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To show a changing track name on a 24/7 Gurbani stream, send metadata whenever the track changes. For audio players, the encoder or playout system must send the title to the Icecast or SHOUTcast server. For a video stream, read the current title and display it through an OBS text source. These are separate outputs; configure both if you want the name in players and on screen.
There is no special Gurbani metadata standard in the documentation covered here. Use the title and artist details provided by your trusted playlist or playout source, and do not guess a shabad, raagi, or transliteration.
Choose where the track name should appear
- Audio player or directory: Send current-track metadata to the streaming server. The player can display it when the server and player support the metadata.
- OBS video image: Read the current title from the media player, stream server, or playout system, then render it as text in the OBS scene.
- Both: Set up both paths. An OBS overlay does not update the audio stream’s metadata, and server metadata alone does not create text on the video.
A changing name must be sent at each track or program change. A one-time update or static OBS label will become outdated as the playlist continues.
Send track metadata to an Icecast stream
1. Identify the server, mount, and metadata source
Confirm whether your stream server is Icecast or SHOUTcast, identify the live mount, and check whether your encoder or playout application already sends title changes. The exact controls and endpoint depend on your host and software.
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2. Check whether the server receives track changes
If your playout or encoder is configured to send metadata, change tracks and verify that the new title appears in the player or server status. Icecast documents /status-json.xsl as a basic JSON statistics endpoint included since version 2.4.0; available fields can vary by stream type and runtime. Use the JSON endpoint, raw XML, or a custom XSLT for status data. Icecast warns against treating its HTML statistics page as a stable API because that interface can change between versions: Icecast Server Statistics documentation.
3. Add an update path if the encoder does not send metadata
Use a metadata-update feature in your playout software or an authenticated endpoint supported by your streaming host. In an Icecast metadata update, the request needs the active mount, an update action, the metadata string, and appropriate credentials. The metadata must be URL-encoded, and UTF-8 handling matters when titles include non-Latin text. SharpStream’s instructions illustrate these requirements, but its endpoint details are specific to SharpStream; follow your own host’s documented URL and authentication method: SharpStream metadata endpoint guide.
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Keep administrative credentials private. Do not put them in browser-visible overlay code, a public web page, or a file that viewers can access.
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4. Automate updates for unattended playback
For track-by-track updates around the clock, configure the playout system or encoder to send metadata automatically whenever the current item changes. A manual Now Playing field can work when an operator is present: SoundCast documents entering artist and title and sending them to Icecast. Someone must repeat that update as the program changes, so manual entry is not a substitute for automation in an unattended playlist: SoundCast documentation.
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Display the changing title in OBS
1. Confirm that a source exposes the current item
Choose a source that can actually read the current title, such as media-player metadata, Icecast status data, or an output from your playout system. A metadata reader cannot display fields that its selected source does not provide.
2. Write formatted metadata to a text file
Use a supported plugin or other reader to format the artist and title and write the result to a text file. Tuna’s documentation describes file output, formatting placeholders such as {artists} - {title}, and adding the output as an OBS text source. Which fields are available depends on the selected source; the reader must also be running for the file to keep updating: Tuna documentation.
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3. Add and position the text source
- In OBS, open the scene used for the Gurbani video stream and add a text source.
- Set the text source to read the file generated by your metadata reader.
- Position and style the text so it remains legible over the video.
- Start the reader and change tracks to confirm that the displayed text follows the current item.
For a missing or unavailable title, use a neutral fallback such as “Live Gurbani stream.” Do not display an unverified guess as the name of a shabad or performer.
Choose a metadata route that fits your stream
| Route | Where it appears | What it needs | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic updates from playout or encoder | Audio players; may also feed an overlay reader | Software that knows the current item and sends each change | Best suited to unattended playlists, but support depends on your application and host. |
| Ogg stream tags | Readers that can access the tags | A compatible Ogg Vorbis or Ogg Opus stream and a reader that supports its tags | What’s Now Playing says it can read tags from Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Opus; for MP3 and other formats, its reader needs separately sent metadata. See its Icecast guidance. |
| Authenticated server metadata update | Audio players; can be read by an overlay tool | Active mount, supported update endpoint, credentials, and correctly encoded metadata | Works only when configured for the specific host; protect the admin credential. |
| Manual Now Playing entry | Audio players | An operator who enters the new title and sends it | Simple for occasional changes, but requires repeated attention and can go stale. |
| OBS text-file overlay | Video image | A working metadata reader, formatted text file, and OBS text source | Changes only the on-screen text; it does not by itself update server metadata. |
Troubleshoot a title that does not change
- Check the playout application: Does it show the correct current title and artist? Fix the source playlist or metadata first if it does not.
- Check the outgoing metadata: Is the encoder or playout application sending the change, or does your setup require a separate update endpoint?
- Check the mount: Confirm that the update targets the active live mount, not another mount or an inactive stream.
- Check authentication and encoding: Verify the host-specific credentials, update action, URL encoding, and character encoding. Do not expose credentials while debugging.
- Check server status: See whether the server reports the new title. For Icecast, use its documented JSON or XML status output rather than relying on the HTML stats page as an API.
- Check the OBS reader and file: Confirm that the reader is running, can see metadata from the selected source, writes to the expected file, and that the OBS text source reads that same file.
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