To add an even more dynamic live streaming element to your Experiences, Crowdpurr integrates with the free industry-standard Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) Studio application. This allows you to connect OBS Studio directly to Crowdpurr streaming.

With OBS, you can trigger live videos, static images, multiple cameras, hosts, and additional broadcast elements for a more polished and professional live stream production. OBS also supports popular third-party hardware devices like the Elgato Stream Deck for quick scene switching.

Connecting OBS is only available on the Conference Plan and above, which features unlimited Crowdpurr streaming.

Connecting OBS to Crowdpurr requires running OBS Studio 30.0 or later, so that it supports WebRTC real-time streaming.

Download the latest version from the official OBS Download page. Click on the version that supports your operating system and hardware. Then install the free software.

We'll first need to configure OBS to work with Crowdpurr. You only need to update the following configuration settings once.

Click on the Settings button in the lower-right corner of OBS.

Click on the Output button on the left column of the Settings pop-up. Make the following updates:

Click on the Video button on the left column of the Settings pop-up. Make the following updates:

Add various scenes, media, and camera sources in OBS. This article assumes familiarity with designing and running content in OBS. If you are new to OBS, YouTube is a great place to start learning how to create dynamic live broadcasts in OBS. Check out this Beginner's Guide to Using OBS.

Crowdpurr broadcasts all content assuming a 16x9 aspect ratio. Any vertically-oriented content is simply a 16x9 rectangle that has been cropped in.

If you're displaying widescreen 16x9 content where the entire width of the content should be seen (e.g. a wide 16x9 intro video, a wide-screen live host, etc.) then you'll want to use the Full Width Content Layout under the Crowdpurr Streaming Settings.

Add your content in OBS at the 16x9 aspect ratio, fully scaled to use the available space of the 16x9 window. Widescreen content should be formatted at 1920x1080, 1280x720, or 640x360.

If you're displaying vertically tall content at a 9x16 aspect ratio (e.g. a "reel" style intro video, an HQ style vertical live host, etc.) then you'll want to use the Vertical Crop Card or Full Screen Content Layouts under the Crowdpurr Streaming Settings.

Your vertical 9x16 content should be nested inside a 16x9 widescreen box, scaled vertically to fit the 16x9 aspect ratio. In OBS, you can right-click the added media and click Fit to Screen. Crowdpurr will then correctly crop in on your content when streaming using the vertical content layouts.

All cameras in OBS should be at a widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio. When using the Full Width Content Layout, the entire camera image will be shown. When using the Vertical Crop Card or Full Screen Content Layouts, the camera image will be cropped in to emulate a vertical resolution. Your subject or live host should adjust their position accordingly.

On the Experience Dashboard under the salmon-colored Streaming tab, click on the blue Initiate OBS Stream button under the OBS Stream area.

Upon clicking Initiate OBS Stream, a live preview will appear on the Experience Dashboard. However, it will be blank because we haven't started the stream from OBS yet.

The OBS Stream Key pop-up will appear. This provides the stream key needed to connect OBS to Crowdpurr.

Copy the Stream Key by clicking on the blue copy button to the right of the key.

In OBS, click the Stream button on the left column of the Settings pop-up. Make the following updates:

Click OK in the lower-right corner of the Settings pop-up to save and close. In Crowdpurr, click Close on the OBS Stream Key pop-up.

Your stream key is what connects your stream to your experience's connected Participant Views.

Once OBS is configured with the above settings and your OBS Stream Key, you can start your stream in OBS.

Click on Start Streaming from the lower-right menu. It's best to have a designated scene in OBS that you can check in Crowdpurr to verify the connection.

Once you start streaming, your live stream will appear on your Experience Dashboard preview to verify to you that it is connected. However, it is not live to participants yet.

The preview window ensures you're connected and set on the desired scene before going live to your participants. It displays exactly what participants will see on their devices.

When your stream is connected and ready, click the green Go Live button. This will instantly activate the live stream on the participant's mobile devices. You can thestart your first scene in OBS and proceed to additional scenes such as your live host.

The blue timer on the Experience Dashboard will start counting once you are live.

There are several additional features for managing your live stream that will be covered in the main live streaming article. Check out these sections to learn more.

To stop the live stream and remove it from participant devices, click on the red Stop button next to the live stream preview on the Experience Dashboard. This only removes the stream from participant devices. It doesn't shut down the streaming session.

You can use this functionality to temporarily remove the stream from participant devices and then restore it while keeping your OBS broadcast stream active.

To fully end your live stream and discard the current stream key thus ending the streaming session, click the Shut Down Stream button under the Streaming → OBS Stream area on the Experience Dashboard. This will deactivate your stream key and also stop streaming to participants if the stream was still active.

Lastly, when you've completed your live stream, be sure to click Stop Streaming in the lower-right corner of OBS. Otherwise, you will continue to broadcast your camera, microphone, and media sources.