Any Way to Get OBS to Flash a Message That You Are Currently Streaming?

[pone44]

I am learning OBS and a major usability issue I see is that you can hit the Start Streaming button and completely forget that you pressed it. Now you are broadcasting - potentially to a large audience - and you have no clue you are on camera. The obvious UI fix to this issue would be to have OBS flash an obnoxious red message somewhere near the top of OBS Studio that says "You Are Streaming Live!" Is there any way to configure it to do something like this?

[JVRaines]

Doesn't the "Start Streaming" button's caption change to "Stop Streaming"?

[KarMa]

Doesn't the "Start Streaming" button's caption change to "Stop Streaming"?

Yeah but you have to look at the OBS GUI to see that. When in a full screen application, like a game, you don't want to have to tab out to look at it. I don't have an answer to this problem. When streaming with Nvidia ShadowPlay or AMD ReLive they both have a little bubble that pops up telling you if you are recording or streamng for a few seconds but OBS does not have this option.

[pone44]

Doesn't the "Start Streaming" button's caption change to "Stop Streaming"?

The state is indicated as you say, but you really have to look for it. It would be so easy to miss this entirely, and there you are picking your nose in front of 10K people, totally unaware that you broadcasting live.

The analogy would be in the broadcasting industry. When you are broadcasting, there is a sign above the level of the camera that notifies everyone performing and everyone in the operations room that you are live on the air. For example:

[Attachment 49089 - Click to enlarge]
Everyone understands that without such a sign, disasters would happen all the time.

So there are numerous ways the OBS interface could address this. You could flash a red message at the top of the studio window. You could build a system gadget that flashes red during streaming and turns off when you stop. But there needs to be something there that you would have a hard time missing that tells you that you are in this very important state, which potentially compromises your privacy a lot.

[KarMa]

Everyone understands that without such a sign, disasters would happen all the time.

https://youtu.be/hdzH_aSL-6k

[JVRaines]

Everyone understands that without such a sign, disasters would happen all the time.

https://youtu.be/hdzH_aSL-6k

The little red light doesn't help much if you don't look at it.

[hannahxx]

In the end, my purpose is to encode the videos to Blu Ray (using x264).

I think you have the part down pretty good and your question is more suited for the BuRay authoring forum. So I'm moving it for you. I also edited the title. Dafont Showbox Adam4adam

[pone44]

In the end, my purpose is to encode the videos to Blu Ray (using x264).

I think you have the part down pretty good and your question is more suited for the BuRay authoring forum. So I'm moving it for you. I also edited the title.

I am confused. My question has nothing to do with BluRay. My question is about live streaming to popular consumer websites such as Twitch.

[Cornucopia]

I'm guessing either that was meant for another thread, or it's just a troll. Ignore it. Nothing got moved, certainly.

In the broadcast industry, they don't just rely on the red light, they have round-trip CONFIDENCE monitors (aka TVs that are picking up the output signal to show if your broadcast is making it out there).
Do the same thing.

Next to your streaming setup, put a computer that is set to receive that/those stream address(es). If something shows up, you'll know immediately (well, within ~35seconds - latency!).

But honestly, I suggest you stop picking your nose in front of cameras anyway.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

AFA record/stream lights go: PunchLight, Delcom Visual Signal Indicator, or Kuando Busylight are some (USB based). Don't know if they will work with OBS though.

Scott