OBS Studio is free and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. It’s the quickest way to test your setup. For the cleanest picture in daily use, a hardware encoder such as an AJA HELO or a Magewell Ultra Encode works with the same settings.
Set up OBS in six steps
- In your room’s admin, open the Encoder page and download the OBS profile.
- In OBS, choose Profile › Import, select the downloaded folder, then pick it from the Profile menu.
- Open Settings › Stream. The server and stream key come with the profile. If they’re empty, copy them from the encoder page.
- Add your picture as a source, usually the output of your grading system through a capture card (Blackmagic DeckLink or UltraStudio, AJA, Magewell).
- Click Start Streaming. Within about 15 seconds the encoder page turns green and shows the codec, resolution and bitrate it receives.
- Open your room link on another device, enter the viewer password and check the picture.
The settings the profile uses
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Output mode | Advanced |
| Encoder | x264, or Apple VT / NVENC H.264 |
| Rate control | CBR |
| Bitrate | 8000 Kbps (never above 15000) |
| Keyframe interval | 1 s |
| B-frames | 0 |
| x264 preset and tune | ultrafast, zerolatency |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080 |
| Frame rate | Same as your project |
For correct color, check Settings › Advanced: color format NV12, color space Rec. 709, color range Limited.
When something’s wrong
- The encoder page says “no signal”. Check that the stream key was copied completely, and that your network allows outgoing connections on ports 1935 and 1936.
- The picture stutters for viewers. Lower the bitrate to 6000 Kbps; your upload or the viewer’s connection may be the limit.
- Colors look different from your suite. Check the color settings above, and ask viewers to use the iPad app or a calibrated display.