The Tool Desk
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Choose resolution and bitrate for each destination
Owncast’s suggested broadcast bitrates are for the stream sent to your Owncast server. YouTube’s figures are its ingest recommendations. They are not interchangeable: a value recommended for one destination does not automatically meet the other’s published guidance.
| Resolution | Frame rate | Owncast suggested bitrate | YouTube H.264 recommended bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920Ă—1080 | 60 fps | 5,000 kbps | 12 Mbps |
| 1920Ă—1080 | 30 fps | 4,500 kbps | 10 Mbps |
| 1280Ă—720 | 60 fps | 4,000 kbps | 6 Mbps |
| 1280Ă—720 | 30 fps | 3,000 kbps | 4 Mbps |
Owncast’s values are its suggested settings, not a guarantee that a particular server can ingest, transcode, or deliver them smoothly. YouTube’s column is specifically its recommended H.264 bitrate; YouTube also publishes separate minimum and maximum ranges for AV1 and H.265, which should not be confused with these H.264 recommendations. See Owncast’s broadcasting settings and YouTube’s encoder settings.
A practical starting point
If bandwidth, encoder load, or server capacity is uncertain, start at 720p30 and test the complete path before raising resolution or frame rate. Move to 720p60 or 1080p only when the encoder can sustain it, the upload connection has headroom, and the Owncast server can deliver the resulting stream to viewers. Higher resolution needs more bitrate; higher frame rate also takes more encoding power.
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For a 1080p60 stream, for example, Owncast suggests 5,000 kbps for the Owncast input, while YouTube recommends 12 Mbps for H.264 ingest. If sending separate outputs, configure the bitrate for each destination rather than assuming one figure covers both.
Configure the Owncast RTMP destination
Owncast accepts RTMP broadcasts on TCP port 1935 by default. Its stream key is used on the /live/ path. The server address and key are configured in your encoder and in Owncast’s admin settings.
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- Set up the Owncast server and open its admin interface. Find the stream key in the Owncast admin settings.
- Change the default stream key. Do not leave the default key active. If you use the documented default admin credentials, change the admin password as well; Owncast notes that the default key and default admin password may share a value, but they are separate settings.
- In your encoder, choose a custom RTMP service. For software with separate server and key fields, enter
rtmp://yourserver:1935/liveas the server endpoint and enter the Owncast key in the stream-key field. - If your encoder has no separate stream-key field, append the key to the path. Use a URL in the form
rtmp://yourserver:1935/live/your-stream-key. - Start with a conservative test stream. Check that Owncast receives it and that playback is stable before increasing quality or adding transcoded outputs.
Owncast’s OBS setup instructions use the Custom service option, the Owncast RTMP URL, and the key configured in Owncast admin.
Set encoder options that matter
- Video codec: Owncast recommends H.264 for broad compatibility. YouTube lists H.264, H.265, and AV1 as supported video codecs in its encoder guidance.
- Rate control: YouTube recommends constant bitrate (CBR).
- Keyframe interval: Use two seconds for both services’ documented guidance. YouTube says not to exceed four seconds. In OBS, enter the interval in seconds. In ffmpeg,
-gis a frame count: for a two-second interval, use 60 at 30 fps or 120 at 60 fps. - Audio: Owncast recommends AAC. YouTube lists AAC or MP3.
- Picture format: YouTube’s advanced guidance specifies square pixels and progressive scan.
- YouTube transport: YouTube says, “We recommend streaming to YouTube Live with RTMPS, a secure extension to the popular RTMP streaming video protocol.” Use RTMPS for the YouTube destination when your encoder supports it.
YouTube normally detects resolution and frame rate automatically. Manual resolution selection is available with a custom stream key when manual settings are enabled. For the full current options, consult YouTube Help’s encoder settings. For Owncast and ffmpeg-specific details, see Owncast’s ffmpeg examples.
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Send the broadcast to Owncast and YouTube
Plan for two destinations. The cited Owncast documentation describes sending an encoder’s broadcast to Owncast; it does not document Owncast automatically forwarding the incoming stream to YouTube. Use encoder or relay software that supports the dual-output workflow you need, and confirm that it can set separate destinations and, if needed, separate bitrate settings. Configure the Owncast RTMP endpoint and the YouTube ingest endpoint independently.
Account for the total upload demand of simultaneous outputs. If your encoder sends a full-rate stream to each service, your connection must sustain the combined traffic with room for ordinary network variation. A relay may change where that upload burden falls, but its capabilities and output settings depend on the software or service you choose.
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Check Owncast server and network capacity
The broadcaster’s upload speed is only one constraint. Your Owncast server also needs enough outbound network capacity to serve viewers: total outbound demand grows with the bitrate delivered to each viewer. Transcoding additional resolutions or formats adds CPU work, and slow processing can delay delivery or cause buffering.
- Start with one output variant and test server performance before adding more. Owncast’s video-quality guidance recommends this staged approach.
- Do not send a source substantially higher in quality than the server’s outputs can handle; the additional conversion work consumes server resources.
- Check server CPU and outbound capacity under the actual resolution, frame rate, codec, and expected viewer load. Owncast’s rough examples vary by codec, bitrate, resolution, and encoder preset, so they are not a universal CPU-per-viewer rule.
- Keep headroom on the encoder’s upload connection as well as on the server’s network connection. A stream that barely fits available capacity is more vulnerable to instability.
Owncast explains these trade-offs in its video quality guide and server requirements documentation.
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Hardware and hosting requirements
The documented RTMP setup does not require a particular physical product. You need streaming software and a running Owncast server. A capture card is optional and only relevant when your source is an external camera or another device that must feed video into the encoder; compatible inputs vary by hardware and platform. Owncast’s ffmpeg documentation describes device capture without endorsing a particular model.
If you self-host Owncast, choose a VPS or dedicated server with CPU and network capacity appropriate to your encoding and delivery workload. Owncast documents provider installation options at its provider installation guide; the suitable server size depends on your actual stream and audience.
Troubleshoot common setup problems
- Owncast does not receive the stream: Check the server address, TCP port 1935, and
/livepath. Confirm that the key is entered in the separate key field or appended to the path, but not omitted or duplicated. - Authentication fails: Verify that the key in the encoder matches the current Owncast key. If you changed it in admin, update the encoder too.
- YouTube rejects or struggles with the stream: Check the YouTube destination URL/key and its codec, bitrate, frame rate, and keyframe settings against YouTube’s encoder guidance. Do not substitute Owncast’s suggested bitrate for YouTube’s H.264 recommendation without considering the destination.
- Playback buffers or delivery falls behind: Reduce resolution, frame rate, or bitrate; test with one output variant; and check both server CPU/transcoding load and outbound capacity.
- The broadcaster’s connection is unstable: Lower the output demands or improve available upload headroom. If dual-output software sends to both services directly, include both outputs in the bandwidth calculation.
- One output works but the other does not: Treat Owncast and YouTube as separate destinations. Check the respective endpoint, stream key, and output configuration; successful delivery to one does not establish that the other is configured correctly.
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