Connecting 2 video sources on one laptop

[Glouisfr]

Hi, new to OBS, still learning it but I am looking to do a stream for archery, it will be outdoors. I'm looking to have 2 cameras.
one pointing at the target, one pointing at the shooting range.
The laptop I'm using for OBS Studio is Windows-based.
I am looking to use an 'old' camcorder which is good but pre-HDMI so it has a S-video output
and probably a camera I used for FPV for my models which I should get the signal via either on HDMI or USB.

Do I need a capture card to connect my camcorder from S-video? or just a convertor to HDMI plugged into the HDMI port of my laptop?
And what do I need if I want to connect the other camera on HDMI too as I only have one HDMI port?
Thx

 

[koala]

You need capture devices for both of your cameras. One capture device that's able to read s-video for the camera that's outputting s-video, and another capture device that's reading hdmi for the other camera that's outputting hdmi. Capture devices are usually connected with usb, and usually they're digitizing exactly one input, so you need 2 capture devices. Quality and price varies vastly, so choose the product wisely and after thorough research.

The hdmi port on your PC/Laptop cannot be used for input, it's just output to a monitor. Not viable for data input.

 

[Glouisfr]

Now I understand why I can't use my laptop HDMI port... so simple yet not easy to figure out... but now that I know :-)
ok I did look at capture cards, now I'll more to find the ones I need then, thank you :-)

 

[Glouisfr]

Now I understand why I can't use my laptop HDMI port... so simple yet not easy to figure out for people who are not existing video producers... but now I know so thank you :-)
I'll more to find the ones I need then, thank you :-)

So let me guess now that I know I need to use my USB ports on my laptop, and if I only have one for 2 external sources or if I wanted to add a 3rd video source but only have 2 USB ports on my laptop, I would need to use a video switcher like the feelworld livepro which has multiple HDMI in ports, and on USB output to plug on my laptop right?

But then do you only set one video source in OBS as the switching will happen on the switcher?

Best

 

[koala]

Probably yes. However, I don't have experience with more advanced video processing hardware. Usually, it helps if you download the manuals and watch videos that present and show how to work with these devices. There are many videos on Youtube that show how to use this and that device with OBS explicitly.

If you connect multiple usb capture devices, keep in mind usb bandwidth is limited. Real USB 3 devices (ones with a blue plug) usually have no bandwidth issues, but USB 2 devices have difficulties with bandwidth if you want to connect 2 1080p at 60 fps to the same hub (internal or external). If you have only 2 USB ports on your laptop, they're probably on different internal hubs, so you're fine by connecting one usb capture device to each of them. Adding a hub and also connect mouse and keyboard to one of them will not kill bandwidth, but adding one hub and connect 2 usb 2 devices to it probably will.

 

[JohnPee]

A minor point not related to OBS is that depending upon the laptop the battery life while streaming may be an issue for you unless you have a convenient power outlet. I imagine archery in a field.

 

[Glouisfr]

Thank you both for your response.
re the USB my laptop is USB 2 so that is one limitation good to know.
Re the power yes You are correct JohnPee. But I am looking to have power there on the day - I kind have to lol

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Do I need a capture card to connect my camcorder from S-video?

Hopefully you are aware that
- the old camcorder with S-Video output (I have a 25 yr old Sony camcorder with same output) is relatively low resolution compared to modern expectations. Depends on camera, vertical resolution is possibly/probably more than 480i, (maybe about 600 [PAL 576?]) but less that 720p
- beware battery life on that old camcorder (did you get new, large capacity batteries, or will will connected camcorder to external power supply as well as laptop?) I'd certainly recommend full system setup test in advance, for full event length

Depending on your settings, you may make the laptop work decently 'hard' and than can lead to thermal throttling. sorry.. whether your laptop slowing itself down (thermal throttling) to protect CPU, RAM, etc depends on many factors... keeping the laptop in shade with a fan pointed at it might help

If you laptop only has USB2 ports, I'm guessing it is older, possibly much older system. in which case, beware real-time video encoding is computationally demanding (new Computer/phones/tablets have dedicated circuits for encoding video... and older computer, depending on specifics may not have such video encoding optimization built in). depending on detailed technical specifics, your laptop may or may not be capable of handling 2 video inputs (or even one)

 

[Glouisfr]

Hi Lawrence, thank you for your valid point and here are my plans:
I am waiting for confirmation that I will have power on the range where the event will be held. This will be key tbh.
As I'm new to this streaming business, though only looking to do it once for now anyway, I am on a budget but I've done a diagram to see what connects to what, how etc... so I don't miss on anything. And I've updated that diagram from this thread which is fantastic.

