Streaming...

[Grogmiester]

S I have started streaming sometimes on twitch tv (www.twitchtv.com/grogmiester)
And I am here to say I need more viewers which programme I use.

I use open broadcast software and so far it works fine, doesn't put too much strain on either my pc or my internet connection. you can set it up to stream with most streaming sites and gives you a decent quality image if set out right.

so here is an article that explains it better than I can. 
http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/12/04/how-to-set-up-open-broadcaster-a-free-lightweight-livestreaming-application/

So two questions:
 does anyone else stream and if so what do they use to do it?
and once you have tried this software what are your thoughts on it.

[Qwerty Kun]

Hey grog,

Yeah I currently stream Guns of Icarus Weekly and stream 'The Cogs' competitive event.
My channel is here: http://www.twitch.tv/qwerty2jam/old

Currently I use a professional Xsplit license as I believe it still has some advanced functionality that OBS lacks (however OBS is quickly catching up and I might have to switch in the future).
I believe xsplit can be a bit needlessly complicated however once learnt is very simple and extremely capable. The major advantage OBS has over Xsplit is that OBS eats a lot less processing power in your computer.

Cheers,

Qwerty

[Helmic]

Just as an example, anything you see in qwerty's GoI streams can be done easily in OBS and for free.  Most of XSplit's advanced functionality comes from its vastly superior plugin support.  If you plan on simply adding a static overlay (or the Twitch chat via an IRC client and OBS's handy window region tool) or need to include stuff other than game footage (XSplit notably has an SWF source plugin for flash games and neater animated overlays)  there's virtually no reason to buy into XSplit.  XSplit definitely WON'T improve your image quality, OBS is quite a bit more efficient as far as resource usage goes.  The real limiting factor is probably going to be your upload and your viewers' upload.

If you want to improve the quality a bit, you can increase the bitrate.  Just remember that the higher the bitrate the more likely that someone won't be able to download the video stream fast enough to keep up.  There's plenty of guides out there with their own arcane formulas for determining the perfect bitrates for different resolutions and framerates, trying to strike a balance between quality and bandwidth usage for both you and your viewers.