Looking for recommendations for IP Camera Streaming

[bassnetz]

Hi everyone,
Newbie here and a noob at OBS Studio as well. :(
I am seeking for some recommendations to fix a couple of problems that we have while streaming with OBS.
Firstly, we use IP Cameras (not sure which build) that are wide-angled because the ceiling is not so high. So the video always looks stretched out (attachment 1). Is there any way this can be fixed on the output end?

Secondly, sometimes there is a burned patch appearing on the video if some objects move across (attachment 2). If there was a possibility to manually set some kind of focus, I believe it would go away, but since it is a normal IP Camera, I do not think this option is available. Any recommendations to fix this?

Plus, any insight on how to stream at the best possible resolution on twitch with a low/medium-end PC would be really appreciated!

Thanks!
Aaron

 

[AaronD]

Electronic solutions to physical problems usually don't work so well. Sometimes, you can do a *little* bit, but *only* a little bit. The underlying problem is usually still noticeable, only slightly less so, before the electronic band-aid becomes its own problem that is worse than the original.

There are cameras that work very well in difficult environments (sports stadiums, for one example), but they're really expensive, and use physical things to solve the physical problems. (big lenses to capture a lot of light, to continue the same example)

If you make the environment more conducive to a camera, then the camera itself doesn't have to be so expensive. Lighting a green screen separately from the subject and exactly evenly, for another example, not according to your eyes, but according to a purpose-made measurement app that uses the same camera.

If you're new to all this, it's tempting to get the cheapest hardware you can find, just toss it up, and expect a professional broadcast worth of quality, but that just doesn't happen. If you want it to be good, then you need to look at ALL the parts, not just the electronic stuff.

 

[AaronD]

To "undistort" your image #1, it might be best to move the camera so that it's not distorted in the first place. Put it exactly over the center of the table, pointing exactly straight down...

For the "hotspot" in your image #2, that's lighting. Move the lights around to avoid the glare, or excessive overlap, or whatever it turns out to be. A green screen setup/measurement app might help with that, even though it's not technically a green screen.

Both of those suggestions use physical things to solve physical problems, which is far more effective than trying to use electronic things to solve physical problems.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Aaron is spot on.
Also, beware the camera. Some cheap IP cameras (meant for security) are only 15fps (ie 1/2 normal), or have really low-end cheap encoders (such that movement looks bad). And most of them have poor color video low-light performance (as sensors and associated quality firmware to handle low-light well, are more expensive). That said, there are some IP cameras that are much better than others. ipcamtalk.com might be a useful resource for you