Major Breakthrough: OBS Studio VT h264 Hardware Encoder on macOS - Great for Live Streaming!

[@clydecupido4629]

This was GOLD!!! been struggling with this exact issue. literally solved it using "VT h264 Hardware Encoder on macOS" Thanks Dude!!

[@clydecupido4629]

Mine also didn't work before and never tried again.

[@Veegs]

hey what settings are you using with recording and streaming then?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Totally understand. This sucked and now it just works. 😅

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@FelineFUT which settings would you like to specially want to know?

[@Amnahspace]

I had the same problem and I solved after changing the encoder to hardware, I thought the problem because of me, thank you it's a helpful video!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Glad it was helpful. You’re welcome. ☀️🌸

[@PricePerrott]

Great video, thanks for explaining this so clearly. I've followed your advice and it's knocked a huge amount off my CPU processing, making OBS much faster.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Great to hear, that's awesome 🌸.

[@PricePerrott]

@@ChrisSpiegl It's made a big difference and was part of a number of changes, but has made the biggest difference to CPU spee. I also had a pretty complex video in one scene which I've had to remove as it was just too much. Other than that, I've taken the CPU setting up to ultrafast and switched to the Apple hardware processor. I was streaming tests yesterday at 4500 - 6000 kbps, 30fps (fine for my type of videos and enough to do HD. Before switching to the hardware processor, I found the CPUs (on a 2.6Gh, 6 core i7 macbook pro) were running at anything from 400 - 600% and the machine was slowing way down. I have an Elgato Streamdeck which was rendered unusable as the response was so slow. After watching your video and changing from x264, the CPU usage has dropped to between 140 - 300%, with 400% at the top end of more complex scenes. The Elgato Streamdeck no longer lags as it has the CPU capacity to respond (pretty big issue).

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@PricePerrott That is incredible. Thank you for sharing your rundown 👍. Good luck with your streams.

[@NigelSean]

bro. you made my day. every time after 1 hour my Kb/s dropped like hell. imma go try this tonight on my stream. thx man!

[@NigelSean]

and i subbed.. thx

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Thanks, that's awesome to hear and I am crossing my fingers that it'll work out for you better this time with new settings.

[@ovid5424]

This was a HUGE help! Thank you very much for breaking this issue down and solving my biggest hurtle. 🤘🏼

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Glad it helped! And thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment 🌸.

[@AsianGordon]

My streams were struggling because I was using the wrong encoder. Thanks for helping me rectify my mistake.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I am so glad your streets are running better now. There are quality implications I recently learned about. But in most cases - for me at least - I’d rather have a working stream with slightly reduced quality than a stream that’s choppy and a Mac that’s unusable 😅. So this is still a valid option. Have fun streaming 👌

[@hoppierdays]

This makes complete sense and I think it solved my problem. Thank you!

[@morganejackson6479]

OMG thank you so much!! I gave up on live streaming as well for the Same reasons, but thanks to you I can't wait to try again 🤩!

[@SquawkTradeFX]

Why am I so late in the game with this?!!! AMAZING!!!!!! Thank you for this video, brother!

[@siewkimng1085]

Apple VT H264 hardware encoder is lower in quality than x264. However if you need the CPU cycles or have a weak CPU then the Apple VT H264 hardware encoder can be the better option. Most macs have very powerful CPU so x264 software encoder with faster or very fast settings will only utilize about 20% CPU. There is diminishing returns using x264 medium or slow, so for live streaming stick with fast or very fast. Apple VT H264 Software encoder should almost never be used because you should just opt for x264 in that case.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Interesting information. I may have to test the quality difference at some point. However, I have to say that with my MacBook the x264 encoder is just taking too much and the fans are spinning like crazy. With that I am totally willing to take a quality loss if that means that the Apple VT Hardware encoder does more of the work and let's me use the computer while streaming 🙈 (and I am on a fully specced out MacBook Pro from 2017 or so). But I am also aware that laptops are generally not really good at streaming… but with the macOS platform that's probably what most people have.

[@Technically_Techy]

Is this the same for the M1 computers? I have the Mac mini and idk x264 well I’m use to using nvinc on windows.

[@siewkimng1085]

@@Technically_Techy M1 chips have even more power CPU and media accelerators. I'm not sure what options is available for M1 computers but I'd imaging it will have no problems at all running x264 encoder for streaming.

