Online broadcasts are a great way to hold a webinar, talk about an upcoming event, or simply play a computer game and show it to other users. In addition, this opportunity also allows you to earn: many viewers are willing to pay for a well-spent evening.
To start your career as a streamer, all you have to do is install a program on your computer and use a special service, such as YouTube or Twitch. In today’s article we won’t talk about how it all works but only look at the best software for streaming, which are suitable for both beginners and professionals.
Covered Topics
OBS Studio
OBS Studio is the leader in streaming software and popular with both gamers and ordinary users who want to record video from the screen. The software features high performance and free access.
This program synchronizes well with Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Mixer and allows you to simultaneously broadcast live in each of the services. Talking about broadcasts, it’s worth saying that OBS Studio is multifaceted: you can combine images from different sources – webcams, open windows, etc. – in your live broadcast. You can also superimpose text, photos, and more on top of the main image. Learn more https://yagupov.biz/
Features:
- The ability to hold online streams in any service;
- You can save the recordings on your computer;
- There is a function to capture video from a web or external camera;
- You can place video sources on different layers;
- There is support for various filters: stickers, color correction, and others;
- A very powerful chroma key module;
- The ability to reflect and rotate video on the screen.
Cost: free
Twitch Studio
Twitch is not just a platform for streaming, but a full-featured software for screen capturing and broadcasting. It is still in the testing phase, but it is already available to users.
The application is created for beginner streamers and therefore it does not have a lot of functionality that similar software tools can show. Of the features here are simplified setup, broadcast templates, overlays, as well as support for chat and multiple audio sources. In addition, the program optimizes the quality of the picture depending on the power of the computer.
Features:
- Oriented to beginners;
- Built-in templates;
- Twitch integration;
- A great option for streaming games;
- Limited functionality, so unlikely to be suitable for anything large-scale.
Cost: free
Streamlabs OBS
Streamlabs OBS is another multifunctional and powerful solution for those who are going to conduct large-scale live broadcasts. And even though the app includes a lot of features, it’s pretty simple and great for beginner streamers.
The key features of Streamlabs OBS include automatic quality optimization based on computer performance and Internet connection speed. The app also has a handy item layout selection, quick source switching, and statistics on completed broadcasts.
Features:
- There are presets for popular streaming platforms, the ability to broadcast to your own server;
- YouTube and Twitch-chat correspondence is available;
- You can accept donations directly through the program;
- More than 10 attractive widgets designed to engage viewers and monetize;
- More than 250 free overlay themes;
- You can combine pictures from four sources into one window;
- Chat spam protection;
- Adding entertainment features such as mini-games, polls, loyalty points, and so on.
Cost: free
vMix
Streaming games is not the only facet of vMix professional software: you can broadcast webinars or just hang out with your friends. It has a vast set of settings and a fairly complicated interface, but if you understand it, you will get access to a lot of features that many similar streaming software do not have.
For example, vMix can process multiple content sources of different formats, has a built-in 3D gas pedal, has various effects for streaming, and allows you to create broadcasts of any complexity. Also in the program, you can conduct video calls, create titles, professionally process sound, and much more.
Features:
- Work with AVI, WMV, MPEG, QuickTime formats;
- Support for high-definition video (up to 4K);
- Support for multiple inputs and outputs;
- Image output to different devices simultaneously;
- There is a possibility of remote computer screen capture via Internet;
- Availability of the Audio Mixer for each input.
Cost: there is a trial version for 60 days; after that you should pay a subscription, which starts from $60
Wirecast
An inexpensive treat, but with a huge feature set that’s good for any broadcast – even a TV show launch. Wirecast combines a recorder, video editor, and streaming tool. It’s a kind of mixer where you can combine different media files and create video broadcasts to send later to the Internet. It also has automatic audio and video synchronization, which helps avoid mismatching when a microphone is connected.
Wirecast uses GPU acceleration when encoding video files so that transmissions can be broadcast in high fidelity mode. However, this puts a heavy load on the system CPU and especially the graphics card. There is also a slightly stripped-down version of Wirecast Play that integrates with only one video camera and sends the stream to YouTube Live.
