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Usually, no. Switchboard Live is cloud-based, but it still needs an encoder to send it video. If that encoder is running on the computer you shut down, the feed to Switchboard stops. A separate encoder that remains powered and connected may keep sending video, depending on its source and configuration.
Why Switchboard Live still needs an encoder
Switchboard describes its product as a cloud-based application that does not need to be downloaded and installed. Its FAQ also says users need a live streaming encoder, with OBS, Switcher Studio, Ecamm Live, vMix, and LiveU among its examples.
The encoder provides the video signal; Switchboard handles the workflow and selected destinations. Switchboard’s workflow guide says the Go Live control stays inactive until the service detects incoming video from the encoder.
What happens when you shut down the computer
If the encoder is software running on the computer being shut down, that computer stops supplying the video feed. Switchboard being available in the cloud does not make that encoder or its source continue running. This follows from Switchboard’s documented encoder requirement and incoming-video workflow; its documentation does not guarantee behavior for every third-party encoder or YouTube reconnect scenario.
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Switchboard documents software, hardware, mobile, and cloud-based encoder categories in its encoder guide. A separate encoder could avoid relying on software on the computer you turn off, but confirm that it can receive the video source, stay powered and connected, and send video to the configured Switchboard workflow. The category alone does not establish that any particular device or service will continue a broadcast after shutdown.
Check the setup before going live
- Identify the device or service that is encoding and sending video to Switchboard.
- Check whether that encoder runs on the computer you plan to shut down. If so, expect its feed to stop when the computer powers off.
- If you use a separate encoder, verify its video input, power and network arrangements, and configuration for the Switchboard workflow.
- For YouTube, follow Switchboard’s setup guide: send video from the encoder into the workflow, confirm that the confidence monitor displays video and the receiving indicator is green, then select YouTube and press Go Live.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is to keep prerecorded video playing on YouTube without leaving a computer running at home, StreamNeo takes a different approach: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops uploaded videos from the cloud; it is not a camera encoder and streams to YouTube only.
Quick Recap
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