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Streaming/Recording Guide


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let's get a streaming guide put together so more people can stream.

Please add any tips and knowledge you have!

Streaming Software

OBS Studio

This is what I've used.

Download: https://obsproject.com/download

Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rlrDIwnGGQ

Guide: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/full-video-guide-for-obs-studio-and-twitch.377/

OBS Remote - control your OBS stream from your phone or a different computer - http://www.obsremote.com/

UStream

I think this doesn't require installing anything?

http://www.ustream.tv/explore/all

Capture Devices

For if you want to capture from a real console

(Need suggestions. The one I suggested before didn't work with the Genesis)

Post Processing / Video Editing

This is not something you have to do, but it has its uses.

https://www.shotcutapp.com/ (Windows, Mac, but apparently the Linux version doestn' work well)

https://kdenlive.org/en/download/

https://www.openshot.org/download/

https://www.blender.org/features/video-editing/ (primarily a 3d modeling program, but it can do video editing as well and has been around forever)

Understand Video Compression

This is important for both streaming and post-processing.

https://vimeo.com/help/compression (however, their recommendations are for files being uploaded to vimeo/youtube, not live streams)

Other Guides

Here is Raph's writeup on what was used in the Long Island 2017 tourney.

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I really liked what Tom the Retro Gamer had set-up in Green Bay, did anyone find out what his set-up was? His screen template looked awesome (and custom), would like to know if he designed it himself.

I've streamed using Ustream, and it has a nice and easy to navigate interface. The free version is limited, but could easily stream a screencap as well as a camera on the participant(s). Also provides a back-up copy on your PC.

I've also streamed using Google Hangouts, which records and saves on Youtube. (link)

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The other thing to consider, is bandwidth requirements. Tournaments are held in many different types of venues, hotels and conference centers, pubs, businesses and community centers. All of which likely have some form of internet - - but for best results, I would have to assume that a hardline would be best?

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2 hours ago, jer_33 said:

The other thing to consider, is bandwidth requirements. Tournaments are held in many different types of venues, hotels and conference centers, pubs, businesses and community centers. All of which likely have some form of internet - - but for best results, I would have to assume that a hardline would be best?

Yes. We had this problem when I streamed in Saskatoon. Initially they had us on the Wifi which was basically unusable. Eventually after we bugged them they remembered they needed to poke a cable up through a vent for us to use! If you stream at a gaming bar/cafe they will surely have a good connection for you. But if it's a random location, you should check it out ahead of time and maybe switch locations if it's no good (or see if you can bring a long cable and hook it up)

So yeah when you stream you need to set an appropriate data rate for the network you're on, which can take some experimentation (unless the streaming application can figure out the correct rate and adjust?).

Also, when streaming, you should always enable the save-to-disc option in your streaming application.  I think OBS Studio lets you record to disc at one bitrate, and stream at a different rate? Then you have your nice clean videos on your hard drive, despite streaming at a lower quality. Also if the stream goes down, you don't lose anything. (also, if on Twitch, make sure to enable the option that saves the streamed videos.. I forgot to do that in Saskatoon, so the videos aren't stored on Twitch, but at least I had them on the hard drive and could reupload to Youtube).

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On 4/20/2018 at 2:52 PM, jer_33 said:

I really liked what Tom the Retro Gamer had set-up in Green Bay, did anyone find out what his set-up was? His screen template looked awesome (and custom), would like to know if he designed it himself.

I've streamed using Ustream, and it has a nice and easy to navigate interface. The free version is limited, but could easily stream a screencap as well as a camera on the participant(s). Also provides a back-up copy on your PC.

I've also streamed using Google Hangouts, which records and saves on Youtube. (link)

(also see other reply above)

I am pretty sure he used OBS Studio and made custom graphics (graphics can be made in any image editor and imported into the streaming program).

If you look at Trojan's previous King of 94 streams he also has a nice NHL94-themed setup, as does Raph (see the Long Island tourney streams.. sorry I can't look up the links right now).

If you watch the Saskatoon videos, you can actually kind of watch as I slowly build up a theme during the tournament (because I didn't set it all up ahead of time like I should have).

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  • smozoma changed the title to Streaming/Recording Guide
  • smozoma pinned this topic
  • 2 weeks later...

Smoz included a link to the equipment I use in his OP, but I'll repeat it here for the benefit of this guide, along with the all the files I use for my layout.

