LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

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LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 26 Aug 2014, 18:53

Because quite a few people have asked about it in the twitch chat and on the forums, here is the hardware we currently use to stream:

Information is out of date. Please see image below for current setup
Current Streaming Setup (2016-07-20)


Old Setup - Click to Expand
LRR stream setup
as of 2014-08-26

Our streaming setup is a little unique for a couple of reasons: firstly we wanted to reuse existing equipment bought for Desert Bus and other LRR projects and secondly we wanted to be able to play both PC games and every console currently available. The general setup is that all streaming goes though the Stream PC, which has 2 Blackmagic Intensity PCI cards. One card is connected to the Gaming PC via HDMI (mirroring the gaming PC monitor) and the other is connected via HDMI to a converter/switch that switches between the various consoles and converts them to HDMI as required (Wii, PS2, etc). The PS3 is connected to the switch with DVI in order to bypass HDCP. 3DS games are captured via special modded 3DS that was sent to us by a generous fan.

The audio from the Gaming PC, the Blackmagic Intensity and the microphone (a RØDE NTG2) are run into a mixing board so we can control the levels and then sent to the Steam PC via USB. USB audio takes a little bit to process, which is why the lip sync is sometimes a little bit off. We are working on a way to potentially improve this.

We use a Panasonic AF100 for the video, connected to the Stream PC via SDI to a Blackmagic Decklink Duo PCI card. This is probably way overkill for what we are usually doing but it is hardware we already had from Desert Bus.

The actual stream is run by XSplit, which we ware currently using the beta release of. XSplit's interface is a little weird, but the beta has some really great new features and seems to be stable enough for our use.

Steam PC
Windows 7
Intel core i5 (Haswell) 3.4GHz
8GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD 7770

Gaming PC
Windows 8
Intel Core i7 (Haswell) 3.5GHz
16GB RAM
GeForce GTX 760


The biggest issue we have is that, when running console games, the Blackmagic Intensity can be very temperamental about switching inputs and/or resolutions. Often if we try to switch between (for example) the Xbox 360 and the Wii, the card will just display black or even BSOD the stream PC. Unfortunately, this seems to be a fundamental issue with the Blackmagic Intensity drivers, so we don't have a good solution unless Blackmagic releases a fix.

Let me know if you have any other questions!
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby J_S_Bach » 24 Oct 2014, 03:44

I have a question about your sound board, does it have a USB port on it or are you running it through another box that has a USB? I'm doing the latter with trying to help my students but can only get mono sound.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Senstaku » 14 Apr 2015, 10:12

I've got a question for Paul;

I'm trying to set up a similar but more compact system for my console streaming, and I've got most of the issues worked out or with a tolerable workaround - The one thing I can't figure out is how to get around the HDCP of the PS3.

You said that the streaming setup uses an HDMI switch and a DVI connection to get around the PS3's HDCP issue; Exactly what does that mean? What type of HDMI switch? Are you doing a DVI-Out from the PS3 to a HDMI-in, or a component-to-DVI adapter, or does the switch take DVI-D in?
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Trippzen » 08 Dec 2015, 18:06

The setup has changed since this posting hasn't it? With a new gaming PC and the old one becoming the streaming PC (and the old streaming PC becoming the podcasting PC)? Is there an update for the setup (whenever available)?
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 08 Dec 2015, 18:14

We are moving to a new office soon, so the streaming/podcasting setup will probably change in the next few months. Once we have the new setup locked down, I will be sure to update the info.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby AdmiralMemo » 15 May 2016, 22:45

Has it been locked down yet? :-)
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby TheMadPunter » 30 Jun 2016, 16:20

Seconded. I've seen some streamers post a complete circuit diagram of their setup; I'd be fascinated to see yours, especially given the unique requirements of LoadingReadyLive. I'd also love to learn how you manage your A/V syncing and audio channel recording; that's been an ongoing problem for me. Does everything come out of the mixer as a single channel into the stream machine, or do you record each audio source separately so you can remix levels later if necessary? And can you listen to the final output mix in XSplit live? I use OBS Studio and can't be sure everything's synced unless I record some tests, and even then it can drift once we go live.