Features:
- Multiple channel connection;
- Automatic audio track synchronization;
- Ongoing technical support from the developers;
- Setting individual parameters for each scene.
Cost: from $599
XSplit Gamecaster
XSplit Gamecaster was designed specifically for game streaming. It allows you to stream on almost all platforms, which include Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer.
The app is free, but you can only get the full enjoyment of streaming if you pay $3.95. If you stay with the standard version, a watermark will be displayed and the quality cannot be made higher than 720p. In addition, features such as chromakey, console video capture, broadcast branding, and Twitch in-game chat are not available in the free version.
Features:
- User-friendly interface;
- Ability to change the bitrate in just a couple of clicks;
- Extended support for consoles;
- Paid version has a built-in video editor;
- The unique VCam function is available, allowing you to delete, change, and blur the background on your webcam.
Cost: free or from $3.95
Nvidia Shadowplay
Shadowplay is an official application from Nvidia that has been honed specifically for GeForce graphics cards and works exclusively on them. It can be used for simple screen captures as well as online streaming. Streaming starts in a few clicks and resource consumption is kept to a minimum, allowing you to broadcast on fragile machines. And if you have a computer with a powerful graphics card, it supports 4K HDR 60 fps or 8K HDR 30 fps.
It is also worth mentioning another trick of the program – system resource optimization technology, which is available in GeForce video cards. It doesn’t matter how high the graphics requirements of the game you’re recording are – the FPS will hardly ever drop and the games will run smoothly and with the highest possible quality.
Features:
- High-resolution live action (up to 8K);
- Does not load the system when recording;
- Shield support;
- Fast optimization of games according to your computer’s characteristics;
- Fast video card drivers update;
- Streaming video directly from your video card is available.
Cost: free of charge
Bandicam
Bandicam includes special settings for recording gameplay, and lets you create videos at 480 fps and upload them to YouTube in high resolution: HD (720p) and Full HD (1080p).
The program can record 2D and 3D video games that use DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan technologies. Since the application allows you to connect third-party devices, you can record your voice and even add an image from your webcam in picture-in-picture mode.
It is worth noting that Bandicam is easy to use: all you have to do to start it is to outline the area of your monitor. It is possible to record cursor movement and keystrokes.
Features:
- Recording in high quality (up to 4K UHD);
- Easy control;
- Special settings for gameplay capture;
- Support for DirectX and OpenGL component libraries;
- Minimal load on the system.
Price: there is a free version with restrictions, the full package costs from $39.95
Steam
Steam is a platform for purchasing official games from Valve. In order to set up a general display and walkthrough of the game, you will need to download and install the desktop client. When you start streaming, you can choose privacy: show the video only to your friends on the service (freely or by invitation) or hold a general demonstration.
On the site you can join a community of like-minded people, set up the mode of joint passing, track updates and discounts on your favorite products. Cloud syncing is also available, so you can save your progress and play from any device.
Features:
- Large collection of games;
- You can broadcast any action from the monitor screen;
- Cooperative playthrough;
- Internal community, contests and chat;
- Streaming is only available on internal servers;
- You can’t record user actions.
Cost: Free
FFSplit
The last streaming software I’m going to talk about is FFSplit. It was created specifically for streaming and live streaming. In the application, you can manually select the resolution and image quality set the bitrate, and connect multiple sources simultaneously. Created videos can be combined into a single project and sent directly to the network or saved locally in MP4, MKV, FLV format.
The built-in editor allows you to overlay text and graphics on video clips and view the results before creating a live stream. You can also create multiple scenes, add an unlimited number of layers and adjust the volume. On top of that, FFSplit automatically checks and downloads DirectX updates for faster-running PC games.
Features:
- Records actions from monitor, webcam, browser;
- Basic editing tools are present;
- Has built-in presets for streaming to YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook;
- Setting “hot keys” for quick work.
Cost: free of charge
Conclusion
Today we looked at popular free and premium programs for streaming on the computer, suitable for both ordinary users and professionals who care about smooth and uninterrupted operation of such software. Which option is right for you is a matter of taste and preference. It all depends on what you want to stream and what results you expect from it.