[@siewkimng1085]

@@ChrisSpiegl It's really odd that your 2017 takes up a lot of CPU and ramps up the fans so much. Mine is 2014 and it runs just fine. Maybe check if dusts are reducing the cooling efficiency.

[@eikethiele7530]

Thanks for the good movie!!!

[@ahuewave]

Appreciate you truly!!! A living legend!

[@joseordoqui4056]

Thanks! Keep theese videos coming with future updates, please!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I’ll try to keep my ears open 🌸. Thanks for your comment here. 👍

[@alfonrock7212]

Extremely helpful. Thank you!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You’re welcome. Thanks for this comment. 🌸

[@katherincastillo3414]

You save my stream! thank you very much!

[@jamesLG1]

Earlier this year i was using the Apple VT encoder to stream on Twitch and it worked great. But recently when i tried to stream to twitch with the same encoder and settings my live stream had audio but no video. I think you're onto something about the services rejecting VBR but I haven't been able to confirm yet.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

That's interesting to know that there may have been some change. I haven't streamed to Twitch in a while but would think they still allow that. Maybe try and test if you can stream to KZbin and see if it is Twitch rejecting your stream or something else?

[@DrBoogiepants]

Thank you!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You’re welcome. 🙏

[@benyoung6086]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome.

[@improving-audio]

Thanks so much - very helpful!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Awesome 🌸. I appreciate your comment.

[@maskeliadeschool]

thanks man. you are the man!

[@Veegs]

bro what settings are you using with the hardware encoding as described above?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I use hardware encoding with 5.000kbps and full hd for live streaming. Recording is usually set to 100.000kbps for me.

[@neonvoid]

does it even makes sense to buy dedicated external hardware encoders after this?... o_O

[@budiherryanto]

Thank you

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome 🌸.

[@DerekGripperGuitar]

fabulous!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

🌸

[@ThisWayUpTravel]

Really useful, thanks!

[@ThisWayUpTravel]

@@ChrisSpiegl Which macbook do you have? I have a maxed out 15" (mid 2015) with quad core intel i7 with a Radeon and just running some tests and still having some problems on the KZbin side saying the "stream failed" and running OBS 25.0.8. Apart from the OBS forums (seems quiet for the mac board) is there anywhere else to check out more info?

[@jeanlucderdritte]

Thanks!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome 🌸.

[@madhuhadas15370]

Hello, I have a MacBook pro-mid-2012, I tried the encoder for 10 minutes and I did not have drop frames. I was ready to build a new pc for streaming. thank you for the info. I was having the same problem.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

That's awesome - the pc may still be a good/better option - but for now it's awesome that you can get going.

[@RuloFuentes]

Thanks bro!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome 🌸.

[@marisolskinn]

Thank you so much, I'm recording to test this configuration and it does help a lot. The percentage of lost frames due to processing went from 30% (using x264) to 10% maximum (using what you said). I'm hoping to stay below 5% do you have more tips? :)

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Hey Marisol, thanks for stopping by. I would say the easiest way to reduce the lost frames further would be to reduce FPS and/or Resolution - those are the biggest factor.

[@marisolskinn]

@@ChrisSpiegl wow thank you so much actually the frames went lower when I started streaming. Can't wait to see more content from you

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@marisolskinn nice, thanks. ☺️

[@tvisionsnow]

Thank you brotha

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome 🌸.

[@whatyouknowbout272]

Gonna give it a shot. Trying to stream 720p 30fps from my nintendo switch.

[@whatyouknowbout272]

It does work! Thanks for the heads up on this! Hopefully my streaming service doesn’t give me crap about not using a controlled bitrate😆 but works so much better now than x264.

[@Edit_Kev]

I've been trying this on slobs and it breaks. Will try on OBS, what fps settings are you using?

[@Edit_Kev]

@@ChrisSpiegl Yeh, with SLOBS I was getting so many dropped frames. My assumption was that as the base code was so similar that the issue would be the same on OBS. Will give this a whirl on 30FPS and your other settings :D

[@taylort7997]

Whats your bitrate for 720p 30fps?

