How to stream from any source over RTMP to Stage on Hopin using OBS

RTMP streaming is simply sharing content from your computer (entire screen, separate app or window, webcam signal, etc.) to the Stage or Sessions on Hopin with the best video and audio quality possible.

Setting up the RTMP stream

• Open the Event Dashboard
• Choose the Venue > Stage tab
• If not already selected, set the Stream provider to Hopin. Click Save on the page if you made any changes.

• Switch to the RTMP Stream tab
• Click Generate RTMP setup (this will generate a unique set of stream keys and URLs for your event)

The first and preferred is the main RTMP server in place. Should any issues arise when connected to the preferred server, we recommend switching to the fallback provider. The primary one is provided by MUX and the fallback is from IVS (Amazon's Interactive Video Service).

• Copy the Stream Key (unique key generated for every event) and the RTMPS URL (standard URL used to stream to Hopin, that is across all events)

• Now let's open the OBS app

• Open the Settings menu on the bottom right corner of the app
• Choose Stream tab on the left sidebar
• Set Service option to Custom
• Paste the Server (the RTMPS code) and the Stream Key (generates per event and is unique)
• Click OK for changes to take effect

The Stream will now be directed from OBS to Hopin. We only need to choose the source Input capture: video capture device is your webcam, Window capture is sharing the app window, and Media Source is sharing video or audio from the file on your computer.

• Click on the plus (+) icon under the Sources menu
• Choose Window Capture if you will be screen sharing (Perfect choice to stream your Zoom, Google Meet, or MS Teams call directly to Stage on Hopin)
• Choose the Window you will be sharing from (Zoom app or browser window)
• Finally, with all Settings set, we can click Start Streaming button.

That's it, your stream will be displayed on the Stage at Hopin within 15 seconds.

In case you are new to streaming, find below our configuration for streaming over OBS to the Stage on Hopin.

Setting up OBS

The below settings must be strictly adhered to, otherwise you will notice issues from either a streaming side or from client side. These are not specific to OBS only, any other encoder configured for RTMP streaming into Hopin should follow this configuration.

Resolution: We support up to Full HD (1080p)

Framerate: 30fps or 60fps

Bitrate: CBR and up to 8500 Kbps (however in our tests 5000Kbps is more than enough for Full HD)

Keyframe Interval: 2 seconds

x264 options: scenecut=0 (this needs to be manually added)

• Open the Settings menu
• Switch to Output on the left sidebar, set Output Mode to Advanced and select the Streaming tab on the top of the Settings menu

Video settings

• Make sure the Base and Output Resolution is the same
• Double-check the Aspect Ratio set to 16:9
• Check the Common FPS Values to be 30

Pro Settings

• Open the Advanced tab
• Set the Color Format to NV12, Color Space to 709 and Color Range to Full

Smooth transition between Backstage and any content streamed over RTMP

Once you switch from Backstage to RTMP you can simply click Start Streaming and the RTMP stream will override the Backstage cutting off the Backstage stream. That means the only way to have a smooth transition is to:

1. Go live on Backstage first
2. Start the RTMP stream after you are already live on Backstage and wait till the Backstage stream will be cut off by the RTMP stream. The switch happens automatically. No need to reload the page or wait.

In case you started the RTMP stream first, you would need to:

• Click Stop streaming over RTMP using OBS
• Open the Backstage (it should not display Streaming over RTMP)
• Click Go Live and wait ~10 seconds for the Backstage stream to start.