How to Go Live with Third-Party Open Broadcasting System (OBS)

Learn how to Go Live using OBS

With Firework, you can livestream using a third-party OBS. There are a few configurations that you’ll need to make to ensure that it syncs with your Firework account. All the steps in this article are being done with the Open Broadcasting Software (OBS). However, if you are using another OBS program, the steps to connect your livestream should be similar.

Gather Your RTMP Information

After you click Create when setting up your livestream event in the Business Portal, a popup will appear that contains the RTMP information you need to plug into your OBS.

• Stream URL: This is a static URL for all of Firework that directs the OBS to send the streaming data to the Firework Server.
• Stream Key: This is essentially a password to ensure that the OBS that is sending the data is doing so for this unique stream. Each stream event will have a new and unique Stream Key. 

Click Copy next to the Stream URL and Stream Key to copy them to your clipboard and paste them into OBS in the steps to follow.

Configure Your OBS Settings

We need to ensure that you configure your settings for Firework’s vertical video stream.

1. In OBS, click Settings.
   
2. Click Video in the left-hand navigation menu in the Settings window. 
3. In both Base (Canvas) Resolution and Output (Scaled) Resolution, manually type in 720x1280 in the fields. (This needs to be manually typed, there is no option to select from the drop-down menu.)
   • The resolution for Firework is currently fixed at the 720x1280 level. If you set a larger canvas for the resolution, even with the same aspect ratio, your video will be cropped to meet our fixed 720x1280 resolution guidelines.
     • If you have the 1080p option enabled in your account, you can keep it set at 1080p.
   • Adjust the Frames to 30. 
4. Click Output in the left-hand navigation menu in the Settings window. 
5. Check your Rate Control and CBR. Conduct a speed test and determine your upload speed before setting the bitrate. Ensure adequate upload speed to handle the bitrate. 
6. Select Advanced in the Output Mode drop-down menu to access the output settings. In the Keyframe Interval (0=auto) field, type 2. This will lower the bitrate of your stream and adjust seeking in the video to click to every two seconds.
        
7. Click Stream in the left-hand navigation menu in the Settings window. 
8. Select Custom in the Service dropdown menu. Copy the Stream URL from the Firework Business Portal into the Server field and the Stream Key into the Stream Key field.
          
9. Click Advanced. 
10. Scroll down to the Network section and click the checkbox next to Dynamically change bitrate to manage congestion.
    • Though video quality could be lowered a bit, the stream is likely to continue should similar issues occur.
11. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes, close the popup, and start streaming.

Additionally, you'll want to enable the OBS Stats window to ensure that you're able to monitor your livestream and detect any potential encoding issues.

1. Click View in the toolbar at the top of your screen.
2. Click Stats.

The Stats window will pop up and can remain on the screen for the duration of your livestream.

Streaming

Your livestream will not be live until you have started streaming in both OBS and in the Firework Business Portal. Likewise, once your livestream ends, you’ll need to stop the stream in both OBS and in the Firework Business Portal (this can be done by entering Assistant Mode and choosing "End Stream".