[@whatyouknowbout272]

@@taylort7997 try 2200

[@FaiBuonViaggio]

meanwhile, congratulations for the channel, for the growth of the last 12 months because you deserve it all! .. always interesting contents, well assembled and a lot of passion! ... in the second, best wishes for the new year to you and your family! .. in last we come to us! ... I will have seen this video of yours at least 10 times, and I am still undecided whether or not to buy an Egpu! I'll quickly explain my configuration and what I do, so maybe you can advise me on what to do! ... since it's not exactly two pennies 😂😂. I have a 27 "5k late 2017 iMac, with 16 gb of Ram (which I would like to bring to 32 gb), i5 processor (7500 or 7600 if I'm not mistaken) quad core at 3.4 ghz with turbo boost at 3.8 ghz, I have Thunderbolt 3 at 40Gbs and on Thursday I get the 512GB sabrent rocket SSD, so I'll mount the new BIG SUR operating system there, to make it even faster! .. the 1tb internal HDD in fusion drive, I will keep it internal as storage. As a line I have a classic TIM Fiber with 50 in download and 20 in upload, I use iMac to stream my channel with Xbox One and Series X, and also to use FCPX for post production content. For the two consoles I have the two Elgato HD 60 S + video capture cards that facilitate the life of my iMac, and today I don't have big streaming problems, in fact, in live I can bring up to two gameplay simultaneously, two green screens, me and a friend who plays with me live from my home, plus all the various animations related to chat, banners, subscribers etc etc! Here we come to the point, with this configuration I have a CPU usage on streamlabs equal to 45/50% And in the streamlabs preferences I set the encoding with APPLE HARDWARE (so it sends much of the work back to my integrated video card) that was recommended to me instead of the classic X264 (all the load on the CPU). My integrated video card if I'm not mistaken is a 4gb Radeon 570 to complete the description of my setup. Actually, this modification suggested to me lightens my workload a little because APPLE HARDWARE calibrates itself around 45/50% CPU usage, unlike the X264, which with the same configuration mentioned above makes me get to 55/60% . Well, having said all this, can an Egpu with a minimum 8gb if not 16gb video card help me not to overload my CPU? And then lighten my streaming a little? ... For FCPX thanks to you I already sensed that I would have a big step forward, even if up to now I don't complain about big problems! ... Take all the time you need to answer me, I thank you in advance and I renew my wishes and congratulations! Hi Ario!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Hi Ario Di Rienzo, I wish you a happy new year as well. Thank you for your wishes 🌸. Now about your setup. Two thoughts: 1) I am not sure I can be of much help since I am not running a setup like yours and I also don't have the iMac to talk out of experience. 2) The VT Apple Hardware Encoder only uses the Intel GPU for encoding as far as I am aware. This is visible when opening Activity Monitor, then going to "View" in the Menu bar and there show the GPU Graph. Wit that open you most likely will see two graphs which show the internal and the dedicated GPU usage. From my knowledge, OBS on macOS will not be able to recognize the eGPU and thus also will not be able to use it for better/faster encoding. However, the eGPU may be able to be used for render by the other elements in the stream. But that only makes sense if you are seeing a major usage of your Radeon graphics card already. 3) have you looked at the new M1 Apple Silicon Mac mini? That could be an incredible little machine to be a part of your workflow. Instead of having all the work done by your iMac and instead splitting the workload (at least that's what I am thinking about in my workflow). Let me know if you have any more questions and I will see if I can help you. Cheers and have an incredible week.

[@dmoney6453]

I have the macOS Catalina version 10.15.7 does that work to

[@DawkinsPlays]

Hey, just curious why you limited the bitrate to 5000 when Twitch calls for 6000 on HD? Is 5000 the sweet spot? Also curious what you have you FPS set at?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I usually set the FPS to 30 since that's what KZbin wants to have (and actually forces even if you send 24fps). Now Twitch is not my main platform but from what I know, there you can set the FPS you desire. And in terms of Bitrate: that should always mainly be set based on your internet and computer capabilities and only then limit it by the max the streaming platform desires. So choose whatever you'd like and is supported by your tech and the platform 👍 .

[@acidtechno]

What laptops have the hardware encoders , looking on a 2014 mbp i7 , I only see software option .

