Streaming Hardware - Where to go next.

[deeseejay]

Long post coming – apologies in advance.

I’m part of a budding stream team operating from within the UK and have achieved moderate success streaming our locals – we’ve achieved good quality streams and have a good following…we’re reaching a point however, where we’re wanting to take things even more seriously and I feel like our hardware is potentially limiting us.

I’ve spent a lot of time reaching out to a lot of different top quality streamers (GGS, Showdown, VGBC) and they’ve been a little vague when answering questions – I’m guessing this is down to just how BIG streaming it is, there’s a lot to it and a lot to understand.

Our current equipment we’re using and how it’s setup:

- Lenovo Y50 Laptop (2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ, Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M, 16GB DDR3, USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, combination mic/headphone jack)
- Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle (Component input from Wii. Composite out to CRT – Used to capture 480p Melee)
- Behringer Premium 8 Input 2 Bus USB Mixer
- 2 x Audio Technica BPHST Headsets
- Logitech C920 USB HD Webcam
- Logitech C270 USB HD Webcam
- Powered USB Hub (used for mouse/cameras).

We use OBS Studio (we’ve had a LOT of issues getting the Shuttle to work with any of broadcasting software).

We’ve experienced issues where one of the visual USB elements (capture card/camera) can start to get a bit sluggish. It’s rare but I’ve put this down to the amount of data coming the USB – Camera/Mixer and 2 USB cameras. There are some obvious improvements I can make to the stream such as lighting/backdrops etc but when it comes to incorporating things such as HD cameras – will our current setup support it? I’m not even sure how I’d get it connected as they use a HMDI cable I just don’t have a slot for.

I’ve got some money to burn and I guess the main question I’m trying to get at is:

HOW DO I PUSH MY STREAM SETUP FORWARDS AND WHAT NEEDS ADDRESSING TO MAKE A MORE PROFESSIONAL AND CONSISTENT STREAM?

- How do I incorporate HD cameras with my current setup? Is it possible?
- Is it worth continuing to add to our current hardware setup or is it worth building a new computer fit for purpose? Maybe a desktop rather than a laptop?
- Do you have any examples of what type of hardware to aim for? Certain cameras or other components?

Any thoughts or advice at all is MASSIVELY appreciated.

Our youtube channel if you want to see any examples of quality - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjx797Q96asxpSNdv6ynvkA

Thanks in advance!

 

[Kadano]

Powered USB hubs share one slot's bandwidth, so yeah, that can easily be what's limiting.

I'd recommend building a small computer (can be ITX), preferably with a Skylake mainboard, which supports lots of PCIe lanes so you can add many USB3 extension cards and never run out of USB connection bandwidth.

I also recommend at least considering going for 480p for both recording and players, at least if you are always playing at the same venue (which it sounds like you do). You can find the details on how to do that in the "Perfect setups" thread linked in my signature.

 

[deeseejay]

We're trying to push the boat out - take the entire stream to the next level so when continue to upgrade going forwards, we don't want to hit hardware walls.

Do you think continuing with USB capture devices is the best bet? From what I've seen the more professional streams use a lot of PCI capture cards for capturing both game footage and cameras. Is that a better route?

We will be taking the stream on the road as well, so that's definitely a factor.

 

[Kadano]

Going from laptop to ITX / µATX / ATX will certainly help with bandwidth and other hardware limitations (power draw, temperature).

I think your cameras are fine for now. You can always buy additional PCIe expansion cards if you want to go with more expensive SDI cameras, so I say go for the largest mainboard form factor you can afford (from travel circumstances, if these apply).

The upgrade from your current set of cameras to SDI will be about 500 pounds at the least as far as I know, so I'd only take that step if you really think that your current cameras' quality is lackluster (which I don't expect).