AWS Elemental Link sends a live video feed from a physical device at your location into AWS. To use it in the documented MediaLive workflow, configure the device, create an Elemental Link input in the same AWS Region, then attach that input to a MediaLive channel.
Link is the source device, not a complete YouTube streaming setup: the input and channel are cloud-side MediaLive resources, and you still need to configure an output and destination. Link UHD can also source a MediaConnect flow; Link HD cannot. Check the model and workflow before you build around a particular resolution or destination.
What Elemental Link does in the workflow
Think of the setup as three distinct pieces. The Link hardware receives a camera or production feed on site and sends it into AWS. In the MediaLive console, you configure that hardware as a Link input device, then create an Elemental Link input resource that MediaLive can use. Finally, you attach that input to a MediaLive channel, which handles the cloud-side processing and output path.
Those names are easy to conflate, but they refer to different things. The device is the box connected to your source and network. The device entry is how MediaLive recognises and configures the box. The input is a resource that connects the device feed to a channel. Creating one does not itself start a YouTube broadcast.
For a YouTube destination, MediaLive must also be configured to produce an output suitable for the destination, and you must provide the destination details required by your workflow. AWS describes a workflow wizard that can use Link hardware and offers delivery paths including YouTube, but that does not mean every account, event or channel has identical settings. See AWS's overview of the MediaLive workflow wizard alongside the instructions for your chosen output.
This is a live-source workflow: it suits an event, camera, or production feed that you want to send into MediaLive. It is different from sending a prerecorded file in a loop. If your actual goal is a continuous prerecorded programme rather than a live camera feed, compare the practical trade-offs in this guide to running a continuous YouTube stream with FFmpeg before choosing equipment and services.
Check device and account readiness
Start by checking which model you have: Link HD or Link UHD. AWS documents Link HD for HD or lower MediaLive input use. Link UHD supports UHD or lower and can also be used as a source for a MediaConnect flow. The choice matters both for the resolution you intend to send and for whether you need the MediaConnect route.
| Requirement | Link HD | Link UHD |
|---|---|---|
| MediaLive input workflow | HD or lower | UHD or lower |
| MediaConnect flow source | Not supported | Supported |
| Source connection | Check the actual unit and feed; AWS documents HDMI and SDI options | Check the actual unit and feed; AWS documents HDMI and SDI options |
The table summarises the documented distinction, not a promise that every signal format or regional configuration will work unchanged. Check the AWS model comparison for the current details before you commit to a format. In particular, do not treat Link HD as a MediaConnect source: the documented MediaConnect path is for Link UHD.
Confirm that your AWS account can see the device and that the people carrying out setup have the required permissions. AWS's device setup guidance includes deployment and account-access steps; if the unit came through an AWS reseller, AWS notes that it may need to be claimed before it appears for use. Console labels and permission requirements can change, so use the current AWS device setup instructions rather than relying on an old checklist.
Agree on the AWS Region before creating resources. The Link device, Elemental Link input and MediaLive channel need to be in the same Region for this documented path. If another team manages the AWS account, confirm the Region with them first; otherwise you may configure the device successfully and then discover that the input or channel you need is elsewhere.
On site, identify the intended video source and its connection. AWS's data sheet describes power, an IP network connection and a video source, with 3G-SDI or HDMI physical connections. Which cable is appropriate depends on the output available from your camera or production equipment; an HDMI cable is not a universal requirement if your source uses SDI. Check the documentation for the precise Link unit you have and the source gear you will connect.
Connect and configure the Link device
Connect the source, network and power according to the documentation for your model. Before opening the MediaLive configuration, make sure the device is visible in the intended AWS account and Region. If it is not visible, resolve account ownership, claiming, connectivity or permissions first rather than creating a channel around a device that MediaLive cannot use.
In the MediaLive console, locate the Link input device and set a descriptive name that identifies its role or location. If you operate several sources, a name such as “studio camera” or “hall SDI feed” is more useful than a generic label when you later select an input. The name is an operational aid; it does not change the actual source or signal.
Choose the input source to match the connection you intend to use. AWS documents SDI, HDMI and an Auto behaviour where appropriate. If both HDMI and SDI may be connected, be explicit about which source should be active rather than assuming automatic selection will match your production plan. Confirm the selected source against the physical cabling before an event.
The device configuration also includes an optional maximum bitrate. AWS says that leaving this field blank allows the device to determine a bitrate suited to network conditions between the device and MediaLive. If you set a limit, do so because you have a reason grounded in the feed and network, not because a number from another setup looks familiar. This is a source-to-cloud setting, not a substitute for checking the rest of the output configuration.
Once the device is configured, verify that the video chain is producing the intended source. A camera can be powered while its output is absent, a switcher can be on the wrong input, or the Link device can be set to a different connector than the one carrying the feed. Checking those points at the source is quicker than debugging a downstream YouTube picture that never received the right material.
Create a Link input in the same AWS Region
With the device ready, create an input in MediaLive and select Elemental Link as its type. Do this in the same Region as the device, and keep the planned channel in that Region too. AWS's Elemental Link input procedure describes selecting the input class and one or two devices, depending on the class you choose.
Input class is a configuration choice, so read the console description and current documentation rather than choosing by habit. If you are not sure whether your workflow requires one device or a paired arrangement, resolve that before the event. The point is not to add redundancy by assumption; it is to select an input configuration that corresponds to your actual setup and channel design.
After creation, inspect the input details and confirm that the selected device is the intended one. The details include a device identifier, and when video is being pushed, a thumbnail can help you check what is arriving. A thumbnail is a useful source check, but do not treat one still image as proof that every part of the downstream output is configured correctly.
