Overview

The OWL Media Output Encoder is an Unreal Engine Actor that can ingest any Render Target and audio feed and encode it to a wide range of different media formats.

• It utilises GPU-encoding, (NVIDIA NVENC only), to bypass the CPU, meaning that it shouldn’t decrease the FPS of your project or game to stream or record during runtime.

• This makes it a much more effective streaming solution than NDI, which is CPU encoded and therefore limited in the Resolution and Frame Rate it can manage.

• Each Encoder that you add to your scene will let you encode a single Render Target and audio feed (Viewport audio or Audio Submix) to multiple simultaneous different media formats (streaming and recording).

• You can also use multiple Encoders to encode multiple outputs from differentRender Targets.

Basic Set-Up

There are two ways you can add the Media Output Encoder to your project:

1. Media Output Actor

2. Media Output Wizard

Media Output Actor

1. Drag and drop the OWL Media Output Encoder Actor into your scene from the Place Actors section:

   

2. In the Details panel of the Actor, select the Render Target you want to encode:

   

3. Select the features you need from the Output Settings section of the Media Output Actor (see below) and then press Start to encode (or set up your Blueprints to stream within your game/ app).

Media Output Wizard

1. Select the OWL Capture Type you want to output from and then select Media Output as your Output Type option:

   

2. Click Create and the Capture Type and Media Output will automatically be added to your level.

3. Select the features you need from the Output Settings section of the Media Output Actor (see below) and then press Start to encode (or set up your Blueprints to stream within your game/ app).

Blueprints

Performance

GPU Power

The encoder uses a dedicated part of your GPU (NVENC), meaning that it won’t compromise your game performance except under extreme GPU utilisation:

• However, if your GPU is at 100% utilisation you are likely to struggle to encode the media perfectly (due to memory bandwidth or GPU Bus usage).

High FPS Output

If you want to encode at a very high frame rate (+60FPS), we would recommend:

• Capping the FPS and setting it at a multiple of your intended output, for example, set your game to 180FPS and your stream to 30 or 60FPS.

• Using DLSS to spread the workload between your CUDA and Tensor GPU cores thereby reducing the likelihood of a backlog in memory bandwidth.

• Ensuring that you have a single Camera output and no other resources using up VRAM or GPU capacity.

Maximum Output

The maximum output you can encode will be determined by your selected Frame Rate , Resolution and your GPU.

• The Resolution will determine the maximum Frame Rate you are able to achieve in your Unreal project. The more advanced your GPU, the higher this value.

• Your GPU will also determine the maximum Resolution and Frame Rate you can encode at, as well as what Video Codecs are supported, depending on the number of NVENC cores you have (see guide here).

• More advanced GPUs have more NVENC cores (5090 has 3 for example) which work together to encode the content.

• However, even the most advanced GPU is limited if you want to output extremely high Resolutions (8K) at a very high Frame Rates (+120FPS ).

• A 5090 GPU will likely only be able to encode a single output with those settings, and only with h.265 codec enabled (capped at 8096×8096).

Multi-Encoding

• The OWL Media Output Encoder enables multi-output encoding for a single Render Target so you can stream to multiple different protocols and record to different file types at the same time.

• You can also add more than one Encoder if you want to encode more than one Render Target at the same time.

• NVIDIA sets the maximum simultaneous outputs most GPUs can encode at 12, but the practical number you can achieve depends on the Frame Rates and Resolutions of your output/s:

  • If you are encoding a single Render Target you will likely be able to encode more outputs because the only bottleneck is the capacity of your NVENC chip/s.

  • If you are encoding a multipleRender Target outputs then you need to account for both the rendering and the encoding capacity of your GPU.

  • The higher the Resolution and Frame Rate of your output/s the less simultaneous encodes you will be able do.

• If you want to stream to multiple destinations at the same time, you also need to check your bandwidth/ internet speed because each stream will stack on top of each other.

• 4 x 1080p streams at 5Mbps will required 20Mbps internet speed plus a recommended headroom of another 20Mbps to ensure stability (40Mbps total).

• 4K streams typically require 30-50mbps each.

Visual Quality

• Unreal rendered scenes can see major spikes in visual complexity deriving from particle effects, explosions etc.

• This will be compounded by a high frame rate output (since the encoder needs to capture more frames=detail per second).

• You should accomodate these spikes differently depending on if you are streaming or recording, to ensure a high quality of content combined with effective performance:

  • When recording, you can use a Variable Bitrate along with a high Max/ Video Bitrate, and a low QMin to give the encoder the maximum ability to increase bitrate to accomodate fast-moving scenes with a lot of visual complexity.