...Sorry for question barrage, Paul; I tend to go deep with tech. Although it seems so do you :-) #MoreLRRTechPlz!
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 01 Jul 2016, 09:08

The truth is that the streaming setup is never really "locked down", I am always tweaking stuff and trying to incorporate new tech or deal with new situations. That being said, I will try to do a LRRTech sometime in the next little while and give a rundown on the current state of the system.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby nscottg » 09 Jul 2016, 07:47

Paul wrote:The truth is that the streaming setup is never really "locked down", I am always tweaking stuff and trying to incorporate new tech or deal with new situations. That being said, I will try to do a LRRTech sometime in the next little while and give a rundown on the current state of the system.


<kermit flail of excitement>

If it ends up being a video rundown can somebody link it in here
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 12 Jul 2016, 17:15

LRRTech about the current video game streaming setup tomorrow at 12:00pm PDT! I will try to show how everything works, why we use what we do, what we have tried before and answer any questions you might have.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 13 Jul 2016, 06:17

For reference for today's LRRTech stream, here is my attempt at a diagram of the LRR video game streaming setup.
Image

I will explain in more detail during the stream, but I wanted it to be available for viewer's reference.

Edit: Updated image to fix some mistakes
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Trippzen » 15 Jul 2016, 16:11

That is an awesome schematic. Thanks for the update.

Also the controllers look like they have faces.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby nscottg » 17 Jul 2016, 07:06

Paul wrote:For reference for today's LRRTech stream, here is my attempt at a diagram of the LRR video game streaming setup.
I will explain in more detail during the stream, but I wanted it to be available for viewer's reference.


Finished watching the archive of the tech stream, good stuff.

What kind of audio is output from the HDMI switch? We talking Red/White RCA connectors or is it outputing optical audio from the HDMI switch and connecting directly into the mixer thru some kinda optical in input on the mixer (or coaxial output into the mixer I guess) ? Just curious.

Oh and you are totally right about the problems getting a big HDMI switch with everything else you want on it. I got an 8x1 HDMI switch and it's great...if you are ONLY wanting an HDMI signal, trying to find a 8 port one with anything else on it ...is tricky
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 17 Jul 2016, 07:44

nscottg wrote:What kind of audio is output from the HDMI switch? We talking Red/White RCA connectors or is it outputing optical audio from the HDMI switch and connecting directly into the mixer thru some kinda optical in input on the mixer (or coaxial output into the mixer I guess) ? Just curious.


Output from the HDMI switch is 3.5mm mini jack, which is then adapted to RCA for the mixer. I would have preferred straight RCA, but that wasn't readily available. As far as I have been able to find, there do not seem to be any mixers that take optical inputs. I wish there were, since that would be a great way to get a clean audio signal without having to worry about EM interference.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby nscottg » 18 Jul 2016, 09:47

Paul wrote: As far as I have been able to find, there do not seem to be any mixers that take optical inputs. I wish there were, since that would be a great way to get a clean audio signal without having to worry about EM interference.


They sell soundboard mixers with optical but they are NOT cheap. If I come across a reasonably priced one tho, I'll let you know. Also after a little bit of hunting I realized why you don't have just a 8xHDMI switch device (as opposed to the 2 4xHDMI switches)....they don't seem to make 8xHDMI switches with an optical or 3.5mm audio out/extractor...just 4xHDMI switches.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby the amativeness » 19 Jul 2016, 21:30

For follow-up reference, the cable going from the Stream PC to the USB Audio box is a USB cable, and from the Audio box to the Mixing Board is RCA Audio (the diagram has them backwards).
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 20 Jul 2016, 12:52

Good point, the amativeness. I have edited my original post to reflect the proper configuration. (I removed your quote of the original image to avoid confusion)
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby SoundGuy0dB » 24 Jul 2016, 05:41

Loved the LRR Tech stream about the streaming setup. Always interested in the tech stuff you talk about. Always very informative.
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Re: LRR streaming setup (as of 2014-08-26)

Postby Paul » 27 Jul 2016, 10:10

To go along with today's LRRTech stream, here is a diagram of the current Studio A (AFK/Podcasting office) setup (as of July 27, 2016)

Image

I will explain it in more detail during the stream.

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