Now I’m using a Monoprice 8x1 HDMI switch, and I wrote a little app to control it from my PC over serial cable. It lets you bind each input to a hotkey, so I can switch both my OBS scene and the HDMI input using a single key and no remote controls. Here’s the app on the off chance that it’s useful to anyone else:
Found Rubbermaid Fasttracks at Home Depot today. I think this is going to make streaming multiple games at my house much easier. This system attaches perfectly to the bottom of the floor joists and the attachment slides easily along the track. Now I just need to get the perfect setup of attaching the cameras to it for the dmd andthe player so all of them can move from game to game easy. For now I have a monopod attached that serves well for the playfield cam.
Ok. I bought this camera just to test the limits of cheap webcams. https://www.amazon.com/480P-Camera-Built-Plug-Play/dp/B01N42B62R/ It’s not great but I think it would be ok as an extra player cam or DMD cam. HOWEVER I can’t seem to disable autofocus. The section in xsplit is all greyed out. I can change the exposure and stuff. But not the focus like I can on my logitech cams. Are there alternative drivers or firmware that could fix this? Or some type of cam control software? Probably not worth the time if the fix isn’t fairly simple.
For those of you that stream games with LCDs, how do you capture the LCD without it being all washed out and contrasty? For some reason I can not find good settings for that. I’m using a c920 on the Star Wars LCD and it just looks terribly washed out.
I’ve had a really hard time on WOZ, Aerosmith and Lexy Lightspeed. The best I could do was to lower the exposure a ton until everything else except the LCD was really dark and mess with the white balance until the colors looked ok. It never looked good but you could at least see player scores.
I use c920’s for everything but the playfield.
For Star was or any LCD screen, you gotta drop the crap out of the exposure, up the gain only a touch, and work your white balance to get it right.
Don’t mess with brightness or contrast.
You don’t have to unplug/adjust/replug cameras like some of the PC users have lamented. In the app, there’s a drop down menu where you can select which cam you’d like to adjust, listed as: Logitech c920 #1, #2, #3, when dealing with the same model.
We did our first live streams from noisy venues this week. The audio was… frustrating. There was the noise from the machines being played, the venue’s music (which we did have them turn down a bit) and then bar goers whose conversations became louder the later the night and greater the alcohol.
How do you mix the audio in these situations? I run a Mac, OBS, Audio Hijack and use a Blue Snowball. I suppose this question is meant for Mac users like @DEADFLIP@BrewinBombers@TaylorVA
Also, for the first time in a long while the audio was out of sync for the initial part of our stream. After dialing in those settings and being consistent with which USB hubs and cables were dedicated to each device, what causes this to happen?
We’re still very new at this and appreciate such a supportive community.
We have this problem at our venue as well. I think getting closer to the mic and lowering the gain on the mic would help. We use nice pro headsets with built in mics. I think this helps - but it’s still very noisy. But for the most part you can hear what the commentator is saying. Here is an example of our stream. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/159201023 We are VERY new at this. This was our first tourney stream. Lots of plans for future streams. Multiple games on cam or a movable rig is high on the list. I believe these are the headsets we are using. https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-BPHS1-Broadcast-Headset-Dynamic/dp/B003D87JI2 The mics are XLR and we have them going into an audio mixer.
I think you’re right. Getting closer to the mic would definitely be better and I will fiddle with gain as well.
The headset mics do a world of good from what I was hearing, though I can’t imagine trying to play while wearing one (in our situation). Thanks for the advice!
I think misary is on the right track. I use a snowball on my Mac but I only stream out of my game room so not much of an issue. The headset mic seems like a decent solution and something I’ve kicked around but I know I’d jerk it off my head almost every game played.
Yes you need something like that. But most people seem to use capture devices from Elgato or AverMedia or blackmagic. $99 isn’t much cheaper than the other solutions and they all seem to have some bugs/quirks so I’d stick with one of the bigger brands for now. What camera are you planning on using? Some are better than others. Lots of good info on capture devices and HDMI cams in this thread.
I’ve been struggling with clip style stand mounts I saw suggested here for my cameras for awhile and finally gave up. I found these suckers on Amazon, and I’m in love. The entire system works well with the “Amazon Basics” mic stands I’m using to hold the cameras.
These clamps are aluminum and still light enough to mount 3 922/602s on one boom arm without additional weight on the feet. My setup and tweak time just dropped by half. I can now get a 3 cam setup in a clear space in under 10 minutes. With these buggers, I can also have two games with two cams in under 20.
Non-Affiliate Amazon Links Below
SmallRig Cool Ballhead Arm Super Clamp Mount Multi-function Double Ball Adapter with Bottom Clamp
SmallRig Clamp Mount V1 w/ Ball Head Mount Hot Shoe Adapter and Cool Clamp
There are tons of other great items that could be useful from this company and similar companies.
Anyone try the Yi 4k+ action camera? It supports 4k60fpd, 1080p120fps, and 720p240fps* and it looks like it either does or eventually will work as an RTMP server over wifi, which would be nice. I’ll probably give it a go if I don’t hear anything bad.
*I think 240fps could be really cool for recording flipper techniques, including what I’m doing wrong when I fail.
High speed close up replay shots of flipper saves is probably the #1 thing I want to see in pinball broadcasting. INDISC and PAPA (anyone else?) have slow mo instant replays now which is awesome. But they look zoomed/cropped and at most 60fps. I would love to see this at 240+ fps. Even if they they couldn’t do it live and just inserted it in the archived broadcast I’d be pretty excited.
Also cheap reliable RMTP cams over wifi would be a game changer, but am not holding my breath on that one.
