Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) introduction

Objectives

  • Understand that OBS is a video mixer.

  • Understand the basic controls and features of OBS.

Instructor note

  • Teaching: 15 min

  • Q&A 5 min

In this episode, you’ll get more familiar with the OBS portion of the streaming setup. You’ll see how it’s used, but not yet how to configure it from scratch. You’ll learn how to be a “director”.

What is OBS?

  • Formally “OBS Studio”

  • Most commonly known as a livestreaming application.

  • Open source, free.

  • Cross-platform, easy to use screencasting and streaming application.

  • Real-time video mixer.

OBS user interface

  • We’ll click through each view.

  • What does each view do?

  • Let’s click through the buttons.

  • Let’s see the important config options.

OBS during a course

  • What management is needed.

  • The control panel.

  • Audio.

  • Adjusting windows and so on.

Hardware requirements

  • Reasonably powerful broadcast computer

    • CodeRefinerys streaming computer is 8 CPU AMD, 64GB memory

    • That is way overkill: a powerful laptop can probably do this.

  • Large second monitor for laying out the windows you capture

  • Stable internet connection (wired preferable)

    • CodeRefinery’s broadcast is the slowest purchasable: 100 Mbit down / 25Mbit up

Q&A

We’ll answer audience questions.

See also

Keypoints

  • OBS may seem complicated, but it’s a graphical application and most pieces make sense once you know how it works.