[@tiana_elektra]

Thanks for the video! Was wondering if you could help me out... Trying to figure out the best possible output/video settings (like bitrate, etc.) for streaming/recording on Twitch and KZbin at the same time, and prevent lagging/dropped frames My livestream setup: gopro hero 7 black w/ elgato cam link for video capture device; iRig Stream for audio interface Chromakey (Green Screen) for running VJ Loop in background To run this through OBS, I’m using: Mid-2015 MacBook Pro w/ 2.8 GHz i7, 16GB RAM DDR3, Dual Graphics running Mojave 10.14 Also a Sonnet Breakaway Box 550 eGPU with Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 580 8GB graphics card My upload speed is 28 Mbps Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

For some reason your comment landed in "Held for Review" and I missed it there. I don't know if I can help you much since I don't stream to multiple platforms at the same time and it's really something you have to play around with. Incrementally increase the resolution and bitrate to see what your system can handle. Good luck.

[@RadiAsian]

thank you

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome 🌸.

[@RadiAsian]

@@ChrisSpiegl I wish I saw your video this morning, I've just screwed up one of the biggest interviews to date in my radio career with Rozalla. HArdware encoding helps kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX6yp6qErJadh9k

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@RadiAsian That's not good to hear. I hope you may have a chance to recover something or do it again. The link you shared is pointing to a private video. Otherwise I'd love to check it out.

[@fedorzubenko7405]

Thank you for the helpful vid! Do you know whether Streamlabs supports this as of May 2021?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I don't know if they do, you'd have to test that for yourself.

[@jbrooks12]

thanks so much. Do I have to click the 'variable bitrate (beta)' in the advanced setting or will the Apple hardware encoder work with a constant bitrate setting?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Hi jhb, I am not sure where you see the 'variable bitrate (beta)' it does not show like that on my macOS with the latest version 26 of OBS. However, once I select "Apple hardware encoder" in the encoder setting, it no longer provides any other setting than Variable Bitrate. More precisely, it only shows a bitrate and that's it. So making that setting is all there is. The Apple Hardware Encoder does not work with a Constant Bitrate. That's just a fact - however sad 🙈.

[@ApoMelon]

on macbook air 2017, i only have Intel HD 6000, which i believe is an integrated graphics card. Will Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder work with that, or am i stuck with x264? Thanks

[@ChrisSpiegl]

If you see the Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder in the OBS Studio settings, I'd try it and see how it works.

[@dpl4563]

Can you provide settings for recording a KZbin video on Mac using OBS? Was using x264 but audio would drop out within 2 minutes of recording

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I personally have a 2017 MacBook Pro 15" and I am using: Apple VT h.264 Hardware Encoder Bitrate at the highest setting it can go to. File type: MKV (for protection and then remux after the fact). Keyframe: 1 second And I use these settings to record either 4k or 1920x1080 Works perfectly fine and I have not had any issues.

[@Technically_Techy]

I find that on the M1 Chip. I have the Mac mini with 16 gbs of ram the hardware encoder only does like 400 bitrate when I type in 9000 using cbr which sucks. I stream 720p here btw idr if I used 30 or 60fps but my internet being gigabit internet can handle a bitrate of 40000 and 1440p 60fps resolution and frame rate but I like the lower latency 1080p 60fps offers here. I wish the Mac could handle 1080p 60fps tho maybe it can with x264 but it really makes the quality worse than my windows desktop using the new nvinc encoder and performance halts to a crawl but idk x264 well enough to know the best settings to use.

[@jdanielcramer]

Will this work on my 2018 Mac Mini?🤔 it seems to but it drops more frames (KZbin) than just using x264

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Hi, there are two considerations. Generally, Mac Mini computers don't have dedicated graphics cards and thus it may be that the Intel graphics card get's overloaded when using the VT encoder instead of the x264 one which is CPU based. The other idea would be to check if your resolution, frame rate and so on are properly set. I can't test these things because I do not have access to a Mac mini from that time.

[@gabrielappleton5048]

Hi! I have a new macbook (2020 13"). I am planning to stream ableton sessions. If I need to get a new graphics card because of CPU load, which would you rec??

[@gabrielappleton5048]

oh, and im doing it from a separate monitor!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@gabrielappleton5048 Hi Gabriel, I think a 2020 MacBook should be able to just stream, and as far as I am aware the integration with eGPUs with Mac is fairly limited and not something that "just works" with OBS or similar programs. As long as your ableton sessions aren't going to be massive you should be good with what you have. Something about the external monitor: With streaming on OBS it is best to lower the resolution to something more usable. So disabling any RETINA or HiDPI modes would be helpful (for the duration of the stream) so that OBS has less work to do to capture and encode those pixels. Good luck and happy streaming.

