26th-Feb-21, 10:53 AM
I wasn't sure where to put this, but here seems a good start.
After watching some of Jean's excellent coverage of the Martlets stage in the WHO Rally Sprint Proxy, I was intrigued about the process and the software involved in streaming a live event. Obviously a single camera stream is so simple that it doesn't need much explanation, but what we saw at the weeekend was a live timing screen with three cameras for the on track action, which was fantastic. I thought for the benefit of people hosting proxy events, or possibly in future club races, this might be worth some exploration.
The software that brings this together is an encoder, and there are lots of them. YouTube's list of verified encoders includes Open Broadcaster Software, STAGE TEN , Streamlabs OBS , XSplit Broadcaster , XSplit Gamecaster , and Wirecast
With absolutely no knowledge of any of them I just downloaded the first on the list, especially since it was free and open source. As it happens, I later found out that Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) was also what Jean used.
Here's a quick summary of my initial impressions...
The first thing to say is that it's not as complicated or daunting as you might expect. The controls are laid out logically, and the process to add the elements of your stream seem quite simple.
On the screen grab below you can see how it's all laid out.
Let's have a quick look at the different areas that you work with...
That's the workspace and the basic operations of the software dealt with. Considering the complexity of the processes, it is remarkably simple to use.
As an example, the video below shows some of the possibilities. I don't have any webcams, and I don't have a track set up, so the racing is simulated using some old videos, and the Ultimate Racer timing is operated by keysrokes to add laps. The principle is much the same though.
It's probably worth pointing out that a production like that would take a little practise, and would probably need someone specifically to operate the OBS software. It's more to show what the software is capable of than a practical set up for racing, unless you know someone that is interested in media and production.
However it's simple enough to use a more basic set up, with a logo, timing screen, and webcam(s) and just leave it running while you race.
That's about it really. Why not have a go?
After watching some of Jean's excellent coverage of the Martlets stage in the WHO Rally Sprint Proxy, I was intrigued about the process and the software involved in streaming a live event. Obviously a single camera stream is so simple that it doesn't need much explanation, but what we saw at the weeekend was a live timing screen with three cameras for the on track action, which was fantastic. I thought for the benefit of people hosting proxy events, or possibly in future club races, this might be worth some exploration.
The software that brings this together is an encoder, and there are lots of them. YouTube's list of verified encoders includes Open Broadcaster Software, STAGE TEN , Streamlabs OBS , XSplit Broadcaster , XSplit Gamecaster , and Wirecast
With absolutely no knowledge of any of them I just downloaded the first on the list, especially since it was free and open source. As it happens, I later found out that Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) was also what Jean used.
Here's a quick summary of my initial impressions...
The first thing to say is that it's not as complicated or daunting as you might expect. The controls are laid out logically, and the process to add the elements of your stream seem quite simple.
On the screen grab below you can see how it's all laid out.
Let's have a quick look at the different areas that you work with...
- The biggest area, taking up most of the top of the screen is a representation of what will go out to your stream or recording. It's also where you can resize the various elements by simply clicking and dragging their surrounding boxes.
- At the bottom is a row of smaller docked windows which help you to build and operate your production...
- On the left is the Scenes window. This allows you to build a number of scenes, and move between them. Imagine a TV programme with a Title sequence, an Introduction, a series of Articles, and Closing Credits. Those would all be separate scenes. For streaming a race, we might only need one scene, but there again, you might feel creative enough to add more.
- Next is the Sources window. This is the heart of this software really. Here you can add elements to build up what's in each scene. You can add images, text, cameras, video, music, and software or browser windows. These can all be mixed, resized, overlaid and arranged in the main window so you can have multiple elements within a scene. You can easily set up a scene where, for instance you have a small club or event logo, a timing screen and a camera feed on screen.
- In the centre is the Audio Mixer where you can balance the levels of any audio inputs.
- Next is the Scene Transitions window which simply defines how you transition from one scene to the the next, whether it's a cut, or a fade, or whatever.
- Finally we have the Controls window, where you can Start Streaming, Start Recording or change Settings. Obviously for streaming you need to have an account set up, and the details entered into the software.
- On the left is the Scenes window. This allows you to build a number of scenes, and move between them. Imagine a TV programme with a Title sequence, an Introduction, a series of Articles, and Closing Credits. Those would all be separate scenes. For streaming a race, we might only need one scene, but there again, you might feel creative enough to add more.
That's the workspace and the basic operations of the software dealt with. Considering the complexity of the processes, it is remarkably simple to use.
As an example, the video below shows some of the possibilities. I don't have any webcams, and I don't have a track set up, so the racing is simulated using some old videos, and the Ultimate Racer timing is operated by keysrokes to add laps. The principle is much the same though.
It's probably worth pointing out that a production like that would take a little practise, and would probably need someone specifically to operate the OBS software. It's more to show what the software is capable of than a practical set up for racing, unless you know someone that is interested in media and production.
However it's simple enough to use a more basic set up, with a logo, timing screen, and webcam(s) and just leave it running while you race.
That's about it really. Why not have a go?
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