Livestreaming in Full HD / Stereo - Advanced Level

Here is some info about my advanced live-streaming setup for high quality production video with Full HD and Stereo sound.

What you need:

  • Laptop + Power

    • with decent graphics card
    • with USB3.0/3.1 - or with hub connected to USB-C
    • new MacBook Pro 16Gb is ideal
  • Internet Connection

    • with >5Mbps upload speed for Full HD 1920x1080
    • Ethernet + Cable preferred over Wifi
    • Should be stable - i.e. providing constant capacity
    • Should be without contention - i.e. not shared with lots of other users
    • e.g. dedicated private wifi, or strong 4G mobile signal
  • Camera with HDMI output

    • 1920x1080 is Full HD, 1280x720 is Standard HD
    • e.g. most Canon / Nikon / Sony / GoPro cameras
    • Must be able to give a “clean” HDMI signal, i.e. without overlays / text / focus points
      • To work out if your camera can give clean HDMI, use a cable to connect to a TV / monitor
    • I use a Canon EOS 60D / 5D Mkiii / 750D and GoPro Hero 4

  • HDMI to USB Converter
    • This is the magic bit which converts the HDMI signal from the camera into a USB Webcam
    • I currently use this device: Magewell USB Capture HDMI Plus = $359 buy it here
    • This presents itself as a Video Capture Device Source in OBS

  • Microphone
    • Ideally one which can be connected to the laptop with USB
    • I use this device: Zoom H1 Handy Recorder = ~ $120 buy it here
    • This presents itself as a USB Sound Card called H1 in OBS-Settings-Audio

Here’s how you connect it all together:

After this, you can add what you want by way of:

  • Longer USB / HDMI Cables - to give you flexibility to move around with camera / mic
  • Headphones - for monitoring sound-quality. Best to use noise-reducing / noice-cancelling
  • Lenses - for different quality / perspectives for Camera
  • Tripods / Monopods for fixing / stabilising the camera
  • Mic stands / Tripods for isolating the microphone
  • Other sound inputs from anywhere (Xoom H1 has 3.5mm headphone jack input)
  • Lighting sources for improved picture quality
  • Sound dampening for less background noise