-platform simulcast?
2. Inspect your source file. Codec? Container? Resolution? If anything is off, republish first.
3. Confirm account access. If you need Advanced, verify with your account manager.
4. Schedule the event in the Control Panel and tag it with the right SimLive type.
5. Test with a private dry run before going live to a real audience whenever possible.

Related articles

• Setting Up SimLive 
• Managing an Asset