Live Streaming a Proxy Event

[73emgee]

Greetings - I'm looking for any info, tips, recommendations, ect. on how to live stream a proxy event. Any info on how to get started would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Rastas]

It would be great to see more live streaming of all the proxys , after watching the two rounds of the GT3 proxy it's good to put names to cars and see the tracks they're running on! Just a spectators point of view.

[SuperSlab]

I am by no means an expert (streamed one proxy event 3 years ago and then the recent Vancouver GT3 round) but not seeing much in terms of responses I will chime in with my limited experiences.

1. I used YouTube to stream as I think they give you the best quality options and broad access: I think it is better than Facebook for instance. So to start you will have to be a YouTube member.

2. For the actual video capture and setup part I used OBS (Open Broadcast Software) as this is recommended by, and works well with, YouTube. It is a small app you install on the computer that you use: see here: https://obsproject.com/

3. In preparation you will have to decide what and how you want to stream. I found that one camera covering the track and a picture-in-picture (PIP) showing the race management system (RMS) works nicely and is not excessively complicated to set up. You also need to decide if you are going to use the race management system computer or a separate dedicated computer for streaming.
* Using the race management computer has the advantage that including the RMS screen in PIP is dead simple with OBS. You just use the RMS screen as an input and create the small PIP display as required. One possible drawback is that, depending on the location of your RMS computer and the desired camera location, you could have some difficulty in connecting the camera to the computer. The maximum cable length for USB is typical about 5m. You can add a powered hub plus another cable (up to 5 times actually) but it is just something you need to bear in mind.
* Using a separate computer gives you a lot more freedom in terms of placement. FWIW I used my laptop for streaming and placed it close to the camera.

4. You obviously need internet access (duh!). I normally prefer a wired connection but for the GT3 proxy I used Wi-Fi. Note that for good quality HD (1920 x 1080) video you MAY be OK with 5Mbps but to be comfortable I would suggest a minimum of about 10Mbps upload speed and preferably 15Mbps to be safe. So this is one more thing you have to do as part of your preparation: check your Wi-Fi upload speed and consistency. And just to note: I would strongly advise against going less than HD: the quality is just so much better for the viewer.

5. If you want to show the RMS in the screen you have three options that I can think of:
* Place a monitor in the field of view of you track camera. This is what Cgyracer Rob did for the Round 0 stuff. Obviously this is the easiest (if you HAVE an extra monitor and you can get a spot to place the monitor that is!) and Rob showed that it can work extremely well.
* As mentioned earlier: if you stream from your RMS computer you can use the RMS display as one of the inputs into the video stream in OBS.
* What I did was to run an HDMI cable from the RMS computer to where I had my laptop, placed a monitor there and had a second camera "looking" at the monitor. You then use the video from the second camera as an input in OBS and create the PIP from that.

There are some other options as well but that gets WILDLY complicated with other software and complex setups. Don't go there unless you are an IT guy.

What I did was to set up the cameras and the view that I wanted to stream in OBS on my laptop. You set up the quality etc etc to suit. You then start YouTube, click on the "Create" button and choose "Go live". You have to edit some standard stuff (like a title!). YouTube Studio will then create a key that has to be entered into OBS to enable the streaming. You should then be good to stream! YouTube will provide a link that you can provide people that want to watch the event.

OK, this is all VERY high level and condensed: one can have a complete tutorial on how to set up YouTube streaming and also how to set up OBS. If you Google it you will find tons of YouTube "how to" video tutorials. But I hope this at least gives you a sense of what is required. And as we all know, when you start doing computer stuff it is always HUGELY more complicated and time consuming than a simple overview like this might have you believe! So if you think it is going to take you two hours to set it up, allow 5 hours. Or maybe 10 if you are not strong with computers....

A word of advise: you HAVE to do the setup a few days in advance and test out everything before you even think of going live. Try out the software on your regular computer in your home office and become acquainted with it. When you are comfortable with that, go to the track and start the setup and testing.

I believe you can probably do things WAY easier by just using a smartphone and a social media platform such as Facebook or Twitter. But I a) have no idea how to do that and b) I just do not think the quality of those options are very good.

Good luck!!!!

Alwyn

[Audi1]

Nice summary; thanks! I've been using Facebook Live and my iPhone, and though it is very easy to use, I'm not impressed with the quality of the video. I'll take a look at the OBS software now.

Allan

[73emgee]

Alwyn - Thanks for taking the time to write up your experiences, very helpful. I will check out OBS.

A couple of questions:

I read somewhere, that YouTube requires a minimum of 1,000 followers to live stream, is that correct?

What type of camera are you using; phone or dedicated video camera?

Can the live stream be saved for later viewing by folks in different time zones or countries so they can watch at a more convenient time?

Thanks

[gsnopoint]

following 😁

[SuperSlab]

I read somewhere, that YouTube requires a minimum of 1,000 followers to live stream, is that correct?

Not that I know of. I only have something like 40-something subscribers and I could stream. When I did the first one I probably had like 5 subscribers!

EDIT: I just did a search: apparently YouTube does have a 1,000 subscriber threshold on MOBILE streaming

What type of camera are you using; phone or dedicated video camera?

I use dedicated small webcams. They are widely available for not a lot of money and I think more convenient than a 'phone. FWIW I have a Logitech C920 (since superceded by the C922) that I use for Zoom calls and streaming plus I recently bought an even less expensive Avermedia that works just as well

Can the live stream be saved for later viewing by folks in different time zones or countries so they can watch at a more convenient time?

You can choose whether to save it or not: it is saved by default IIRC. You can then watch the recorded stream at any time afterwards using the same link.

Cheers

Alwyn

[Kevan]

Have a look at Zoom

[F1Fan]

Lots of good info here already, I will add a few very brief comments.

1) In order to live stream to YouTube from a mobile device you need to meet certain criteria. - You can however live stream from a computer. In order to do that you must use a broadcasting type of software, OBS (free) is the most often used, but there is a learning curve. HOWEVER - the new YouTube studio software I do believe allows you to stream live - I personally have not used this, but I know CGYracer does
2) You will need a camera if you use your computer, Logitech 920 webcam is a good option (value vs cost)
3) You can connect a GoPro or DSR using an interface like Cam Link to stream through your computer, most newer model GoPros (7 onwards) will work, but you need to check your DSR - shutter needs to stay open and you need a battery connection - check for compatibility
4) You can stream directly from the later model GoPro's using the App on your phone - I have not done this.

There are thousands of video's and tutorials on the www on this subject, the above is a VERY brief summary of a few options. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do a test run with sound well in advance. In the GT3 proxy we have seen lots of great comments and appreciation for making the effort.

Chris

[SuperSlab]

Have a look at Zoom

Zoom is certainly a great chat tool and very convenient, but note that it is meant for multi-directional video conferencing between several people, not for one directional streaming. This by its nature entails some limitations on video. I believe the highest quality that Zoom currently supports is 720P. I suppose that is generally OK but with the current level of technology I certainly would not go for that. I am not sure of this but, If I read their information correctly (see here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/art...47086-Group-HD), they also drop the resolution to SD (720 x 480) if more than 2 people are on the call.

For later viewing you can record the call on the web but from what I have seen the quality is really VERY mediocre.

[Gascarnut]

...In the GT3 proxy we have seen lots of great comments and appreciation for making the effort.

Unfortunately, after having been subjected to a fair amount of verbal abuse after streaming a round of the Group 5 proxy, I will never stream an event again. So hosts beware, it can be a two edged sword...