For now, I have ordered an S-video to USB adaptor for my camcorder (a Panasonic 3CCD HD from maybe 10 years ago) not interested in anything more than 1080p... need to check if it can do that ;-)

The second camera I am planning to use is one of my FPV cameras connected to a 5.8Ghz VTX and I ordered a 5.8Ghz receiver with an HDMI output and an HDMI capture card to plug into my second USB port in my laptop.

My laptop is a good ROG laptop but I'll check tonight what USB ports it has and I hope it should handle this usage but I will have a shelter/tent where I will be and where I will keep all the electronic for the streaming and scores but I do think of 'waterproofing' the cameras as we're in Ireland lol.

Based on this I will add a fan to point at the laptop too.

For now the planning of this event is in September and this is why I'm looking at this now so I can learn, get the equipment I need and most importantly test the entire setup indeed so I'm more comfortable doing this on the day of the event.

One thing I found out I will need to prepare in OBS are a scene for 'Stream starting soon', notifications, 'BRB' scene if it cuts off what other scene would I need to get ready based on your experience?

 

[AaronD]

Real USB 3 devices (ones with a blue plug)...

Slight nitpick: I have a cheap capture device that was advertised as USB 3, with all the hype that goes along with that, but it actually has a USB 2 chip behind a blue plug. The pins on that plug that are specific to USB 3 are present, but don't go anywhere.

Buyer beware of cheap deceptive junk like that. The lower data rate of USB 2 means that the card itself must compress the HD video that it receives, just to cram it through there, and that hurts the quality before it even gets to the computer at all.

Though if the other source is S-video, and you consider them to be equal, you probably won't notice much. S-video is the same resolution as Composite, which is the same as an old analog TV broadcast; only the color information is separated out to reduce noise. So it's slightly better than Composite, but not by much.

 

[AaronD]

...I have ordered an S-video to USB adaptor...1080p... need to check if it can do that ;-)

It probably won't, as I said above. But if you use a decent upscaler in OBS (more computational effort), you might be able to fool yourself, and your audience, despite not actually adding any useful information.

My laptop is a good ROG laptop...

I assume that's ASUS Republic of Gamers? (from a Google search) Is it thick and heavy? If so, then it might actually have a decent cooling system built-in. Just keep the air intake(s) clear and cool, and it's probably okay. If you're okay to take it apart enough to clean the heatsink fins, that wouldn't hurt either.

It's the thin, light, optimized-for-portability machines that most people have, that don't work so well for continuous live media.

If you're doing a lot though, it's still good to get some accessible PCIe slots to put capture cards in, which bypass the USB bottleneck, and that pretty much dictates a desktop tower.

For now the planning of this event is in September and this is why I'm looking at this now so I can learn, get the equipment I need and most importantly test the entire setup indeed so I'm more comfortable doing this on the day of the event.

Advance planning! Good for you! Most people don't do that, and then they call it "too hard" because it doesn't "just work" at the panicked last minute.

 

[koala]

For now the planning of this event is in September

Planning ahead this long is a really good idea, especially if you don't have prior knowledge on live streaming with OBS. An outdoor event is even more complex than just streaming some video game, because you're constrained with the internet connection, additional computer resources, power and weather condition. Don't neglect the audio part. Outdoors is a completely different audio recording environment than some studio-like quiet room. For example, if it is windy and you intend to use some microphone, some (physical) wind noise filter might be good.
You have time to work out your solution and practice the actual streaming situation. While testing, you see if the hardware you collected is up to the job or if there are issues to fix or improve.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Another consideration is bandwidth for livestreaming at an event... especially when planning to use cellular bandwidth (which by design is not as consistent (jitter/latency, etc) as a wired connection

