Livestreaming AI Dashcam Footage

An AI Dashcam is a camera that pairs with a Digital Matter telematics device so that video and camera events appear alongside your telemetry in Telematics Guru. As well as reviewing recorded footage, you can connect to a camera and watch live footage from the vehicle in real time. To learn how the integration works, see AI Dashcam Integration.
 

This article covers the advanced livestreaming experience: the Livestream Options dialog, where you choose the resolution, quality, on-screen layout, and which cameras you watch, and how to start and stop a stream. For historical footage, trip events, and video requests, see Viewing Footage from AI Dashcams.
 

Before You Start

Livestreaming connects to the camera in the vehicle over the mobile network, so a few things need to be true before it will work:
 

The asset has a LightMetrics AI Dashcam attached and set up in Manage Cameras.
 

The camera is powered and in mobile coverage. If the camera is turned off or out of coverage, the connection may take some time to initiate, or may fail.
 

Nobody else is streaming from that camera. Only one user can stream from a camera at a time.
 

The camera model supports the cameras and layouts you want. Not all options are available on all hardware.
 

Opening the Livestream Options Dialog

The dialog appears after you start a livestream, from either entry point:
 

From Manage Cameras. Navigate to the Manage Cameras page, select the asset with the attached camera, and click the play icon.
 

From Live View. Open Live View, select the asset, open the Live View Information window, and select the Camera Livestream link.
 

Either way, the Livestream Options dialog opens. Set your options, then click Start Livestream to open the player. To cancel without streaming, click the X in the top right of the dialog.

Setting Stream Quality

The two settings at the top of the dialog control how much data the stream uses. Both default to Low, which is the most data-efficient combination.
 

Resolution

Resolution sets the frame size of the video. The frame size that actually results also depends on the layout and the number of camera feeds in the stream, so the settings are relative rather than fixed pixel dimensions. The options, from lowest data use upwards, are:
 

Low: the default, and the lowest data use.
 

Medium.
 

High: the top setting for every layout except Multi View with 4 cameras.
 

Ultra*: 1080p, available only in Multi View with 4 cameras.
 

*If Ultra appears greyed out, the layout you have chosen does not support it. To use Ultra, set Layout to Multi View and Collage to 4 Cameras.
 

Quality

Quality sets the compression applied to the video at the chosen resolution. The options are Low (the default), Medium, and High.
 

Higher resolution and higher quality both increase the amount of mobile data the stream consumes and can make the stream slower to start or more likely to buffer on a weak connection. If you only need to confirm what is happening in or around the vehicle, leave both on Low.
 

Choosing a Layout

Layout controls how many camera feeds you see and how they are arranged. Changing the layout changes the rest of the dialog, because each layout needs different camera information.
 

Single Camera

One feed, filling the player. A single Camera field appears. Select the camera you want to watch. Defaults to Road-facing.
 

Side by Side

Two feeds shown next to each other at equal size. No camera fields appear, because the cameras used are set automatically.
 

Picture in Picture

Two feeds, one filling the player and one inset over it. Two fields appear:
 

Main View, the large feed. Defaults to Road-facing.
 

Picture View, the smaller inset feed. Defaults to Driver-facing.
 

Multi View

Two, three, or four feeds shown together in a grid. Two levels of choice appear:
 

Collage sets how many feeds are in the grid: 2 Cameras, 3 Cameras or 4 Cameras.
 

A Camera 1 to Camera 4 field appears for each feed in the grid. Select the camera for each position.
 

The camera fields are pre-filled with a default selection. Check them before you start the stream, particularly after increasing the number of cameras, so you do not end up watching the same camera in two positions.
 

Camera Sources

Wherever you select a camera, the same sources are available. Which ones are actually fitted depends on the vehicle's camera installation. Selecting a camera that is not fitted to that vehicle will not return a picture for that position. The sources are:
 

1. Road-facing: forward, out through the windscreen.
    
2. Driver-facing: inward, at the cabin.
    
3. Left Side Camera: external, left side of the vehicle.
    
4. Right Side Camera: external, right side of the vehicle.
    

Starting the Stream

Click Start Livestream. Telematics Guru contacts the camera and the livestream player opens with your chosen layout. Error messages appear in the player if the camera is unavailable, already in use by another user, or having connectivity problems.
 

Stopping the Stream

There is no maximum livestream length. The stream stops when you:
 

• Click Stop Stream.
   
• Close the livestream player.
   
• Switch to another browser tab.
   
• Close the browser window.
   

Switching tabs stops the stream, so keep the player tab in focus for as long as you need to watch.
 

Notes and Limitations

Your option choices apply to the session you are about to start. They are not saved as a default for next time.
 

The dialog changes height as you change layout, so the Start Livestream button moves. Check your selections are correct before clicking.
 

Only one user can stream from a camera at a time. If a colleague is already streaming from that asset, you will need to wait until they close their player.
 

Next Steps

Viewing Footage from AI Dashcams: historical footage, trip events, and the media player.
 

Requesting Media from Dashcams: retrieve specific clips from the camera's SD card.
 

AI Dashcam Integration: how the integration is set up.