[@untie1000]

Any ideas on why after about an hour my elgato capture card turns my stream on obs to a blue screen saying it’s searching for signal. Even tho everything is plugged in?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Two things come to mind: the camera you are using is shutting down? That's one possibility and may be able to be changed in the settings. Second, contacting Elgato Support to try and figure it out with them. Good luck 🌸.

[@itspip5561]

hello, could you pls tell me what kind of graphic card should i use for streaming obs thru streamyard, thank you:)

[@rugghero]

Where can I check what obs’s version i have?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Usually in the menu; on macOS click onto "OBS" and then "About OBS".

[@rugghero]

@@ChrisSpiegl perfect tnx💪🏼

[@infotechyeti]

thanks I haven't seen this yet but will try this out. thanks for the video. I have seen a lag of video on my game online and only playing chess online. no intense gaming but can see the lag in there. I have noticed that when making changes that obs tends to crash at times. I am on Catalina and wonder if that is the issue. thanks for the video

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I would for sure update to the latest obs if you can. See if the crashes still happen. And ofcourse… now, also try the Apple VT Hardware encoder. Much better for the system and not so much work for the CPU. good luck. 🍀

[@StateChump]

question: should this switch in settings put less stress on my mac minis cpu?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Less stress for CPU yes, because more of the work is done by the internal GPU. However, if you are talking about the new Mac Mini then I do not know because I have not tested those.

[@pkerry12]

it would be good if you actulaly showed us how to set this up!!!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Maybe next time, I'll take this into consideration.

[@samuelhardy5882]

I’ve been using this encoder for 1yr, but randomly after updating to OBS 28 and MacOS Ventura, my OBS crashes every time when using this encoder: any idea why?

[@stephanieb316]

what about the rest of your settings if you were recording a video? I keep overloading my encoder. I just switched the output to your settings. I'm on a 3.1ghz dual-core i7 , 16GB, Intel Iris graphics 6100 MacBook pro

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Interesting question. Let me get some more details please: - what kind of source are you trying to record? - what’s the canvas size you have set? - if you are capturing a monitor, is the monitor set to HIDPI or is it the MacBooks internal Monitor? I think, with those details I can help you better. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

[@stephanieb316]

@@ChrisSpiegl wow! Super quick answer 😀 . I’m trying to record content from my external monitor, sometimes videos or ppts. Just educational content(regular teacher having to do online stuff this year). I have no idea what HIDPI , sorry. I’ve chosen 1920x1080 for the base and output canvas. Most recently trying 25fps , had it at 30fps before. Thanks for the help!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@stephanieb316 Thanks for the added details, I would suggest the following: Make sure that the external monitor is set to the same size (1920x1080p) as your canvas in OBS you can get there with the apple logo top left in the menu bar, then system preferences, there "display" and set the external monitor to the resolution mentioned. The base and output canvas size is should be ok at 1920x1080. In OBS Studio under Settings => Output choose Output Mode "Advanced", then head over to the "Recording" tab and select the "Encoder" to "Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder", and below the Bitrate to something around or under 50.000 Kbps (but I would recommend something over 10.000 for recording purposes). Keyframe Interval can be left to either 0 or set to 1 or 2. Usually - and if you are not doing any heavy lifting (which it sounds like PPT should not be heavy at all) this should give you a pretty good result. If not, please let me know and potentially reach out again.

[@stephanieb316]

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks for the suggestion! I tried testing those settings but the 50bitrate came out blurry. I returned the bitrate to something higher, like 4000. I think having the recording settings also at the apple vt hardware encoder is making the necessary difference. No encoding overloading thus far. Thanks a bunch!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@stephanieb316 that’s awesome to hear that it now works better. About the numbers: I didn’t mean 50 but rather 50000 (or at least 10000 for 1920x1080). 4000 would be good for something that’s live streamed. But for recording I’d go higher than that. Super happy that you’re getting better results now. Enjoy the video creation process. And may it be helpful for all your students. 🌸

[@Afbartender]

I still have issues with obs streaming from my mac. I got my system all upgraded last year and have had nothing but issues (randomly) which makes it hard to stream. I don't have an option for the Apple VT h264. Is there an extension I need to install?

