Windows Software to Merge Multiple Video Inputs Into Single Camera Output?

[pone44]

For video conferencing, I would like to be able to combine together in a single camera output stream:

1) Slideshows

2) Powerpoint Presentations

3) Cameras of Users in a Room

I have seen ads for hardware devices that do something similar to this, and the application for that was a Powerpoint presentation, where the presenter had his camera image placed off to the corner of the presentation, so that people could read the slides, but still see the presenter interacting and speaking at the same time.

In my application, I would want the output of this device to appear under Windows to be a camera. Then I would get into a web-based chat room website that takes as its input any selected camera on the host OS where the chat room host initiates the chat room broadcast.

Are there any software based mux-tools that support this kind of design under Windows? Is there any good hardware based device that integrates with Windows based software to accomplish something similar, maybe allowing external video cameras, or other computers running Powerpoint presentations - to plug into that hardware? Obviously the management software for this needs to let you design the screen, so that the images will be coordinated in the final camera output.

[raffriff42]

OBS Studio can mix and crossfade multiple sources, including videos, images, text, cameras & screen capture (running PowerPoint etc) into a single output stream. I don't know if the stream format would be compatible with what you are doing, but I don't see why not. I found this related topic on their forum: Is OBS suitable for streaming to remote event attendees?

[pone44]

OBS Studio can mix and crossfade multiple sources, including videos, images, text, cameras & screen capture (running PowerPoint etc) into a single output stream. I don't know if the stream format would be compatible with what you are doing, but I don't see why not. I found this related topic on their forum: Is OBS suitable for streaming to remote event attendees?

Thanks for that suggestion. I briefly looked at the download page, and it appears at first glance like their focus is in making transitions between different video sources. What I am after is more complex than that. I actually want multiple video sources - from computer apps, microphones, cameras, etc - and I want to design an onscreen presentation for those so that each output is constrained to a dedicated geography on the screen.

I am not experienced with network streams and formats. How would I get an app that produces as its output a "network stream" to appear to other Windows applications as a local "camera"?

Basically I am trying to "fake out" applications that take a camera as input - such as Skype - into taking a complex media stream as their input. An application like Skype has no idea what a network stream is and could not receive a network stream. Skype understands what a local "camera" device is, so I need my output to look like a local Windows camera to other applications.

[raffriff42]

Share your entire desktop mebbe?
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/fa10022/how-do-i-share-my-screen-in-skype
No, too laggy, people say

Stumbled across someone asking your exact question in 2013:

OBS Skype Camera Source
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/obs-skype-camera-source.10062/

I want to use OBS as a camera source for skype (green screen capability) xSplit does that. When you have xSplit installed and go to video settings inside skype, one of the camera choices will be xSplit.

...no solution offered, except to use XSplit or FFSplit.

https://www.google.com/search?q=xsplit+ffsplit+skype+virtual+camera

[pone44]

Share your entire desktop mebbe?
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/fa10022/how-do-i-share-my-screen-in-skype
No, too laggy, people say

Stumbled across someone asking your exact question in 2013:

OBS Skype Camera Source
https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/obs-skype-camera-source.10062/

I want to use OBS as a camera source for skype (green screen capability) xSplit does that. When you have xSplit installed and go to video settings inside skype, one of the camera choices will be xSplit.

...no solution offered, except to use XSplit or FFSplit.

https://www.google.com/search?q=xsplit+ffsplit+skype+virtual+camera

Common sense tells me that the videoconferencing hardware makers have solved this problem, but probably at enormous expense. Common sense also tells me that some combination of hardware and software on Windows could do this for under $500.

It looks like XSplit Broadcaster does most of what I am asking for here.