  • When streaming, you have to set a Constant Bitrate (required by your receiving software), the size of which should depend on your available bandwidth (your internet connection).

    • Typically for a 1080p stream with h.264 encoding, a Video Bitrate of 5,000kbps (5Mbps) is normal.

    • If you have a fast internet connection and a complex visual scene you can try to increase this value if your stream output has artefacts that you don’t see in your Unreal Viewport/ Camera Capture.

• You can also change your codec to increase visual quality:

  • h.264 codec requires less compute power than h.265 but can have perceptible visual artefacts.

  • h.265 is generally considered to have visually imperceptible compression (vs. the source video) but requires more compute power and can be more susceptible to drop frames (because it takes longer to encode each frame).

Output Type

• You currently have the option of five outputs:

  

• All the streaming options available are designed for point-to-point transmission rather than streaming to large numbers of end users.

• To stream to a larger audience you can either use a platform like YouTube, which will manage this for you, or set up a transcoding solution like Mux or AWS Elemental.

RTMP

• This is the most common media format used for streaming over the internet to websites like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram etc.

• It is an old format and so isn’t as stable as more recent streaming protocols like SRT and it is only compatible with h.264 encoding.

• To stream to RTMP you normally need a Stream URL and Stream Key, such as in the example below from YouTube:

  
  

• If you want to test RTMP on your local machine, you will need to run a server with the Stream URL: rtmp://127.0.0.1:1935/live (no stream key required).

• You can receive this stream in OBS Studio or VLC Player using the same Stream URL.

SRT

• This is a newer streaming protocol than RTMP and RTSP which we would recommend to use if it is an available option for you, since it is more reliable, especially over unstable internet connections.

• You can stream SRT to transcoders like Mux or AWS Elemental.

• SRT is compatible with h.264 and h.265 encoding (depending on what your transcoder will receive).

• SRT has a Stream URL , Stream ID (like a Stream Key in RTMP) and Passphrase (an additional security code shared between the encoder and it’s stream destination) and Pub Key Len (this defines the length of the encryption key sent between the encoder and the receiver):

  

• Timeout defines the amount of time the SRT sender will wait to create a connection before it closes the stream.

  • You should define a value here that allows your stream to connect but doesn’t leave the stream hanging. It is measured in microseconds.

• Latency defines the maximum time a receiver will wait for a lost packet to be retransmitted.

  • This can be longer if you allow a larger latency buffer for your stream, but if you are streaming low or ultra-low-latency then this value needs to be small.

  • It is measured in microseconds.

• If you want to test on the same machine (for example with OBS Studio) then use the address: srt://127.0.0.1:4700?mode=caller (4700 is just a port on your machine so you can change it if you need) and in the receiver input the address: srt://127.0.0.1:4700?mode=listener

• If you want to stream over the network then use the address: srt://192.168.xxx.xxx:4700?mode=caller and replace the xxx with your IP address which you can find like this

RTSP

• RTSP is a very low latency streaming protocol which is used in technical applications like drones, IP cameras, CCTV etc.

• It is compatible with h.264 and h.265 encoding.

• RTSP just has a single Stream URL into which you add a string containing both the stream destination and any password you need.

  

• If you would like to test with a local server we recommend you use this free server with the URL: rtsp://localhost:8554/mystream

• You can receive this stream in OBS Studio or VLC Player using the same Stream URL.

HTTP

• HTTP output is a way of sending an MP4, MOV or FLV file over-the-internet so that it plays live and also can be stored at its destination.

• It’s not a conventional streaming format and needs a large buffer to playback the file without interruption.

• It is compatible with h.264 and h.265 encoding.

• HTTP streaming follows the folder structure of your web server or the specific requirements of the streaming protocol for the Stream URL that you use:

  

Save to File

• Save to File allows you to write video and audio to disk in a variety of different file formats.

• Generally MP4 is recommended unless you need a technical function offered by one of the other formats.

• It is compatible with h.264 and h.265 encoding.

• If you select Save to File then you need to set the Destination Format (MP4, MOV etc), where to save the file (Output Directory) and what name to give it (Output File):

  

Output Settings

Render Target

• Each Media Output Actor will encode from a single Render Target which can be found at the top of the Details panel:

  

• You can use Blueprints to switch between Render Targets at runtime but you must ensure that they are the same resolution and aspect ratio.

