The Tool Desk
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What you need before going live
Live HDR is a complete signal chain, not a setting that can turn ordinary SDR footage into HDR. The source, encoder settings, stream metadata, and playback device must be compatible. YouTube’s current Live HDR guidance specifies H.265/HEVC for HDR streams. YouTube’s Live HDR instructions cover the supported setup.
- For gameplay: the game must output HDR, and the gaming setup needs an HDR-capable monitor or TV.
- For a camera stream: the camera must capture HDR using PQ or HLG; check the camera’s manual for the supported format.
- For encoding: use an encoder with hardware HEVC support and the required 10-bit HDR output. YouTube’s OBS instructions specify OBS 30.1 or later.
- For verification: use an HDR-capable screen and playback device. A standard SDR display cannot confirm that the HDR signal is being displayed correctly.
Before a first broadcast, YouTube’s general live-streaming requirements say the channel must be verified, have no live-streaming restrictions in the past 90 days, and the streamer must be at least 16 years old. These are general requirements, not special HDR eligibility rules. See YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance.
How to stream HDR on YouTube with OBS
- Prepare an HDR source. Enable HDR in a game that supports it, or configure a camera for its supported PQ or HLG HDR mode. Do not try to make SDR footage HDR by changing its labels or metadata.
- Use a compatible OBS and encoder. YouTube’s documented OBS workflow calls for OBS 30.1 or later and a hardware HEVC encoder that supports the required HDR output.
- Choose the YouTube connection type. In OBS, open Settings → Stream and select YouTube RTMPS for the RTMP workflow, or YouTube HLS if using HLS. YouTube documents both for Live HDR. If you use HLS, the stream key must use the HLS protocol.
- Set the video encoder. Open Settings → Output → Encoder, choose the compatible hardware HEVC encoder, and set its profile to Main 10.
- Set OBS color options. Open Settings → Advanced, enable HDR, set Color Format to P010 (4:2:0), and select Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG to match the source. YouTube recommends HLG in its instructions, but the setting must reflect the source’s actual transfer function.
- Check YouTube’s resolution and protocol options. In Live Control Room, leave Turn on manual resolution unchecked. For HLS, confirm the stream key protocol is HLS.
- Start the stream and verify actual playback. Test on an HDR-capable device and look for HDR in the playback quality menu. Do not judge HDR color from the Live Control Room preview.
For general encoder context, YouTube’s encoder settings guidance recommends RTMPS generally, notes H.265 over RTMP(S) as an HDR option, and describes HLS as an alternative when an encoder lacks the needed RTMP capabilities.
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Using a hardware encoder with HLS
If your encoder sends HLS directly rather than using OBS’s standard workflow, match its HDR signaling to the source. YouTube’s hardware HLS guidance specifies HEVC, 10-bit video, BT.2020 color primaries, PQ (ST 2084) or HLG transfer characteristics, and BT.2020 non-constant-luminance matrix coefficients. The selected values must be compatible with the actual source.
HLS transport requirements
- Use MPEG-TS segments, each 1–4 seconds long.
- Do not use byte ranges.
- Keep the rolling playlist to no more than five outstanding segments.
- Use HTTPS POST or PUT. Encryption beyond HTTPS is unsupported.
- Set the YouTube stream key protocol to HLS and leave manual resolution unchecked in Live Control Room.
Encoder interfaces may use different labels for the same signal values: PQ may appear as SMPTE ST 2084, HLG as ARIB-STD-B67, and the matrix as BT2020NC. Follow the manual for your exact encoder model and ensure its settings agree with the source. YouTube’s HLS setup guidance explains its HLS workflow and notes that segment-based delivery has higher latency than a continuous stream, which can matter when interacting with viewers in real time.
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RTMP(S) or HLS: which should you use?
| Path | When it fits | Trade-off or setup check |
|---|---|---|
| RTMP(S) | Your encoder supports YouTube’s HDR workflow over RTMP(S); OBS can select YouTube RTMPS. | YouTube recommends RTMPS generally and lists H.265 over RTMP(S) as an HDR option. Use the encoder’s supported HDR configuration. |
| HLS | Your encoder supports YouTube HLS HDR, or lacks the RTMP capability required for the HDR workflow. | Use an HLS-protocol stream key and meet the segment and transport requirements above. HLS has higher latency because it sends video in segments. |
How to tell whether your stream is really in HDR
- Open the live stream on a device and display that support HDR.
- Open the playback quality menu and check whether an HDR label appears.
- Compare playback on an HDR-capable device with the Live Control Room preview only for basic stream status—not color accuracy. YouTube says the preview does not display HDR colors.
YouTube delivers HDR automatically to viewers with supported devices; viewers on devices that do not support HDR receive SDR. As a result, the same live stream can show HDR on one device and SDR on another without indicating a stream failure.
Common HDR streaming problems and fixes
The playback menu has no HDR label
Check each part of the chain: the source must genuinely be HDR, the encoder must use HEVC and 10-bit HDR settings, and the viewing device and display must support HDR. For OBS, recheck Main 10, P010, HDR enablement, and the Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG selection.
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The preview looks like SDR
This is expected in Live Control Room: its preview does not show HDR colors. Verify on an HDR-capable playback device and check for the HDR label in the playback quality menu.
Colors look washed out, wrong, or distorted
Check that the transfer function, color primaries, and matrix match the source. Do not label SDR material as HDR or apply HDR metadata that does not describe how the material was captured or graded. YouTube’s separate HDR upload guidance warns that incorrect HDR metadata can badly distort footage; although that page concerns uploads rather than live encoding, the principle of accurate source signaling also matters in a live chain.
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Some viewers see SDR
This is normal for viewers whose playback devices do not support HDR. YouTube serves SDR to those viewers while supported devices receive HDR.
The HLS encoder rejects the stream
Confirm that the stream key protocol is HLS; segments are MPEG-TS and 1–4 seconds long; byte ranges are off; the rolling playlist has no more than five outstanding segments; and delivery uses HTTPS POST or PUT. Also verify that the 10-bit HDR metadata matches the source.
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