[@djmightymike]

If I use the hardware encoder in OBS Studio and go live on twitch there is only a black screen. No picture and no Audio like there is no data incoming. I use the latest version of OBS Studio on a MacBook Pro 16" Core i9

[@djmightymike]

And there is another issue I got on Mac: I can't play videos using a browser source. They all freeze after a split second. I tried it on 3 different Mac computers, fail! But on a Windows 10 PC it works fine.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Hi @@djmightymike , let's see if I can help here: 1) about the video, that's actually something that is a problem with OBS on Mac at the moment. This may get fixed in an upcoming version but for now it's still the way you described. One workaround is t use Electroncapture ( github.com/steveseguin/electroncapture ) and then use Display Capture with a Window Crop (Window Capture has a bad lag, don't recommend that). Alternatively you can just play the video in a browser, use a cropped capture for that and capture the computer audio as well. 2) about the Twitch showing a black screen, I am not sure what may be going on there. Maybe try to use Twitch Inspector ( inspector.twitch.tv ) to see what is going on there. Check your stream key settings and if all the other stats are looking good. Good luck, I hope you can figure it out, and happy streaming once you do.

[@djmightymike]

@@ChrisSpiegl Thank you for your quick response. I'll try Twitch Inspector! And about the Browser Source Issue...I'll wait until they have fixed it. Thank you!!

[@sandrec3419]

Thanks man, im from sudamerica (Argentina) and im working hard wihth many problems with stream and video recording... but what you are talking about in this video may be very useful for me, cause i have a 13 inch mac book pro without a GPU dedicated. So thank you very much

Thanks for the video. On my macbook Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder is not listed, how do I know if my device is compatible?

Nevermind! I changed view to "advanced" and it appeared. Thanks a lot for the video!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@/videos Glad you found it - happy recording / streaming.

[@jackalopeb9598]

I’m at a conference and notice it lags a little bit. I’m not even streaming. I’m just recording to a hard drive.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I'd check the resolution, fps, and which encoder you are using. And of course which laptop as well - to see if it can handle it.

[@outofbody919]

What are your specs? I have a i5 2.5 ghz

[@ChrisSpiegl]

This was the MacBook Pro (15-inc, 2017) with 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 with 16GB RAM and the Radeon Pro 560 4GB. Hope that helps 🌸.

[@jam7420]

Can I use this encoder in Streamlabs ??

[@iiandyxoo]

Is it the same thing as recording?? I’m having trouble finding a MacBook with an encoder like me and your the only one that has it ,

[@iiandyxoo]

Do you have a link of the recording obs??

[@iiandyxoo]

Chris Spiegl oh okay thanks!

[@tonybowen]

How do I know what bitrate my internet can handle?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Probably best to use a test like: speedtest.net

[@tonybowen]

@@ChrisSpiegl ok I’ve done that and it says everything is good. Do you think it’s because I’m trying to run logic in the background for a decent sound?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@tonybowen I don’t know what problem you are experiencing and on what device you are. 🙈 But generally: using activity monitor may help to figure out which program uses your ram, cpu and gpu.

[@titandin9837]

My problem is that i have a intel core i5 with 1,6ghz and 2 cores

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Sounds like streaming may be a bit tough on that machine.

[@titandin9837]

I update the obs and now is so insane, nice video

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@titandin9837 I am glad that it is working for you with this update. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know.

[@ghosnada]

The Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder in Streamlabs OBS doesn't work.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Interesting. So Thisbe specific to OBS Studio. There it does work with the latest version. Started working a couple of versions ago. 👌

[@ghosnada]

Update: I closed and open the OBS and now it works. So I tested it only with the OBS and it works at the beginning but then I started to change some of the options like bitrate and add more audio tracks and then I got the error that doesn't work. Any suggested bitrate or audio configs to take into account?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@ghosnada Good to hear that you got it to work. Sometimes off and on is the best option (and not changing settings while live or recording). Always change the settings when offline, then ideally restart, and see how it works).

