Please save me from buying a Mac - Audio/Video Sync

[SubbrSchwob]

Hi there!

Yesterday I used OBS for streaming on a very old MacBook Pro someone had lent me. It ran so perfectly. I tried a Blackmagic Atem Mini Pro via USB-UVC first, then change of plans, used Avermedia Live Gamer Mini then – just as great. Audio/video sync happened automagically. I just had to tweak my encoder settings and scenes and there I was.

On Kubuntu 18.04 with kxStudio overlays however: I use the Jack audio source. I adjust the audio latency using the clapper board. I restart OBS, and the latency is off by hundreds of milliseconds. In any directions. It is completely useless. Chance of failing is too high.

Actually this is why I bought the Blackmagic Atem Mini Pro, so that I do not need to use OBS any more. The Atem Mini Pro will stream directly to YouTube. However, only at 1080p, and I now have clients in the German countryside. Which equals to the north pole in terms of Internet connectivity: If you don't have satellite internet, you won't get much more than 2mbps upstream. Which brings OBS back into play, since I can really tweak everything. Resolution, encoding, etc.

So, before I waste my money on overpriced hardware and an OS, that - albeit being a Unix system - will soon not allow me to run older applications, since their certificates will run out…

Does anyone have a reliable, reproducible, consistent streaming setup on Linux? Using a single USB-UVC interface for audio and video.

If so, I would kindly ask you to name your Linux distro and version, OBS version, and USB-UVC hardware device you are using.

I haven't managed this in years and the fact that OBS 26.0.2 has broken V4L2 support does not make it better.

Thanks for your attention

Schwob

 

[SubbrSchwob]

I tried with VLC, which can also capture from V4L2… absolutely no fuzz, the audio and video from my AverMedia LiveGamer Mini are in sync on Kubuntu 18.04. Only in OBS, sync comes and goes via the ALSA input. Sometimes it's hit, then I restart OBS, it's miss again. (I tried 26.1.0 this time, ignoring the broken V4L2 device dialog.)

The only advice I can give for serious streaming of HDMI sources is with OBS: get a Mac. Use it only for streaming, don't bother with the hassle for other work. Don't get the latest model, since it will soon disable running older software versions. Find clients who are willing to pay a fee for the Mac. Otherwise: Just don't do it. OBS for Linux will only make you sad.

I found someone who is willing to lend me his MacPro, the old urn model. Not that handy but it will do the job. Wouldn't by one though since the used prices would give me an AMD Ryzen ThreadRipper brandnew.

 

[SubbrSchwob]

Unfortunately, I could not be saved from buying a MacBook, but as stated elsewhere it also has issues, namely the bitrate limit of the hardware encoder not working.