Stream a browser window or a Wacom tablet window

[nunz]

My questions are not Mac-specific. I just don’t know where else to post them.

I am a teacher who wants to live-stream the following contents to my students.
1. Browser window
2. Wacom tablet screen (as a whiteboard)
3. Small live image of myself in a corner
4. Live chat with students

I do not necessarily want to live-stream the whole Desktop, especially because I have three 30-inch monitors placed horizontally. I want to concentrate on items that appear on the center monitor.

In an ideal setup, I would like to do the following:
1. Browser window showing a page from an electronic textbook is ready to be streamed.
2. Wacom tablet screen with a pen is ready to be streamed (as a whiteboard)
3. Place a small live image of myself in a corner of the browser window or tablet window.

Then, at will, I would like to live-stream either the browser window or the Wacom tablet window.

Is it possible to do this with OBS?

 

[simchooi]

Hi,
In this kind setup, first you may use the PC/MAC connect to second monitor in extend mode.
Add the browser or window item in OBS to your electronic textbook.
By adding display capture of second monitor in obs,for your whiteboard where the Wacom tablet to be used.
Also adding the video capture using webcam to capture yourself.

Hopes this help!

 

[nunz]

simchooi – Thank you so much for taking the time to write back. Yes, you really helped me.

What I set up
• I have OBS.app running in the center monitor.
• I opened the electronic textbook in Chrome and moved the window onto the left monitor.
• I launched Adobe Illustrator (in place of a Wacom tablet) and placed it on the right monitor.
• Then, in OBS, I added the window of Chrome showing the textbook, the Illustrator window, and a webcam of my image.
• I arranged their order so that the textbook will be on top with my image on the top as well.

Stream through YouTube
I embedded the iFrame codes into one of my webpages, and sure enough, things are being streamed.

My frustration
I am extremely unhappy that, when I scroll pages in the electronic textbook, it takes so much time for the scroll to happen in the streamed video on my webpage that it is really not practical. Likewise, what I draw in Illustrator takes forever to show up in the streamed video. At this slowness, I doubt that I can use this setup to effective conduct a class.

Latency
As stupid as it may sound, how can I bring down the annoying delay to virtually instantaneous? I have a very fast internet service. However, like any other residential service, the speed is about 200 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. Is there a hardware solution that can make the refresh almost instantaneous?

Backup Plan
If the refresh can't be sped up substantially, I could perhaps record a 40-minute lecture and let it stream through OBS. Then, the only other concern is how fast what I write on a Wacom tablet would show up in the streamed video. I know I am almost there, but the current refresh delay time kills everything.

Any further help you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. THANKS SO MUCH!!

 

[simchooi]

Hi Nunz,
I think that you try optimise your streaming output setting..
My own preference is that:
-The video resolution scale output change to 720p
-Video streaming bitrate to 1440.
-Audio bitrate to 128.
-Common FPS to 30

You still can bring down the video resolution and video stream bitrate for improvement, however it will affect the video quality.
Just try and error.

There is many ways for this kind of latency optimization, you can check out one of this below video guide:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Good luck!!

 

[nunz]

Thank you so much again, simchooi, for the absolutely precious pieces of advice. I will take up on your advice and try out the settings you listed. I am also watching the tutorial video that you cited.

I have another specific question.
When I stream a video from OBS to YouTube, for example, would a hardware encoder dramatically improve latency? As little as I still know, this question may be pointless. But, I thought I would as you.

Thanks again for all of your help!!

 

[simchooi]

Hi Nunz,
I haven't try out with any hardware encoder yet.Usually hardware encoder for those in demand for video and sound quality and other effects.
Latency is 80% depending on your internet speed. If you upgrade your internet network upload speed, sure it will minimize the latency issue.

Cheers!

 

[nunz]

simchooi – I am really taking what you wrote above (Latency is 80% depending on your internet speed.) seriously. My current cable internet connection is as follows:

Downstream: 200 Mbps
Upstream: 20 Mbps
I don't have a TV service. Just the above internet service. It costs me $96 per month. To increase the upstream, I could go up to the following plan:
- - -
Downstream: 500 Mbps
Upstream: 50 Mbps
That's as fast as the upstream can get with a price tag of $130 per month.

As much as I have tried to tweak various parameters in output streams in OBS, I cannot bring down the latency to the point that it is nearly instantaneous. Perhaps, this goal is unrealistic. I don't know. But, in order to interact with students in a streamed live class, latency is a major turn-off.

In your opinion, would going from 20 Mbps to 50 Mbps result in significant improvement in reducing the latency?

Thanks again for your help!!

 

[simchooi]

simchooi – I am really taking what you wrote above (Latency is 80% depending on your internet speed.) seriously. My current cable internet connection is as follows:

Downstream: 200 Mbps
Upstream: 20 Mbps
I don't have a TV service. Just the above internet service. It costs me $96 per month. To increase the upstream, I could go up to the following plan:
- - -
Downstream: 500 Mbps
Upstream: 50 Mbps
That's as fast as the upstream can get with a price tag of $130 per month.

As much as I have tried to tweak various parameters in output streams in OBS, I cannot bring down the latency to the point that it is nearly instantaneous. Perhaps, this goal is unrealistic. I don't know. But, in order to interact with students in a streamed live class, latency is a major turn-off.

In your opinion, would going from 20 Mbps to 50 Mbps result in significant improvement in reducing the latency?

Thanks again for your help!!

Hi Nunz,
There is several factor that causing the latency. OBS is not design for live interaction with any audience, unless you just use the text to interact with your student, sometimes the latency depending on streaming server performance that broadcast to your student.
You may try use video conference software such as Zoom or Cisco Webex, those are great tool for online class.

 

[nunz]

simchooi - Thanks for letting me know that OBS is not for live interactions. You just really saved a lot of time that I would have otherwise spent in vein to pursue live interactions with OBS. I have now started looking at Microsoft Teams because our school has a site license for the entire Microsoft Suite.

However, if you don't mind, I now wonder what a primary use of OBS then is. It streams what you tell it to stream; Window, Desktop, Pre-recorded video, etc. But, I am not sure now what aspect(s) of OBS that users appreciate the most.