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      Open Broadcaster Software & FAQ

       

      PrintMillicast is the provider for our OBS and has built-in redundancy in their distribution. This means that as my web camera is sending data to the service, the feed is sent to multiple locations to keep the video highly available. Therefore, if a location were to experience a fault, other locations would pick up the load automatically.
      The video currently runs at 30fps and 1080p or whatever the source is pushing to the service. This means that lower quality web cameras can push lower quality video but if you send 1080p at 30fps we will broadcast it. This is similar to what news agencies shoot for when having commentators use WebEx or Skype on TV.
      Millicast does not limit the number of users that can access the feed. Since it is distributed via a CDN (content delivery network), it's highly available to anyone who signs on. Millicast has clients that deliver feeds for thousands of concurrent users (including Vimeo as a client).

      The version we use and recommend is based on 23.2.1. It can be downloaded right from the admin in event central > Live Broadcast tabs. We do not recommend any other version than the one we provide on that page.  Below is what you will see in your admin. 

      Custom OBS Software Download  
      MAC OS | Windows 10 or higher  


      Millicast version of OBS that can be downloaded from this software:

      The Millicast version of OBS makes it possible to stream with Millicast using a WebRTC connection instead of RTMP.  In our limited experience, we have seen WebRTC to have much better performance (around 1s or less glass-to-glass) vs RTMP which could have several seconds of delay (not ideal for a live auction).

      NOTE: When you run OBS from the Terminal this way, and attempt to add things such as webcam capture or display capture, the Terminal will ask for these permissions instead of OBS. If so, be sure to grant those permissions to the Terminal to ensure functionality in OBS.

      From this software: we have still seen random crashes on Mac using this method, but it is there and available for you to try if you are experiencing broadcast delay using RTMP.


      From Millicast - For Mac users only: The newest version of macOS, 10.15 "Catalina", is now available. However, OBS Studio is currently not yet fully compatible with it. These issues stem from a change to the way Catalina handles permissions for things such as capturing webcams and microphones. For example, if you have a webcam capture in one of your scenes, OBS will crash. Millicast is currently working on a fix. In the meantime, if you have already upgraded to Catalina, you can restore most functionality by running OBS manually from the Terminal with the following command:

      Code:
      open /Applications/OBS-WebRTC.app/Contents/MacOS/OBS-WebRTC --args -picture

      Start by going to Event Central > Live Broadcast, click on either MAC OS or Windows 10 or higher.


      FAQ:

      Q: Can we use a video switch with the Eventstream and OBS Software?

      • Video Switcher to combine all your sources (camera, laptop, second camera, etc) and then output the feed to a laptop or computer running OBS. Then, in OBS, you can set up your connection to EventStream and start broadcasting.   

      Q: Can we use Facebook Live Simultaneously with EventStream?

      • That is called multicasting and it's the practice of sending your video/live camera/broadcast to multiple places at once. We don't actually have anything to do with it because we're just a channel like Facebook, YouTube, etc. This means that if the software they are using to broadcast supports it then they would need to learn how to do it from the software provider (OBS, Zoom, etc). The best thing they can do is Google search for "OBS Multicast" or "Zoom Multicast" or "Wirecast Multicast".    
      Q: Has anyone ever asked you about music - played by a dj or background music?Can they use any music - does it need to be royalty-free? Can DJ use his playlist? Any rules with that?
      • It's ok if you are using our service to broadcast and they use copyright music. We don't censor the material. However, YouTube and Facebook definitely do. Therefore if they plan to make it available on those platforms, the music must be royalty free and no DJs.   

      Q: If I'm using eventstream from home do I need to upgrade my internet speed?

      • There is no need to upgrade your internet speed. Recommended upload is between 3 and 8 mbps and download should be greater than 8 mbps. This is very reasonable on most home internet services (Charter, Xfinity,etc). To find out what your personal speeds are, search on Google for "speedtest" and use Google's built in speed test tool. In OBS, when you edit your data rate, it should ALWAYS be lower than the maximum upload speed that you get from Google's test. Example: I get 10mbps which is 10,000kbps. In OBS, I would set my data rate less than 10,000. Typically, I recommend somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 to get good quality video. So all that means if you run the test on Google and your upload is greater than 4mbps then you are good to go. 

      Q: What is the best speed to stream the videos to accommodate all internet access?  

      • 4,000kbps as the data rate in OBS is a great setting. Because we use Millicast, we only need to be concerned with the quality we upload to their service. From there, Millicast will control the quality that is sent to a person's device. If that person's device is connected to high speed internet, they will get a full quality stream. If they are connected to sporadic or poor internet, then Millicast automatically sends a lower quality stream. It's the same thing that services like Netflix and Hulu do.

      Q: How do we make it so the auctioneer can hear us but the audience cannot? Do they need a separate microphone? Do we buy a special microphone for broadcasting? 

      • Example: When I did my event with an auctioneer in Baltimore and me in Michigan controlling the EventStream page, I had him on speakerphone with my cellphone. I was able to listen to him and if I needed to, I could talk quietly to him. He could have an earbud in his ear and I would be able to talk to him that way and his broadcast microphone wouldn't pick it up. It's low tech but using a phone call and bluetooth earbuds is probably the easiest way to have an auctioneer hear the EventStream person and not broadcast it. I wouldn't use Zoom because it takes some of your internet bandwidth which you'd rather keep for streaming EventStream.

      Q: How do I bring a zoom call into OBS?

      • If you and your interviewee are in different locations and you want more than one person on camera, you will have to use Zoom. The Zoom meeting would then be piped into the OBS that is broadcasting. So for instance, I would setup a Zoom, send the invite to the auctioneer and a host, then connect that laptop to my OBS laptop (2 different laptops) using a USB capture card. Then, I can pin the auctioneer in Zoom and broadcast him using OBS. I can switch pins from the auctioneer to the host as much as I want.