Add PTZ Controls Dock into OBS Studio | PTZ Control for OBS | Great PTZ Hack

Add PTZ Controls Dock to OBS Studio | PTZ Control for #OBS
How to add a PTZ Controls Dock to your OBS Studio set up. The PTZ Controls Dock will support any number of cameras and allows setting and recalling of presets as well as manual control of the PTZ features of your Jimcom PTZ Camera. Other cameras are supported but might have different port numbers.
This plugin uses VISCA-over-IP to control the PTZ of a camera connected to your local area network. A serial cable is also supported but not covered in this video. This plugin will let you control you PTZ cameras within OBS Studio.
If your Jimcom Camera has the latest firmware, you can use either the TCP port 1259 or the recommended UDP port 52381 for VISCA over IP.
Tip URL to all of OBS Studio’s Resources:
obsproject.com...
The PTZ Controls Plugin:
obsproject.com...
The PTZ Controls Plug-In Download Link:
obsproject.com...
The Camera used in this video was the Jimcom NDI PTZ 20X Optical Zoom Camera:
www.jimcom.us/...
Tags: PTZ Controller, PTZ OBS, Control PTZ Camera with OBS,OBS Studio PTZ PlugIn, JImcom USA,PTZ Controller Plugin for OBS, Control your PTZ cameras with OBS,PTZ Camera OBS Control, Integrate PTZ Control into OBS,OBS PTZ Plugin, OBS Plugin, PTZ Camera Control with OBS, Power of PTZ, obs tutorial, obs studio, obs studio tutorial, obs studio tutorial 2021,PTZ Camera, ptz plugin for obs, PTZ Plugin, VISCA over IP PTZ Control, VISCA over IP,VISCA over IP OBS, VISCA-over-IP

[@dougroome4632]

I love this plug-in v0.10.4 It is working fine on windows 10 with OBS.

[@captainhookk4298]

Great tutorial, I would like to know if it is possible for the plugin to work with USB only, without the need to connect the PTZ to an ethernet cable. Is that possible? or is there any way to control it from the pc without having it connected to internet?

[@jimcomusa]

Sorry, I am uncertain on that part. It may also be different for each mfg. Somewhere I saw someone that had a USB camera and they said they could use the RS-232 and COM port on their PC to send VISCA with the PlugIn. Sorry, I don't know that they listed the camera type/name. I don't know if they had a special driver they loaded either.

[@FForwardFlashback]

Did you ever get an answer to your question? I have a friend that's using a PTZ camera via USB and the plugin would be great if it works that way. I think they should make videos for USB users also.

[@captainhookk4298]

@@FForwardFlashback Sorry, I wasn't able to get an answer

[@FForwardFlashback]

@@captainhookk4298 I have a friend who bought a PTZ. I have installed the PTZoptics plugin on her laptop and we did get it to respond. I'm making notes as we go and I will try and keep you posted.🤣👍🏽

[@MaranathaChurchTirunelveli]

Is it possible to use this PTZ controller plugin to control Droidcam(source)

[@GrantLikely]

Thanks for the review and demo of the plug-in! I hope to have version v0.7.0 out soon which will fix some bugs and improve the controls.

[@jimcomusa]

Thanks for stopping by, works pretty good now. I know Kamae is working on a test of the TCP protocol. We will certainly update this with the new version. Thanks for your effort and dedication to this project. It is important to the PTZ Camera OBS users out there.

[@GrantLikely]

@@jimcomusa Are there any features you'd like to see added, or features on your cameras that should be supported? I've been working on getting more information from the camera, being able to control white balance, exposure, and other properties.

[@jimcomusa]

@@GrantLikely some basic features like "manual" or "one-touch" focus might be nice. There have been times when objects are captured in the near field during a Pan or Tilt and focus jumps to that object, but the desired focus is the far object. Manual is great for that to over-ride the automatic focus. There are some other features which would be nice with the PTZ Plugin, I can post those to the Github so it is easier if you would like. There are a bunch of Video Parameters that would be nice to be altered as well. Some might not need to be on the PTZ Dialog but during set up. One universal feature that would help all Cameras would be Camera IP Discovery, this might be easier with ONVIF. I know this protocol is currently being investigated by your project.

[@GrantLikely]

@@jimcomusa I was literally polishing up the manual focus feature this evening. 🤣 Should land in the v0.7.0 release. IP discovery is a great suggestion. Please file an issue on GitHub requesting it.

[@FirstBaptistChurchofPeekskill]

I am trying to get this set up for my church> i downloaded the latest plugin and ive configured the camera with a static ip but when i add the camera via the ip address and the correct port i dont get video. Yet if i bring it in as a media source i do. Thoughts? I am using an avipas ptz camera.

[@benardmensah7688]

Has anyone tried this with an Xbox controller or stream deck?

