Wirecast didn’t work either.
EDIT: It did work now. I had to open Avertv Software and run the capture on their software, then close it, then open wirecast for it to show up.
EDIT: I just tried the trick with Vidblaster and it worked. I had to set the video feed to s-video even though it’s through HDMI and only certain resolutions work.
Are there any inexpensive (or free) alternatives to Wirecast? I’d like to start streaming but the $400+ is pretty steep.
Flash Media Encoder, and VLC to name two.
I’m using camtwist studio on mac + FME run in command line mode + HD PVR as a budget replacement for Wirecast. Another plus is that this set up is about as CPU friendly as you are gonna get if using the HD PVR. I am streaming at 400x224/15fps/900kbit on my 2.4ghz core2duo and my CPU is pegged at 96-99%, but with no frame drops.
I don’t consider FME or VLC to be alternatives in themselves to Wirecast because they don’t have any production capabilities like overlays and transitions.
If you want to be cheap, I strongly suggest staying in SD resolution. I regret going HD because it means I have to upgrade every other single component in my setup from cpu, ram video card, and bandwidth. Best bet is to get some SD capture card that has directshow output so you don’t have to fiddle with a screen capture layer.
Has anyone tried Blitzbox ?, they are totally impossible to purchase but they seem pretty great for streaming.
Anyone knows how Godsgarden run their streams?
For those that use Virtual Audio Cable. I have a problem with the in-game sounds. They randomly start making crackling sounds and the only way to fix it is to restart the repeater. It happens often which is bothersome because you can’t hear the problem unless you check the stream itself.
For the repeater setup I’m using:
In-game sounds go through my comp from Avertv which I then send to LINE 1
Webcam sound to LINE 1
MIC sounds to LINE1
I then send line 1 to FME to stream. Webcam sound and mic sounds never crackle. Only the in-game sounds.
Someone help me. /beg
I highlighted this part of the video to show the crackling noises.
XSplit - Going Live is Simple
The xspit broadcaster is a good free (beta) alternative to wirecast for the basic stuff like multiple cams and shots, thirds(that you make in photoshop/gimp/paint/etc), and text overlays( just recently added). This comes from the people that brought you VH MultiCam and VH screencap which is what they used as a base and built in more features such as built in streaming support to jtv and ustream. Also it doesnt seem to be a cpu hoggy as some of the other free software that can add text overlays
Thanks for the heads up.
That SW is… really how 
you can set up multiple scenes such as one with the game feed+graphic+text , then have another scene with a player cam, etc. So you could recreate just about every shot you see on the popular wirecast streams like Levelup, Team Spooky and IPlayWinner.
Glad I found this thread. I was just abouto create a new one and get reamed for it. :razzy:
I’ve read this whole thread and while the information is great, no one has really touched on what kind of specs your computer should have to do this stuff.
I’ve tried streaming with my current computer which is about 3 years old. If I really lower the quality of the stream, it runs smooth, but of course it looks bad. If I up the quality at all, it drops frames… and a lot of them. Also, the cpu usage shoots up to 90-95%. So I guess it’s time for a new build? Right now I have :
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping
GA-P35-DS3P Rev 2.0
XFX 8800GT 512mb
4gb of RAM
I’m thinking about going up to these :
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz
ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58
EVGA 012-P3-1470-AR
8GB of RAM
I’m using a Black Magic Intensity Pro to do the streaming and I’m trying to get the quality to be at about what SRK Live or Peaceful Jay’s stream is right now. My questions are first, before I spend all this money on new equipment…, should my machine as it is now be able to handle streaming am I doing something wrong in the settings or something? Secondly, if I do have to upgrade, are those parts good enough for a high quality stream? Do I need a new video card if the video is going through the Black Magic Intensity Pro? I’ve already done a speed test on my internet connection. I should be able to stream fine once I get this problem solved. I’ve tried reaching out to other well known streamers in the community and I’ve gotten no response. Any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated.
Hey folks, I need help!
I’m looking to start streaming games, but I need a little help with my setup. This is the PLAN.
Now…the question is…which PVR?! I’ve looked at the posts on here but I still can’t decide.
