RSH 21: OBS (Open broadcaster software)

Video

Collaborative notes taken during the session

Open Broadcaster Software

• https://obsproject.com/
• https://coderefinery.github.io/manuals/obs/

Topics

• What is streaming?

• What is OBS?

  • Open Broadcast Software

• Benefits over Zoom:

  • Can be used in tandem with Twitch to broadcast without needing a Zoom broadcast lisence or risking Zoom-bombing

• OBS user interface

  • Scenes
    • to set and configure various source settings
    • possible to have media files and scenes within scenes
    • can be shared by exporting/importing
  • Audio mixer:
    • track feature: maybe useful to keep only speaker audio
  • Settings:
    • Defaults are generally good
    • General (mainly related to UI)
    • Audio (various devices)
    • Video (resolution and so on)
    • Output
  • Virtual Camera:
    • Fancy effects, some people use it for teaching

• Basic arrangement of scenes and stuff

• practical notes

Questions:

• Can we discuss file formats and containers for saving audio/video files in general, and in OBS context in particular.
  • outputs into standard container formats
  • originally used mp4 but complicated file recovery if computer crashes
  • these days using mov format (but same problem as above)
  • mkv: unsure whether it can make trouble with YouTube upload
  • important to note: container formats and encoding formats can be handled separately
  • Rate control:
    • for streaming - constant bit rate is recommended (to be confirmed)
    • CRF - constant rate factor - a variable bitrate that is adjusted to make sure that quality is constant, good for recording (think filesize)
  • recommendations: https://coderefinery.github.io/manuals/obs/#basic-configuration

On twitch - couldn't hear Radovan, also audio is now having a white noise (after attaching the midi controller)

• thanks for the note and sorry for the troubles

• You probably saw it already: it is possible to control scenes and such without an external midi-controller, in the settings via key-bindings.