[@kysteve3830]

I do not seem to have the VISCA over IP as an option, What have I missed?

[@streaminghueso]

Y para pelco D, donde se busca el UART port y Device ID. He probado con todos los puertos que aparecen en la configuracion url de la camara y todos lo id y nada.

[@jimcomusa]

"And for pelco D, where do you look for the UART port and Device ID. I have tried all the ports that appear in the camera's URL configuration and all the IDs and nothing." Hi, We don't deal with Pelco D, I think that is an RS232 protocol and it going to depend more upon your PC COM1-4 type of configuration depending on where you are connected. You should contact the author or community for the PTZ Control on OBS for more assistance.

[@teguhiman1]

how do we know the ip address and udp port?

[@stpaulsnaples6762]

Wondering if I can use the plugin without ndi. I noticed a reference to ndi on the screenshot of the obs sources. I'm having trouble figuring out the settings to get our non-ndi ptz cameras.

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, this plug-in doesn't use NDI at all, VISCA over IP is what it uses. Depending on your camera it might only support ONVIF (some security cameras only support ONVIF). Do you have a make and model for your camera? Another reader might know how to set up your camera.

[@sosnorbert8301]

Thank the developer for this plugin! I can confirm, that it works ok with the Sony SRG-300h PTZ camera, using Visca over IP protocol. Does the gamepad control sopposed to work? The xbox controller seemed to do nothing when connected. Please let me know how to use it. It would make a world of difference in precision. Cheers!

[@jimcomusa]

I know the developer has been having some trouble with the controller part, I think it works on some platforms. Windows I think is one platform it doesn't work so well on yet. Please if others, post what you know about the controller and your experiences.

[@keloian]

Do i need to plug the rj45 cable or is it okay to use the hdmi?

[@gregpeatfield]

You will not get the PTZ controls that way unless you use the RS-232 cable from the PC. Depends on your full setup.

[@howardhelms4877]

Thank you TCP 5678 seems to work great..

[@theedifyingassembly2985]

Will this work for PTZ OPTICS cameras

[@howardhelms4877]

@@theedifyingassembly2985 I would think so.. Does not hurt to try.

[@NicholasOwen-g4s]

This is an absolutely incredible plugin! Just wondering if you're open to adding support for PTZ webcams like the Insta 360 Link as well?

[@howardhelms4877]

Followed your steps to the letter installed in obs but no control. installed avkan ip address does not respond. Suggestions ? Great video

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, sorry, I am not that familiar with Avken products, but found this on Amazon: VISCA-over-IP behavior: This camera supports two different VISCA-over-IP modes: TCP-based control on port 5678 and UDP-based control on port 52381 What you described implies you might have the wrong port number for the TCP/UDP control you selected. If the camera support VISCA-over-IP, the latest version of this PlugIn will support the basic PTZ / Zoom controls so you might need to reach out to the MFG if these port numbers don't help.

[@howardhelms4877]

@@jimcomusa Thank you I will try the 5678 first.

[@stadtmissionnidda2096]

Little help? I can not get this to work. I have copied the dll files into this folder: C:/Program files/obs-studio/obs-plugins/64bit but when I open OBS and click on "view" nothing is there. No PTZ window to click on.

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, we might need some more information and possible your OBS Log files uploaded to better help debug this, but did you check under "View -> Docks" for the "PTZ Controls"? You need to find it under the Docs sub-menu. Also, are you using a 32 or 64 bit version of OBS?

[@stadtmissionnidda2096]

@@jimcomusa I reinstalled OBS and tried again, that did the trick ; ) Now I just need to get the camera to work :D

[@jimcomusa]

@@stadtmissionnidda2096 Great news, do you have a Jimcom camera or different brand?

[@GrantLikely]

Latest version comes with a Windows installer so that you don't need to copy files manually.

[@theedifyingassembly2985]

Good Evening from Africa here . Please can you guide me through the hardware connections. How do I view the camera from obs in the first place before controlling. I use an SDI connection to blackmagic webpresenter before , but I like to switch to video over LAN for the flexibilities of distance and control. Any quick help please plus links thanks

[@jimcomusa]

Hello! I assume that your SDI camera has a LAN interface as well? RTSP or NDI Protocol should be available from your camera. With the SDI and likely RS232 connection on the back of your camera, VISCA support is likely. This usually means VISCA over IP is also supported. You can find out how to access the RTSP feed for the Jimcom cameras here: www.jimcom.us/rtsp-set-up-for-obs-studio/ The URL to your camera might be different if it is not a JIMCOM brand. VISCA over IP will allow this plugin to directly control the PTZ for the camera.

[@astvideotv]

thanks for the review. but did not find how to record presets using hot keys. is it not?

