Set Up Broadcasting Software

Compatibility

In general Owncast is compatible with any software that uses RTMP to broadcast to a remote server. RTMP is what all the major live streaming services use, so if you're currently using one of those it's likely that you can point your existing software at your Owncast instance instead.

However, we haven't tested with everything. So if you're using something specific we'd love to hear what software you're using and the results. If you're finding yourself running into issues, we'd love to help troubleshoot.

Pointing your software to Owncast

Owncast accepts incoming streams over RTMP on TCP port 1935 by default. The port is configurable in the admin under Configuration > Server Setup (see Server Setup). Your stream key is only accepted on the /live/ path, so the full endpoint is rtmp://yourserver:1935/live/<your-stream-key>.

Most broadcasting software will have a way to specify a "custom" location as a RTMP endpoint. In this case you would specify rtmp://yourserver:1935/live as the RTMP destination, specifying your stream key where it asks for it. The default stream key is abc123 but you should change this immediately after setting up Owncast.

If your software doesn't have a place to specify a stream key you can simply append it to your RTMP location, for example: rtmp://yourserver:1935/live/abc123.

How you configure your broadcasting software matters

You will want to configure your broadcasting software to match the highest quality you can offer your viewers. That means if your Owncast server can only handle 720p@2500k you should not configure your broadcasting software to send 1080p@6000k. The more conversion work you ask Owncast to do the more resources it will use on your server, making it even harder to offer the best qualities to your viewers.

Every server, environment, network speed and processing capacity is different. Just because you want to offer a certain quality doesn't mean your server can support it.

If you find yourself trying to squeeze better performance out of Owncast then try setting your broadcasting software to a lower quality as well as lowering the output quality in the admin under Configuration > Video.

Broadcasting Settings

The following are some suggested settings for a high quality stream you can set in your broadcasting software. But you should keep in mind the highest quality you'll be offering your viewers, as stated above. Continue to read more about the values.

Video resolution and quality

Resolution	Framerate	Bitrate
1920x1080	60fps	5000k
1920x1080	30fps	4500k
1280x720	60fps	4000k
1280x720	30fps	3000k

Resolution and Frame rate

Resolution refers to the size of a video on a screen, and frame rate refers to how many frames per second are displayed. Full HD resolution is typically 1080p, 60 frames per second (fps). Streaming at a higher resolution like 1080p requires a higher bitrate, and a higher frame rate takes more encoding power. If you have the bandwidth and encoding power both on your broadcasting computer and your Owncast server to stream at 1080p, 60 fps, great! If not, try one of the other settings above to optimize your video quality and stability.

Bitrate

The bitrate is the amount of data you send to your Owncast server when you stream. A higher bitrate takes up more of your available internet bandwidth. Increasing your bitrate can improve your video quality, but only up to a certain point.

Video and audio codecs

Use H.264 video and AAC audio for the best compatibility. Owncast's ingest layer also recognizes H.265 video and MP3 and Speex audio, but transcoding and playback compatibility are only assured for H.264 and AAC.

Keyframe Interval

Set your broadcasting software to send a keyframe every 2 seconds and do not leave it at auto. Keyframe settings use different units in different tools. The OBS keyframe interval is in seconds, so use 2. The ffmpeg -g option counts frames, so use twice your framerate.

Audio settings

Set your broadcasting software to send Owncast AAC audio.

Audio bitrate and quality

When streaming also make sure to match your audio quality to what you're streaming. If you're a music focused stream then maybe go higher. If you're just talking, then maybe you can afford to go lower.

Owncast passes audio through untouched by default, so it goes out exactly how it's sent. If audio passthrough is turned off for an output variant, Owncast re-encodes that variant's audio to AAC.

Quality	Bitrate
Low	96kbps
Medium	128kbps
High	192kbps
Higher	256kbps
Highest	320kbps

Dropping frames

Read more about troubleshooting Dropped frames being reported in your broadcasting software.

Errors or disconnections

If your broadcasting software keeps disconnecting from Owncast, or your stream drops partway through, read Your stream keeps disconnecting. It covers the common causes: an unstable network, a bitrate higher than your upload can sustain, and ffmpeg problems on the server.