[@kikistardust]

I appreciate the advice. I'm using a late 2015 iMac and I recently upgraded my RAM from the base, which was 8 gig to now the maximum 32 gig. I could stream fine with the old setup, but now that I've upgraded, my stream keeps crashing. I'm not having any issues with frame rate, it keeps saying "encoded overloaded." In fact, overall performance of my computer seems to be lagging. Any help? :(

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I'd look into the hardware encoder settings with the new MacBook. We are regularly streaming 1080p 30fps with a M1 MacBook Air and doing so with no issues whatsoever.

[@kikistardust]

@@ChrisSpiegl I really appreciate you getting back to me. That means a lot. I spent a week troubleshooting and eventually figured it out and you are right.. it was an encoding issue ✨

[@briankeithrogers]

I am fighting the snap, crackle, and pop as heard in this video. I mean no disrespect.I have the same exact noise in my music streams/recording. It is bearable, but I can not stand it. I have searched, and searched only to find no solution. I somehow ended up here. I'm only asking here to you having the same issue. Anyone know why this happens? It seems to be only happening ONLY while listening to the playback of stream/recording. Anyone help please!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Can you tell me the time stamp where you are experiencing this? I’d have to check it to understand what you mean.

[@briankeithrogers]

I may be losing my mind. I was on my computer last night where my streams originate. This morning I watched on my iPhone. I do not hear it. Must be something in my set up. I’m so confused. I’ve only heard that noise when playing back my audio from OBS. Blew my mind when I heard it on yours.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@briankeithrogers ok, so it’s only when you watch it on your Computer? I’d love to still check the timestamp if you could send it to me. Thanks. ☺️

[@briankeithrogers]

@@ChrisSpiegl it was all the way through when I heard last night.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@briankeithrogers interesting. But it more and more sounds like something coming from your system. The video was not recorded with OBS but with Screenflow and the ATOMOS Ninja V.

[@kylewitter2806]

Does the hardware encoder use the AMD VCN or the QuickSync on the CPU chip?

[@kylewitter2806]

Chris Spiegl awesome, thank you. Does OBS for Mac have any way of using VCN right now?

[@fuzheado]

Yes, the Apple VideoToolkit (VT) is a layer just above the hardware, so it will use Apple T2 or Intel Quicksync if available. Not sure about AMD. appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/09/apples-t2-chip-makes-a-giant-difference-in-video-encoding-for-most-users

[@vanessagarcia9177]

I was having no problem streaming until now that my live stream suddenly started lagging and I get the message encoder overload I tried playing with the settings moved the encoder the output resolution and still is very laggy I use a 2017 MacBook Air and el gato capture card idk what to do anymore it happened from one day to another

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I'd try to update OBS to the latest version, see if anything else can be updated, and of course: try to use the Apple VT h264 Hardware Encoder. But it's very strange that this happened overnight. One more idea would be to clear any fans (if the MacBook Air has any).

[@vanessagarcia9177]

@@ChrisSpiegl I bought an ethernet cable I guess that's what helped but thanks for replying also I'm using x264 encoder should I change to hardware will it make a difference ?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@vanessagarcia9177/videos Yes, ethernet is always better for live streaming. In terms of x264 vs the Apple VT: people say the quality is reduced when using the Hardware Encoder, in my experience it's much nicer to use the system with the hardware encoder and the quality loss is minuscule. So I would absolutely recommend using the Apple VT Encoder.

[@koushik095]

what about m1 macbook air?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Don't know because I don't have access to the new M1 Mac machines. If I had to choose one though, I would go either for the MacBook Pro or the iMac or the macMini since all of these have fans built in and more power than the MacBook Air. Especially if you want to do Video Editing or Live Streaming that would be important!

[@saikiarion]

been using x264 cause thought it was good... damn...

[@ChrisSpiegl]

That was the way for a long time. But it works so much better since the Apple hardware encoder started working.

[@poppygeetravels]

Can't wait to try this set up. I have been using x264. Thanks! I will write my feedback after my stream. :)

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Good luck. I hope it works as good for you as it does for me 🌸.

[@poppygeetravels]

@@ChrisSpiegl Ohhh Yes! It worked! I just streamed last night on Facebook. - EL JUEGO DE POPPY is my page. You are an angel. Thank you. 🙏🏼

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@poppygeetravels Great. It's quite amazing how much less work the MacBook has to do with these "new" settings. Wonderful it worked out for you there 🌸.