I’m looking at the AverMedia HD PVR as I saw another member of SRK saying they liked it for streaming and recording. **Question is, will that be a decent device for streaming HD? ** I’d love to get an expressbox with a PCI-E card in it, but right now I dont have the extra money AND I don’t have an express port on my laptop.
My PC is powerful (i7 920, GTX 295, 6Gb RAM) so I know at home it’ll be fine.
My Macbook Pro (can boot into OSX or Windows) is …2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 4GB RAM / NVIDIA GeForce 320M (256Mb)…will this still handle streaming?
As for software…I’ll be TRYING XSplit XSplit - Going Live is Simple . I can’t afford wirecast right off the bat, but will be saving for it if it works
Any help?
Thanks in advance 
what settings and programs are you using to cast. Your machine should be able you produce a quality steam. A big reason why Peaceful Jay’s looks so good, besides having a good computer, is that the last time I checked was Jay cast at H264 baseline@3.1 640x354 with a whooping 2500 Kbps bit rate straight into flash media live encoder and Spooky similarly with H264 baseline@3.1 640x360 with bitrates depending on wheres he is casting from but usually 1000 Kbps or higher. If you are trying to cast at 1280x720 with a Main profile @5.1 that will be way more taxing on your cpu so maybe try a lower resolution at a baseline profile and 3.1 level
The HDpvr can be used for streaming but you it will take some additional setup like capturing a preview window. And your laptop should be able to stream as long as you aren’t running too many applications
Hey man, fine ?
Do you think my laptop is able to stream with Avermedia HD DVR (or Hauppauge HD PVR) + Manycam + Wirecast ?
Core i3 2,2 GHz
3GB ram 1333
Intel GMA HD 256mb
Thanks
just want to say i have an hdfury.
it does strip hdcp. there is no quality loss or delay.
the problem is it only outputs to vga or component.
not many capture cards support vga with 1080p input.
not many cards support 1080p capture as well.
liquidin
I would us this Google Translate instead of manycam but it should still work either way. So you plan of action would be to use the program that came with the HD PVR to show the preview, open wirecast and select your desktop capture program and highlight the preview.
I can do this reasonably ok on my core2duo 2.0GHz 4gb ram 667 and Intel GM45 Express so yours should be fine
and to infamouskid for what I have seen 720p is often perfectly fine. How does the hdfury deal with audio? I use this as a alternative since I couldnt find any furys and it works well with my ps3 and xbox in 720p for capturing and streaming and has both a stereo and optical output.
For overlays I use a combination of VH Multi Camera studio, VH ScreenCap (you can use SCFH-DSF instead but VH ScreenCap comes with VH multicam so i use that instead), and Microsoft Excel.
VH Multicam for multiple video sources, output to FMLE via the command prompt, I don’t use the GUI to save CPU cycles.
Basically what I do is create an excel sheet with two sections, the top section with player names, and the bottom section where it will be displayed (in black) I link the two cells together so that all i have to do is change the names at the top to make them change at the bottom. I then add that as a source in VH Multicam using VH ScrCap, setting it to capture that one area of the screen. After some adjusting and tweaking (most important being to make sure it only captures at 1fps to save CPU) you can get it working.
Here’s an example of how i use it, but keep in mind i do only stream in SD with an easycap, and on top of that my internet isnt the greatest for streaming (7mb down 0.6mb up bell sympatico):
The plan is exactly this that you said. Capture preview and use it in Wirecast. I tested this program recommended by you and not know if is better or not than ManyCam. Apparently the ManyCam proved faster. Another question: Which is better for streaming, Avermedia and Hauppauge??
I use for overlay only Photoshop and Wirecast. It’s easy and powerfull. Try you too
The avertv usb and hauppauge are pretty much the same when it come to streaming cause they even use the same software,but since the hauppauge has been around longer theres more help on it. The Avermedia can be found on average 35-40 dollars less online
I tested same thing with notepad and also used manycam text on a green background and then used VH multicam to green screen which also worked well.
You should try xsplit sinch its from the creators of VHscreen cap and Multicam. They updated multicam to be a standalone program that can stream and they added the ability to put text overlays