[@rhenishchurchelsiesriverme7933]

My obs crashes when I add a cam

[@jimcomusa]

I suspect they will need more information to be able to help you understand what might be happening, it is best you visit the PlugIn page: obsproject.com/forum/threads/ptz-controls.143676/

[@BexAWrek]

Why doesn't mine work??

[@VincenzoPalmisanoOfficial]

Thanks, really interesting! I'm trying to connect my camera via cable. I bought a RS-485 / USB cable because my camera doesn't have the IP number function. Can you tell me what settings to use to make it recognized? Thanks in advance

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, We don't do a lot with the serial protocol, but you should be able to use that software. You would want to use VISCA over Serial, could be Pelco P depending on your model and supported protocol with the camera. Check your camera manual for which as you will need to set the baud rate to match your cameras. Usually 9600 or 19200 are a good start to try. You will need to try the UART ports that show under configuration as well as that is assigned by the operating system when the USB is plugged into the PC.

[@VincenzoPalmisanoOfficial]

@@jimcomusaThanks a lot, I'll try to do some tests

[@estebantroncoso3058]

First of all, thank you very much for this effort making our lives a lot easier! I recently bought a cheap chinese quality PTZ cam that comes with no documentation at all, it does not have a web page, nothing. I can find nothing related to it; so my question was: is there a way to find out what's the whether UDP/TCP port to connect OBS Studio plugin to? I've tried the most common port numbers and I'm not managing to control it. Any help will be really appreciated. Thank you very much!

[@jimcomusa]

It sounds like you have done the obvious and that is to try the different ports listed here... You might be able to find the port in the configuration settings of your camera as well. Look for "VISCA" to locate that port. If you can't find VISCA, it could be that you have more of a security camera which likely only support ONVIF protocol which the author has not added to this plugin yet.

[@AlexisBahiNievas]

Hi! Thanks for the demo! Can I use this with a logitech c920 webcam? Or there is a similar tool to do so? Thanks

[@jimcomusa]

The plugin referenced in this video is for PTZ cameras. The C920 appears to be a basic Webcam. You can use that Webcam with OBS studio with no problem, but there is no PTZ control for that product.

[@juanisepulvedamoran2812]

is it possible to control a PTZ camera with a joystick with this addon?

[@gregpeatfield]

I remember seeing that feature, but at the time it didn't work on a PC. This may have been fixed, but now there is a major OBS 28.0 upgrade for most add-ons so this might be taking most of the focus to stay compatible with the latest release.

[@sosnorbert8301]

Recently added another scene ( with different video input) in OBS next to my ptz scene. I can switch scene back and forth,. However when i switch from ptz to another scene the (ptz)camera resets to default position. So before transitioning back the ptz, you must navigate ptz into position. Any ideas how to overcome this? Thanks!

[@iGamingAlliance]

Very good. Is there a way to set hotkeys so I can hit one button and the camera immediately goes to a preset position? Thank you.

[@jimcomusa]

As of version 0.9 I see this listed as a feature but I don't know how to configure the presets. In the "Settings" for OBS, I see the hotkeys for PTZ control and camera 1 & 2. Hopefully someone else can jump in on this question.

[@bengoodman1435]

can you do a video on how to set patrol preset, zone preset, set pattern, and call patrol & pattern, thanks

[@jimcomusa]

Hi Ben, I am not sure if this Plugin can set patrol/zones. We will look into it and put out a video if we can find an answer.

[@archieduncan2454]

Great. How would this work with StreamYard?

[@jimcomusa]

This plugin is for OBSSTUDIO, depending on your need, you can probably run an instance of OBS just to control your PTZ camera and stream the content with StreamYard as you are now.

[@emmanuelshajan9425]

Hi I am using HIKVISION CAMERA PTZ DS-2DE4425IW-DE, I am having problem with VISCA over IP TCP. I don’t know how to find the port number. Please help.

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, I have looked up a few references if it matches this camera: amzn.to/3GE7ceM I don't see that the camera support VISCA at all, I see reference to ONVIF which the plugin does not yet support. There is hope in the future to add ONVIF as a feature but timing is not yet known and may required a community member to add this feature.

[@emmanuelshajan9425]

@@jimcomusa Thank you, Can you recommend me any other PTZ controller plugin?

[@jimcomusa]

@@emmanuelshajan9425 Sorry, we don't know of another OBS plug-in for PTZ that supports ONVIF at the moment. We do hope that OBS-PTZ will support that protocol in the future.

[@jimcomusa]

Please give us feedback on this video. We want to get this basic information out to our Jimcom USA customers to access their PTZ Cameras within OBS: www.jimcom.us/ If you have the latest Jimcom NDI PTZ Camera Firmware, please use the UDP VISCA-over-IP Port 52381.

