In 2022 live streaming on youtube and twitch channels has gained a lot of traction and many people have also taken this up as a profession. Millions of people have started to watch games live-streaming specifically as most of them do not have much time to play the games themselves due to work and other life commitments.
So watching a game live streaming with an awesome commentary fulfills those wishes to some extent. This is one of the reasons why game streaming has become such a popular type of streaming lately. But people who wish to provide a good live streaming experience to their fans need to invest in some quality gear and streaming software. Without good live streaming equipment, the end-user experience will be mediocre at best and so not recommended for those who want to grow their youtube or twitch channel.
What is streaming software?
The streaming software is a software encoder that enables you to stream your games into platforms like youtube, twitch, and others more efficiently than direct streaming. You can embed chats, payments, and other more rich functionalities inside your streams too with the help of them.
Here are some of the best live streaming software you should try in 2022:
1. Restream: It is a useful cloud-based live streaming service that lets you simultaneously stream videos to over 30 platforms like Twitch, youtube, Facebook, etc. They also provide a native integration facility with other popular streaming software like XSplit, OBS Studio, and others. Also, another noteworthy feature of this streaming platform is that it allows ‘Real-time Platform and Channel Toggling.’ What this essentially means is that you can edit and add more channels while you are live streaming without even stopping it. You can also track your video bitrate, frames per second, and any frame drop issue too if existing. There is a live chat option too with a profanity filter so that your fans can engage in a better way with your stream.
2. OneStream: OneStream is one of the best overall streaming software available in the market today. You can pre-record videos and then publish them to over 40 social media platforms. The video scheduler functionality can save the timer for up to 60 days in advance. It is a full cloud platform so there is no need for a separate software installation.
3. Wirecast: This is a streaming software that helps you create live streams and on-demand broadcasts online. The user interface is quite easy and free-flowing, so you need not spend much time looking for something. Just plug in your microphone 🎤 and Webcam and then Wirecast will automatically handle all the encoding duties. To use wireless on the go is relatively easy, simply download its free iOS app. You can also get access to more than 5,00,000 media assets like 🎶 music, video 📹, background template, etc. Wirecast also has support for multichannel audio ingestion and is compatible with WASAPI, ASIO, and Corrado devices too.
4. Dacast: It is a video monetization and video-on-demand platform which is tailor-made for hosting, live streaming, and managing broadcasts. They also have an excellent content management system for storing and viewing your live streams. Another noteworthy feature of Dacast is that it can automatically convert currency behind paywalls and show you the cost of streaming to your viewers.
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5. XSplit Broadcaster: It is one of the most used live streaming software by console gamers. You get an in-game stream control HUD that helps you interact with the live chat, stop or start a broadcast, monitor the statistics for effective stream engagement, and lots of other functionalities. By using XSplit you will also be getting one projector mode. What this essentially does is it enables you to display multiple scenes to devices connected to your computer’s 🖥 graphics processing unit. You can also use Nvidia’s NVENC to optimize your performance and quality level.
6. Streamlabs OBS: It is an excellent ☁️ Cloud-based live streaming software. The best part about it is that it is free and open source. It also has hundreds of usable templates with lots of customization options. It also has an in-built app store with over 40 apps to get you started.
Conclusion
Software-based streaming software products are a good alternative to hardware-based ones. But there are some limitations too which can only be solved by using hardware-based encoders. For entry-level to medium-level live streaming needs software encoders can work great if used correctly but for professional-level streams, a hardware encoder is a must-have.