[@jawnysparklez]

how can i use this while on bootcamp windows?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

I have no idea. 😅 maybe somewhere the obs studio forum could be helpful for you? 🌸

[@isaiespadas1044]

You have to install the lastest graphics card drivers and if you have AMD card, the plugins to OBS to allow the hardware encoding. I've been using Bootcamp for streaming because I feel OBS more improved for Windows, my CPU's usage never goes up more than 6% in 720p and 30 fps with 2 cameras and up to 2 external monitors. (Macbook pro mid 2015 with dedicated graphics).

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@isaiespadas1044 Nice setup for sure. I also have no problems streaming with macOS Big Sur and the latest OBS release. MacBook Pro 15" 2017 with dedicated Graphics Card. One does not need Windows to run OBS anymore. The VT Encoder is working great.

[@isaiespadas1044]

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks, I'm gonna try now in macOS with this configurations.

[@jawnysparklez]

@@isaiespadas1044 oh damn awesome!! I thought it wasn’t possible! Do you know where to get the drivers??

[@DIE-DEEJAYWG]

Hello, Can you tell me why my picture keeps pixelating minimally for a short time? Output is 720p with 30Hz at 6000mbits? The whole thing is running on a Mac mini with current OBS. The GPU is doing the encoding.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

Is this happening with fast motion or when things are in stand still? WIth fast motion it is pretty normal just based on the compression and all. Additionally: the hardware encoder actually may be the issue because it is "less detailed" than the CPU based software encoder.

[@DIE-DEEJAYWG]

@@ChrisSpiegl If you like, feel free to check out my Twitch channel "diedeejaywg" and watch the video at 4:40 hours. There you will see the pixelation that occurs over and over again.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

​@@DIE-DEEJAYWG Ich glaube bei so viel Einblendungen kommt womöglich der Mac nicht mehr hinterher und daher wird die Kompression immer blockiger. Desto mehr sich im Bild pro Sekunde ändert, desto mehr CPU/GPU braucht das um noch sauber zu rendern.

[@DIE-DEEJAYWG]

@@ChrisSpiegl Alles klar. Danke dir. Meinst wenn ich mit der Bitrate runtergehe wird’s besser?

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@DIE-DEEJAYWG Wenn, müsste man eher mit der Bitrate hoch gehen. Desto höher die Bitrate, desto weniger muss der Rechner machen um es zu komprimieren. Aber natürlich geht dass dann damit ein her dass die Daten immer noch hochgeladen werden müssen. Alternativ, mal den Software Encoder testen und sehen ob das bild dann ggf. sogar besser wird. Und für Twitch ist der Software Encoder soweit ich mich erinnere auch "besser" weil Twitch eine konstante Bitrate bevorzugt. Es geht zwar mit dem Hardware Encoder, aber der Software Encoder ist halt doch Qualitativ besser. Und wenn ihr einen Stream Rechner habt, und einen DJ Rechner, dann sollte da schon bisschen CPU frei sein.

[@KristineBendul]

Could you explain what a graphics card is?

[@pkerry12]

there is no tutorial on the web on how to install this Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder ...... nothing...... you could be the first to SHOW us how to install this. I tried it just gives me Apple VT H264 Software Encoder

[@ChrisSpiegl]

There is no "installing" the Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder. You can just set it up on the Render settings page in OBS when you switch from "Simple" to "Advanced".

[@pkerry12]

@@ChrisSpiegl found the issue you need OBS studio version 27 if you use any older version it doesn't show Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder, if you use streamlabs OBS latest version it also doesn't show Apple VT H264 Hardware Encoder. It ONLY works on OBS studio verison 27 or higher. So all good, and it works great. Before my macbook pro M1 with 16gb ram struggled to even do 1080p 60fps but now it does it with out effort doesn't even max out the cpu any more its great.

[@ChrisSpiegl]

@@pkerry12 that’s awesome. Don’t know why anyone would use any other version of OBS than the latest. It’s the most advanced. Yes streamlabs may have some special features. But for streaming I prefer OBS as the „real deal“.

[@pkerry12]

@@ChrisSpiegl streamlabs OBS doesn't work with the Apple VT h264 hardware encoder doesnt' even show up.

[@The_Rvndalorian]

Thank you!

[@ChrisSpiegl]

You're welcome!