[@davidms5624]

Hi. Followed video exactly with same values except ip address and although all PTZ controls look correct in OBS I can't get them to do anything. OBS displays a good image from camera. Any ideas to try? Thanks

[@neavah]

@@davidms5624 What brand camera are you using? The camera needs to support VISCA over IP, if it isn't a Jimcom camera, try port number 52381. If the IP and Port are correct, this plugin should work fine. Contact us on our support page if you need more help.

[@davidms5624]

@@neavah Thanks for reply. Using SMTAV camera. I can control it with a browser which is set for UDP 1259 & Sony Visca 52381

[@jimcomusa]

@@davidms5624 I found a manual for that brand, I see "PTZ over TCP/UDP Realize" section, you might need to go through the camera Web Interface to find the proper port number. But the manual lists 1259, and 5678 as ports. Let us know if 5678 works for the PTZ controller.

[@davidms5624]

@@jimcomusa No difference. I suspect I've messed something up trying to install another plugin. Sometimes trying to follow KZbin guides, at some point, things can become a bit unclear to a novice. I thought your guide was easy to follow though. :) If I sort it out I'll let you know. Thanks for help.

[@brandonlogic8675]

Installed and everything works great, except when i restart obs the cameras always move to some random position. Do you know why they don't just stay wherever they were when i closed obs?

[@jimcomusa]

Hi Brandon, we don't see anything like that. Did you add something to a scene that is triggered at startup?

[@jimcomusa]

Brandon, we have just seen a plugin update posted that said V0.13.0 had a bug where PTZ cameras could drift. Try updating to the latest version V0.13.1 to see if this solves your problem.

[@brandonlogic8675]

@@jimcomusa thank you, i will try that!

[@jimcomusa]

@@brandonlogic8675 Let us know if that fixes it.

[@brandonlogic8675]

@@jimcomusa Hi, This seems to have addressed the issue. So far so good, cams seem stable at startup now. Thanks!!

[@yordanustandang6337]

Cara koneksi dari ptz ke pc pakai apa?

[@jimcomusa]

You would use a TCP/IP connection via ethernet. The camera must support VISCA over IP for this to work. You might be able to use RS232/485 with that plugin but we haven't tried it or use that method.

[@sinewavesstudio5447]

Is there an equivalent for mac OS?

[@jimcomusa]

Currently I see it is only supported on Windows and Linux (looks like you might need to compile it for yourself for Linux).

[@GrantLikely]

The code should support MacOS, but I haven't had a chance to add the Mac build

[@jimcomusa]

@@GrantLikely I will mention that in the next video, hopefully a user can confirm MAC and I can state it as supported.

[@stevenertle1741]

I am trying to use this controller for a PTZ Optics camera and not having any luck. Can you please help me get this figured out? Much Thanks.

[@jimcomusa]

Hi, what seems to be happening? What ports have you tried and have you confirmed your IP address is correct?

[@stevenertle1741]

@@jimcomusa Once i have the controller installed and the IP address entered, (the same IP used for the i pad controller) there seems to be no connection to the camera. I have used the port used in your video as well as the port that was used on the i pad controller but neither seems to work.

[@stevenertle1741]

@@jimcomusa also thank you for taking the time to help me.

[@jimcomusa]

@@stevenertle1741 I did a quick google search on the VISCA port for PTZOptics and found one more port for your to try. Sorry if this doesn't work and your know you got the correct IP address, you will need to contact their support team or try the Github repository to see if someone else got this working with PTZOptic cameras: "Note: The PTZOptics VISCA over IP commands can be issued as TCP (Port 5678) or UDP (Port 1259) to the camera and are always issued as HEX." This implies you should try port 5678, I assume you tried 1259 already.. Let us know if you find a solution so others may benefit.

[@stevenertle1741]

@@jimcomusa Again thank you for your help with this. I have tried both of those ports. I will reach out to PTZ support for further help.

[@SupaBlank]

i cant seem to get it working, seems you missed a few steps for us morons, like the NDI settings

[@jimcomusa]

Supa Blank, This PTZ Controller uses VISCA over IP so your camera needs to support that protocol. Is it a Jimcom brand PTZ camera or a different brand? It could be the Port number needs to be changed to match your camera's interface. There are separate instructions for setting up NDI for OBS if you need them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2jNe2RoZ9Ocl6M

[@SupaBlank]

@@jimcomusa yes i found thats its a shenzen camera so not sure the udp port for that i looked all night to find it to, im surei missed something ,im just now learning about NDI and OSC things forgive me,.

[@jimcomusa]

No worries, I know my camera engineers are saying this tool should work better using a TCP/IP transport rather than UDP. This could affect your camera as well and might not support any UDP connection for VISCA over IP. If your camera has a Web Interface for configuration you might try to login to that to see if you can find the port settings and if it supports VISCA over IP.