In short
- Recording, live feed and livestream are three outputs, even when the same cameras serve all of them.
- Each output needs its own equipment, operator time and, for streaming, its own internet connection.
- Recording is the base. Live feed and streaming are added on top.
- Ask the venue early about its screen inputs and a dedicated internet line.
Live feed, recording and livestream are three different jobs, even when the same cameras serve all of them. Each needs its own equipment, its own operator time and, for streaming, its own internet connection. A clear quote shows them as separate lines.
What is the difference between the three?
- Recording saves the event to cards and drives so it can be edited or kept. It needs no internet and no screens.
- Live feed sends the camera picture to screens inside the venue, such as big screens beside the stage. It needs a link from our equipment to the venue’s display system.
- Livestream sends the picture over the internet to people watching elsewhere. It needs an encoder, a steady upload connection and an account on the viewing platform.
Recording is the base. The other two are added on top. A hybrid event, with a room audience and online viewers together, often needs all three.
What does each output need?
| Output | Equipment | People | Connection | Ask about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recording | Cameras, cards, backup drives, audio | Camera operators, an editor later | None during the event | Who keeps the files and for how long |
| Live feed | Switching equipment, cables or a wireless link to the screens | Someone to choose the picture and check it | Cable or wireless link to the venue display system | Who supplies the screens and the input, and setup time |
| Livestream | Encoder, audio feed from the sound desk | Someone to watch the stream, possibly separate from the camera operators | Upload internet, ideally with a backup | Who provides the internet, the platform account and test time |
Which costs are shared and which are added?
The cameras and operators can serve all three outputs, so you are not paying for three full crews. What adds cost is the extra work: a person to switch and monitor, a link to the screens, an encoder, a backup connection and testing time.
More cameras give the live picture more to choose from, but each camera needs an operator. Our multi-camera recording page explains that trade-off.
An example: one dinner, three outputs
Take an illustrative example, not a past job. A 400-guest annual dinner needs a recording for the archive, the stage on two screens in the ballroom, and a stream for staff overseas.
A clear quote has three headings:
- Recording: cameras, hours, audio and the finished videos.
- Live feed: switching, the link to two screens, and who supplies the screens.
- Livestream: encoder, internet, platform account and a test session.
If the organiser later drops the stream, only the third heading comes out. The recording and the screens stay as they were.
Who provides the internet and the screens?
Agree this in writing. Guest Wi-Fi is shared and may not hold a steady upload, so ask the venue about a dedicated line and who pays for it.
For screens, ask the venue or its AV supplier which input they accept and when we can test it. Our venue filming questions checklist lists what to ask.
What we confirm for your event
- That recording, live feed and streaming sit on separate lines of the quote.
- Who switches the live picture, and whether that is a different person from the camera operators.
- Whether the recording keeps running if the internet drops during the stream.
- Who supplies and tests the link to the venue screens.
- Which platform the stream goes to, and who owns the account.
- Whether rehearsal or test time is included or listed separately.
How we can quote it
We can quote livestreaming and live feed to venue screens as their own lines next to the recording. Both are available on request, and we confirm each one for your date. The deliverables selector helps you decide which outputs to include, and the live production guides go deeper.
Tell us which of the three you want, and whether the venue has screens and a usable internet line. We will show recording, live feed and streaming as separate lines so you can keep or drop each one.
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