Technical aspects of video streaming

Video streaming is nothing other than broadcasting live content over the internet. A content that later, depending on the platform, can be viewed or not. Therefore, we must try to ensure that the quality is always the best possible. And to achieve this, the first thing to understand is what and how it affects video transmission.

A streaming is conditioned by three key elements : hardware, software and the internet connection itself. In addition, it is not the same to broadcast a game that we are running on the PC that we are using for the live show or that it is running on a console or other computer. But the different cases we see later, now let’s see how each of these elements affects.

• Hardware : the power of the PC is important. If, in addition, you want to use it for gaming, you are going to need a CPU or graphics card with enough resources so as not to weigh down neither the gaming experience nor the quality of the broadcast.
• Software : the options given by the applications used are also very important, especially if you want to show more than the game’s own video signal. That is, if you want to show yourself playing, background music, etc.
• Internet connection : the bandwidth of your connection will determine the streaming quality itself. They do not have the same impact as the other two essential elements for streaming, but it must be taken into account. And the download speed is not as important as the upload speed. So, do a speed test to find out the data.

It should be mentioned that from an Xbox One or Playstation 4 you can stream, also from mobile devices, but if you want to have greater control of the broadcast, nothing better than doing it through a PC.

Hardware for streaming

Choosing or having the right hardware is the first thing to keep in mind. If, in addition, you want to use it to run the games that you are going to streme even more. So, although there is a certain relationship with the software as we will see later, having the most powerful components always helps.

It is difficult to talk about minimal hardware, so we better talk about how it affects each component of a PC:

• Processor : If you are going to use the X264 codec, it will be the CPU that performs the encoding tasks. Therefore, having a powerful micro such as an Intel Core i7 or some AMD processors with six cores or more is important. If instead you use the NVENC codec, compatible with Nvidia graphics, you can stream and play with an Intel Core i5 or equivalent.
• Graphics card : as we already said, if you have an Nvidia GPU you can take advantage of the NVENC codec that downloads to the CPU and offers good performance without much loss of FPS when playing.
• RAM memory : as for any other use you are going to make, the more RAM the better. Minimum 8 GB of memory, but if you are going to also play on the same PC, bet on 16 GB.
• Storage : if in addition to stremear you want to store the content locally, you should ideally have a separate and fast storage unit. So preferably use SSD drives. In case of power, it uses HDD drives at 7,200 rpm.
• Video capture: if in addition to broadcasting your game you want to be seen, you will need a video capture to which you can connect the video signal you take out through a video camera or DSLR camera with HDMI output. It is also the way you will have to stream from the video obtained from an Xbox One, Playstation or other gaming devices (a second PC).
• Webcam : Another, cheaper option is to use a webcam or cameras that have the option of being used as a webcam. They will not give the same quality, but they can serve you if you do not want to make a great investment at first.
• Monitors : if you only want to broadcast and be seen, without entering into interaction with the audience, with a monitor you will be comfortable. But if you want to follow comments in chats, etc., better two monitors and thus be able to have the game in full screen in one and in the second everything related to the broadcast.

Along with this, which would be the basic thing to be able to do quality streaming, you would have to add a microphone, headphones, lights and even a chroma theme if you want to integrate more on-screen or disguise a different background. Although, remember, all of these things increase resource consumption.

OBS, the most complete option for streaming

Among the different options you can find to stream, OBS is one of the most complete software solutions (without forgetting XSplit ). In addition, there are many resources and guides to configure it optimally.

Basically, what you have to know is that OBS allows you to create custom screens and place the different sources in the screen position you want. You can also set technical aspects such as maximum bitrate value, used codec, retransmission resolution, frames per second, etc.

This is somewhat complex at first, but the only way to find the best possible configuration is by testing. Still, there are some schemes that you can try based on the equipment you have, quality you want to obtain and depending on the content you are going to share. It is not the same to stream from a slower game to one with more action such as Warzone, Fortnite or Overwatch.

• 720p quality : use of 1280 x 720 resolution and bitrate between 1,500-4,000 kbps at 60 fps
• 1080p quality : use of 1920 x 1080p resolution and bitrate between 4,000-8,000 kbps at 60 fps
• 4K quality : use 3860 x 2160 resolution and bitrate between 8,000-14,000 kbps

There are more aspects that can be configured and that will depend on the hardware or other established options. For example, if we are going to use the aforementioned X264 or NVENC codec (exclusive option for computers with Nvidia graphics) we can tell the CPU that I worked more or less.

Of course, to start, you can follow the setup wizard and see if the settings it makes convince you to start. That same wizard will ask you at the end to enter the password of the service you are going to use.

With all this, the last step is to create the scene or scenes that you will need if you are going to stream only the game, if you will also appear, if it will be a collaborative streaming as we do in our CoopTV and everything related to design.

To do this, you can use many of the templates that other users share on the internet or create it with Gimp, Photoshop or similar. These elements, as well as others such as video from a capture, audio output, multimedia source, etc., are added from the Source panel that you will see on the main screen.