How to stream from any source over RTMP to Sessions using OBS

  • Updated

No_Free.png5_copy.jpg

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.

Note: Streaming to the Sessions via RTMP requires a third-party application; we found OBS to be a popular option amongst streamers and is available for free here: https://obsproject.com/.

Before you begin

Before you get started, there are some things that you should consider and certain limitations that may affect what you want from your Session.

When RTMP is not live, sessions can be used like any other session. Once RTMP is live:

  • The RTMP stream will not be viewable on the mobile app or on mobile browsers, only desktop browsers
  • You can have a maximum of 10 people on screen via RTMP to sessions, non RTMP sessions can have a max of 20
  • You will not be able to share Miro, Figma, YouTube
  • You will be able to share your screen but currently it will display very small
  • The RTMP stream can only be stopped from the broadcast software, not from within the session
  • RTMP cannot be used in Expo Sessions
  • There will be a 10-12 second delay between the live video and the Session
  • Closed Captions are not available for content that is being RTMP streamed into a Session room or an Expo booth

Setting up the RTMP stream

Open the Hopin event Dashboard and navigate to Venue > Sessions. Create a new session by clicking the blue Add Session button or click Edit to set up RTMP within an existing session 

Screenshot_2023-04-12_at_9.24.42_AM.png

Find the RTMP settings section and click the checkbox Enable RTMP Streaming.

Screenshot_2023-04-12_at_9.26.07_AM.png

In the next option box, select Do not mirror (stream only to this session) since you are broadcasting directly from OBS into the Session. Then hit Save

Note: If you'd like to copy/mirror an ongoing stream from the Stage or another Session, select Stage or Session as well as the name of the Stage or Session. 

Once saved, click the Sessions tab of the event dashboard to find your list of Sessions. You will now find an icon containing the RTMP details of the session you just saved. 

Screenshot_2023-04-12_at_9.26.57_AM.png

Click the RTMP Details to retrieve the RTMP URL and Stream Key. Copy the Stream Key and RTMP URL.

Screenshot_2023-04-12_at_9.27.59_AM.png

Note: 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.

 

Connecting OBS to the Session

Now you can open the OBS app.

image3.png

  • 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 (rtmp://global-live.hopin.to:5222/app) 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.

image4.png

  • 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 Sessions on Hopin)
  • Choose the Window you will be sharing from (Zoom app or browser window)
  • Finally, with all Settings set, we can click the Start Streaming button at the bottom right.

That's it, your stream will be displayed in your Hopin Session within 15 seconds. To stop the stream, click Stop Streaming.

Important: Please see our Required RTMP Streaming Encoder Settings to make sure you have the correct settings for your stream. 

 

 

Was this article helpful?