If you have access to a controlled WiFi network backed by wired ISP connection, great. If an 'open' guest WiFi with no option for site network admin to prioritize your streaming traffic above others, or cellular based, then:
- the challenge with testing a cellular streaming setup, is that you can test a lot of your setup ahead of time, but you can't know how many people will show, which carriers they will be using, and how much bandwidth... so you should understand and be prepared in case bandwidth drops during livestream
If you don't need to be live, capturing video on the event (direct on the camcorders) and transferring/compositing/encoding then uploading/posting later remotely is much 'safer' (any errors during encoding/upload process won't be seen by others, as one can simply re-do what step/process and try again... but that means time commitment goes WAY up (event, compositing afterwards, etc.. not uncommon to spend 2-X the amount of time, and much worse if one is a perfectionist)
Depending on budget, audience, etc...
- you could simply put up a warning that if stream drops to please 'stick around, you'll reconnect as quickly as possible'.. or something like that)
- getting WAY more involved would be setting up an alternate (backup) stream using an alternate cellular carrier (presuming multiple carrier with sufficient bandwidth at the location)... worst case would be to simply use mobile phone and its camera to connect as backup, if for nothing else to simply give an update on 'waiting to re-connect' or whatever is appropriate

 

[AaronD]

An outdoor event is even more complex than just streaming some video game, because you're constrained with the internet connection, additional computer resources, power and weather condition. Don't neglect the audio part. Outdoors is a completely different audio recording environment than some studio-like quiet room. For example, if it is windy and you intend to use some microphone, some (physical) wind noise filter might be good.

I didn't catch that this was outdoors! Yeah, that adds another layer of difficulty, all around!

• The audience PA (if there is one) needs to be insanely powerful, and turned up to use that power. What you think is overkill may *still* not be enough. Been there, done that! Sound just "disappears" outdoors. As a first guess, try 10x the power that you might be used to indoors. Seriously!
• In addition to physical wind screens on the mics, a highpass filter helps too. This is not the bass knob on an EQ, but if that's all you have, then still turn that all the way down. Any digital mixer or DAW should have a for-real highpass or low-cut, that you set to as high a frequency as you can, separately for each mic, without killing the intended sound from that mic. Some EQ plugins also have filters, and the highpass in that should work just fine for this.
  If you still have excessive wind noise, then maybe you sacrifice some of the intended sound for less noise by turning the highpass up a little more. Or maybe you can put several of them on the same mic to make it roll off faster, if the noise is technically below the cutoff frequency but not by much.
• Cameras need to use whatever you get from the sun. There's no way that a set of lights is going to compete with that! Not even in (most) shadows. So you have to take whatever shadows you have, where they are, and recognize that they're going to move throughout the day. How does that affect your camera shots?
  Cameras tend to exaggerate differences in light, compared to eyes. If your eyes can see both direct illumination and shadow at the same time, the camera may have to choose between a solid white blob with a nasty edge to make the shadow work, or a solid black blob to make direct sunlight work. And if you're shooting into the sun, you get a silhouette. HDR helps with this (High Dynamic Range), but that's a relatively new thing that your S-video camera almost certainly doesn't have.

 

[AaronD]

Something else to consider, on the audio side, is the difference between "live" and "broadcast" levels:

• For live work, including what comes directly from the mics, you don't know what's coming, and so you need to leave some headroom. Generally, 18dB of headroom is a good starting point (the meter sits at -18dBFS), but if you're still close to clipping, you can turn the preamp(s) down some more.
• For broadcast, you're assumed to know what's coming, and have everything tamed, so that you can turn it all the way up to full-scale. (0dBFS) The purpose of that is to overcome the deficiencies in the barely-enough distribution and consumer-reproduction systems, by just drowning them out. And because everyone does that, you doing it too prevents your listeners from having to turn up for you and back down for everyone else.

The problem is that you can't just turn up a raw mic to that level, because it'll clip. Badly! And it still won't be loud enough to match everyone else. You need something in between that automatically adjusts itself to keep its output right at full-scale, regardless of what the input is doing. (within reason of course - you don't want the background noise to become audible!) That device is called a Compressor, and its most aggressive form is called a Limiter.

OBS has both as audio filters, but if you're going to use a digital console or a DAW anyway for the highpass, then you might as well do *everything* in there, so that OBS only knows about the final finished soundtrack to pass through completely unchanged.

I stream a weekly church service, using a post-fade AUX send in the digital Front-of-House console. Every input has its own highpass, EQ, and compressor, that are set by the FOH Engineer, then I set the stream mix (with headphones) as effectively a set of volume-offsets from what he does for the local audience. That mix then goes through a compressor on the entire mix (LA-2A emulation in my case), and then a soft-knee limiter as the last thing before it leaves the board and goes directly to the USB line-in that feeds OBS's passthrough. That limiter is set at exactly full-scale on OBS's meter (the console has more headroom than that), and the soft knee automatically changes the sound from soft-live to loud-squashed, just by how hard I push its input.