Software: OBS Studio - https://obsproject.com/.  There is a TON of tutorials and documentation online on how to use this software.  It's FREE and works very well.  You'll be surprised how quickly you can get set up and started.

Streaming Site: Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/kingraph is my channel.  Again, lots of information out there on how to get yourself set up and have Twitch/OBS connected.

Video Capture Device: I-o Data GV-USB2 (amazon link).  You need something to convert the Sega Genesis (or Super Nintendo) video and audio into a digital signal that you can feed to your computer.  This was the device I used, and it works fine.

  IO Data Cable.png

 

A/V Splitter: RadioShack 1500320 1 to 4 splitter (Amazon link).  You need this device to split your Sega Genesis signal so that you can output to more than one display.  This device can output to 4 different displays, but in my case I use one to go to my capture device (above) and one that goes to the TV for the players to use.  This is also a powered device, meaning it has it's own power supply so the signal doesn't get degraded with splitting.  So the Sega Genesis audio/video plugs into this splitter, and then two separate feeds get outputted, one to the video capture for the computer and one to the TV. 

radioshack splitter_2.png

 

Webcam: Logitech C920 (amazon link)  I used this webcam to capture the players faces.  It's a great webcam, probably overkill for this project, but something you can rest assured will last a while.Logitech c920.png

Microphone: Blue Snowball iCE Condenser Microphone (amazon link).  Again, there are other options out there, but I went with one of the more popular USB condenser microphones.  

snowball.png

Computer: Lenovo Ideapad Z580.  Intel Core i5 3210M | Windows 10 | 8GB DDR3 RAM | Intel HD Graphics 4000 | 5400 RPM HD | 4 USB.  Just wanted to share that you don't need a powerful laptop to run this.  I got this laptop in about 2012, so it's 6+ years old.  Anything recent will do just fine, just make sure you have enough USB ports for what you want to use (1 for camera, 1 for video capture, 1 for microphone, etc).  

WiFi: While not ideal, I have used my mobile phone (4G LTE) as a hotspot the last few tournaments.  Point is, the streams worked fine, so you don't need anything extra fast for this to stream properly, just steady signal.

Layout: 

Untitled.png

Graphics Package, including NHL'94 Font (thanks @clockwise - original post here): kingraph_twitch.zip

In OBS, the order in which you list your items determines what is in front and what is in the back.  I'll list the elements I use from back to front (picture laying each on top of the next):

01. Image - EA_Background (that's the blue EA background)
02. Video Capture Device - Sega Genesis (via video capture device)
03. Image - Game Border (size it around the Genesis feed to make it look neat.  It goes over the video, you can make the center transparent in OBS)
04. Video Capture Device - Webcam
05. Image - Video Border (size it around the webcam video to make it look neater, again over the video, make the center color transparent in OBS)
06. Text (Player 1)(kingraph in my example, using NHL'94 font, light blue color)
07. Text (Player 2) (Colton Orr , '94 font, light blue color)
08. Image (Team 01) - Montreal Canadiens (I have all the logos in my package...simply change the image on new game)
09. Image (Team 02) - Vancouver Canucks, same as above
10. Image - Matchup
11. Text (Info) - Exhibition / Round Robin / Semi-Finals, etc. in Yellow
12. Text (Date) - Same as above, date/location
13/14 - Images of LI Retro and NHL'94.com (not included).  Those are just extra images I used here.  

Happy to answer anything I may have missed.  Setting up shouldn't take long.  Take some test video to play with the audio/video levels.  You want to be able to hear the Genesis game, but not overpowering the microphones if you have announcers.  Also, I recommend setting OBS to save a recording of your stream right on your laptop and to continue recording if the stream goes down.  That way, in case anything happens to your wifi signal, you always have the direct backup on your computer.

Hope that helps, happy streaming!

 

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  • 3 months later...

Here is some kind of broadcast package put together for a different game (Heroes of the Storm)

https://www.reddit.com/r/heroesofthestorm/comments/alkp5b/better_hots_casting_with_soothsayer/

It integrates with OBS Studio.

Perhaps it would be possible to reskin it for NHL'94.

It can also be used for Super Smash Bros Ultimate, so it does appear like it's extensible for other games (https://github.com/ebshimizu/soothsayer/wiki/Supported-Games)

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