Told by former admin not to update OBS

[Gonzolo]

Hello,

I was told by a former admin on our "tech team" at our church, who set up our system, not to update OBS because it would break how our stream on our service works. This person has been gone from the team for a while now, but it scares me enough that I'm afraid to update the program. Any idea why he would say that?

Anyhow, would I be able to put a separate, current installation of OBS on the computer, import or copy settings, and see if it works without affecting the current installation? I think we are on still on 27.something.

We are not currently having any issues with our stream, and I'd like to keep it that way, but generally programs are updated for a reason. I haven't done much in OBS yet, but guess I need to start learning.

 

[rockbottom]

Former admin on the Tech team more than likely knows more than you. I would heed their advice unless you know what you're doing.....

 

[KUCTech]

Hello gonzolo: I am the admin/operator of a church live stream operation. I was recently training an new operator, and I prepared a guide to the system, with a list of practices to be avoided, and the first item is: If prompted to update OBS to a new Release/Version, decline the update. This is not because I don't want the updates applied; it's because I want them installed on a controlled basis, and not 10 minutes before we go live. I still remember going from OBS 27 to OBS 28, and it was weeks or months of waiting for plugins to be made compatible. So plugin compatibility will be a consideration in your case.

The first thing I would do is find out what your former admin means by not to update because it would break how our stream on our service works. If there is some specific dependency on OBS 27, then obviously things should be left as they are. I don't know how/if multiple releases of OBS could be installed at the same time. If you have the capability to install and test the current OBS version on a different computer, that would be ideal. If you don't have a lot of plugins and your processing is reasonably basic/standard stuff, you should be OK. And if it was me, I would make sure my Windows system was up to date.

I am a believer in staying current with software updates, although I generally stay away from version 0's until I have seen what the Forum is reporting. But if you're reasonably tech savvy, my vote would be to read the release notes, and then go for it, keeping open the option of reinstalling the older version.

I hope this helps and good luck if you decide to go ahead with the update.

Regards. . .

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Hello,

I was told by a former admin on our "tech team" at our church, who set up our system, not to update OBS because it would break how our stream on our service works. This person has been gone from the team for a while now, but it scares me enough that I'm afraid to update the program. Any idea why he would say that?

... I think we are on still on 27.something.

And that would most likely be why NOT to upgrade (to v28 or newer, with mostly all new plugins required, and possible reconfig to go with it)

Also a House of Worship, OBS livestream tech lead. And HoW has not had a reason to upgrade to OBS Studio v28 or newer. And though I like to stay current, they don't call it the bleeding edge for no reason. If you are on Windows 10 (and I don't yet recommend Win11, being MS consistent for decades with every other Desktop OS release being a complete half-baked PoS), and system working, why change it? seriously .. go through release notes ... does any of that apply to you? if not, and system fine, then may be better to stay put, for now.
With that said, at some point, Win10 will stop getting security updates (couple year reprieve if you are willing to pay MS for courtesy of delaying the inevitable). So, you have to consider hardware refresh cycle, OS support, etc. Once you get a new computer with Win11, or plan to upgrade existing OBS Studio PC, a well planned and tested OBS upgrade at same time probably appropriate. But at that point, someone needs to understand all background processes at Operating System level (as relates to streaming, as well as what was disabled on current system, and why), all audio and video related drivers and system software, and all OBS Studio plugins, configuration, etc. Any one of those could, potentially, trip you up, depending on the specifics of your setup.

First step, make sure you have a FULL system backup (ie ability to do a hardware level restore, just in case). then proceed with caution

Due to age, you may or may not be able to directly upgrade all of your OBS Studio Plugins (presuming you have at least a couple). you'll need to research each one on your own. Some may require interim upgrade steps; or removal, upgrade, and manual reconfig ... it depends