If the input does not appear as expected, check the Region first, then the account, device visibility and permissions. Also confirm that you created the Elemental Link input type rather than another kind of MediaLive input. Keep a short record of the Region, device name and input name for the team member who will attach the channel; this avoids picking a similarly named source under time pressure.
Attach the input to a MediaLive channel
The input becomes part of the cloud-side channel when you attach it to a MediaLive channel. The channel is not the Link device, and the Link input does not replace it. Treat the channel as the piece that processes the incoming source and feeds the configured output path. For YouTube, that means you need to complete the MediaLive output and destination configuration as well as attaching the source.
Timing is important. AWS recommends waiting until the upstream operator has powered the hardware, connected it to the internet and started sending video before attaching it to a channel. AWS gives a practical reason: an idle input and a running channel can incur charges. Review the current AWS pricing and billing information for the services and configuration you plan to use; costs depend on the resources you run, and this guide does not estimate them.
Coordinate the hand-off. The person at the source should say when the Link device is online and the intended feed is active. The person in MediaLive can then confirm the thumbnail or other available source indicators, attach the input, and proceed with the channel and output steps. If those jobs are handled by one person, do the source check first and avoid starting cloud resources simply to discover that the camera or network is not ready.
Before the channel is started, verify the selected input, channel Region, output settings and destination information against the event plan. This is also the point to confirm what viewers should see and hear, including any graphics or audio handled upstream. If a feed is present in MediaLive but a YouTube viewer later sees a blank frame or an unexpected gap, isolate whether the issue lies at the source, channel processing, output or destination rather than changing several settings at once. For a different class of playback problem, this explanation of black screens between playlist videos in vMix may help distinguish a source hand-off issue from a continuous-file workflow.
When Link UHD can feed MediaConnect
MediaConnect is a separate documented path, not a synonym for a MediaLive channel. Link UHD can serve as a source for a MediaConnect flow; Link HD cannot. If your requirement is to send a Link feed into MediaConnect, first confirm that the unit is UHD and follow the flow-specific instructions rather than borrowing the simpler MediaLive input steps.
AWS's Link flow guidance specifies a MediaConnect flow in the same Region, a Zixi push source with AES 128 static-key encryption, and the relevant flow and IAM details. Those are specific to the MediaConnect workflow and should not be mixed into the MediaLive channel setup. Likewise, a successful MediaConnect source does not by itself create a YouTube live stream; any further distribution or destination workflow must be configured separately.
Use this distinction when scoping a production. A team that only needs the documented Link-to-MediaLive input path should focus on the channel workflow. A team that needs a MediaConnect flow should verify the UHD model, Region alignment and current flow requirements before the event. If you do not need MediaConnect, there is no benefit in adding that separate workflow to a straightforward MediaLive setup.
Test the source before going live
Run a controlled check before the broadcast window. Confirm that the device is powered, online and receiving the intended HDMI or SDI source; then check the MediaLive input details for the expected device and an available thumbnail when video is being pushed. Compare the picture with the operator's source view, including framing and any on-screen graphics. This helps catch a wrong camera, wrong connector or stale feed while there is time to correct it.
Next, check the channel and output path separately. A source thumbnail only tells you something about what reaches the input; it does not establish that the channel is processing the expected format or that the destination is configured. Follow the current AWS and destination instructions for your output, then verify the actual viewer-facing result using an appropriate test or preview procedure for your event.
AWS also documents device metrics. Use those along with the visual check when diagnosing a source problem, and compare changes over time rather than guessing from a single observation. If the source is missing, work in order: physical feed and connector, device configuration, network and device visibility, then input and channel selection. Change one layer at a time and record what changes so that you do not obscure the cause.
For a YouTube broadcast, remember that network trouble at the venue and downstream output trouble are different problems. A Link feed arriving at MediaLive does not guarantee that a final YouTube viewer is receiving the intended stream. If your concern is a long-running prerecorded channel rather than an event source, see the guidance on buffering in a YouTube 24/7 stream; its operational checks address a different workflow from a camera feed through Link.
Write down the working configuration before the event: Region, model, source connector, selected device, input name, channel and output destination. Keep the names unambiguous and note who is responsible for the on-site feed and who can change the AWS resources. A compact handover is especially useful when the camera operator and cloud operator are in different places or on different shifts.
Once the live source and AWS workflow are clear, decide whether the operational burden suits the way you run the channel. For a prerecorded file intended to play continuously on YouTube, StreamNeo removes the need to leave a computer running by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream; it is not a Link-to-MediaLive replacement and does not take an on-site camera feed.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
How do I connect AWS Elemental Link to MediaLive?
Connect and configure the physical Link device, then create an Elemental Link input in MediaLive in the same Region as the device. Attach that input to a MediaLive channel when the source is online and sending video. The channel and its output settings are cloud-side parts of the workflow, not functions performed by Link alone.
How do I stream from an Elemental Link device to YouTube?
Use Link as the source, create its MediaLive input and attach that input to a MediaLive channel. Then configure the channel's output and YouTube destination using the current AWS and YouTube instructions for your setup. Link by itself does not create or publish a YouTube stream.
Can Link HD send a source to MediaConnect?
No. The documented MediaConnect source workflow is for Link UHD, not Link HD. Link HD is documented for MediaLive input use at HD or lower; verify the current AWS model guidance before choosing hardware for a production.
Why must the input and channel be in the same Region?
AWS's documented workflow requires the device, input and channel to align in the same AWS Region. Check the Region before creating resources, and coordinate it with anyone else who manages the account. For a MediaConnect flow, follow the separate flow instructions and confirm its Region requirements there.