• Alternatively, you can use additional Media Output Actors to stream additional Render Targets.

Controls

• In the Details panel of the stream you will find a very simple Start/ Stop control:

  

• For more sophisticated control you can use Blueprints.

Destinations

• You can set multiple outputs within each Encoder, which will encode the Render Target and audio to different formats simultaneously:

  

• You do so by clicking the plus button to the right of Destinations which will create an additional array with output information you can configure.

• For example, if you want to stream to RTMP but record your stream to MP4, you can add two output settings like this:

  

• The Settings in each array are explained below:

Enabled

• This tickbox allows you to control which outputs you have active when you start a stream/ recording.

• If Enabled is unticked then you will not output to the destination in that array when you press Start.

• For example, you could configure an output to RTMP, SRT and RTSP but then programatically select onto to stream to one of those destinations as you require.

Encode Audio

• Tick this option if you want to include audio in your output.

• You can modify audio settings (including your Audio Submix) in the Audio Encoder Configuration section below.

Write Timeout Seconds

• This defines a time period (in seconds) after which a packet will be dropped rather than attempted to be included in your stream/ recording.

• It’s not necessary to change this value unless you have a specific technical requirement to do so.

Don't Drop Frames

• This determines whether the frames from the beginning of your stream are retained or dropped while the connection with your streaming destination is resolving.

• If you are streaming in ultra-low-latency the untick this value otherwise it can clog your streaming pipeline when you begin.

• If your stream needs to begin from an exact frame, keep this setting ticked and select low or normal latency so that your stream destination can buffer the frames before starting.

Fragment File

• This enables playback of files before the full recording or stream is complete (because the file is fragmented so you can playback the frames that have already been logged).

• You should select this if you want this available in HTTP or Save to File outputs.

• It is not relevant for other streaming protocols so should be unticked if you are using them.

Timecode (Time Sync Mode)

• The stream/ recording will automatically output a Timecode as metadata.

• You can select between multiple options as may be useful for your output:

  

  • Local System Time: This uses the clock on the machine running the output taking the time at which the output begins.

  • SMPTE Timecode Sync: This uses the SMPTE Timecode from Unreal’s Timecode provider when it is available/ configured in Unreal.

  • Recording Counter (Start at Zero): This just starts a clock at 00:00:00:00 and increases until your stream/ recording is finished.

  • External Timecode Provider: This detects an external Timecode from Unreal’s Timecode settings:

    

Video Encoder Settings

• You can configure a wide range of settings for how to encode your video:

  

Video Codec

• The video codec is the means by which the pixels in your Unreal output are compressed and encoded to be streamed or recorded.

• There are different pros and cons to the different compression methodologies. You can currently select between h.264 and h.265 :

  

• h.264

  • This is an older compression algorithm which is much less efficient than h.265 but consequently it requires less GPU power to encode/ decode.

  • Even if you have a powerful machine to encode your stream/ recording, if your audience might have less powerful machines, it could be advisible to use h.264 because you can guarantee they will be able to watch your content.

  • The ‘cost’ of this is that you will require a higher Bitrate because of the less efficient compression (so the file size will be bigger).

  • h.264 is also limited to 4096×4096 output resolution.

  • h.264 is therefore recommended for:

    • 1080p streaming to large-scale audiences. (For example if you are using RTMP, only h.264 is compatible anyway).

    • High FPS encoding (the lower compute power requirement means you can process frames faster than h.265 ).

• h.265

  • This offers a number of improvements (vs. h.264) including:

    • 50% more efficient compression (means a smaller file size).

    • No compression artefacts.

    • Up to 8192×8192 resolution.

    • A lower required Bitrate for the same output resoution (for example, for a 1080p stream you need 2-3Mbps vs 5Mbps for h.264 )

  • The pay-off for this is that you need more CPU/ GPU power to encode because the encoder is doing more work per frame.

  • h.265 is therefore recommended for

Target Frame Rate

• This is the strict Frame Rate at which your output will be encoded and the frames are quantised, so that each frame is delivered at the correct interval within the second.

• For example, if you are encoding 30FPS then you will deliver a frame every 33.33 miliseconds.

• You can select any Frame Rate to encode, provided you have the headroom in the number of frames being rendered by Unreal:

  

• If you are streaming, is recommended to set a fixed Frame Rate (normally 30FPS) along with Constant Bitrate (below), because the receiving software normally will require one.

• If you are recording, although you could select Uncapped, it’s likely better to select a fixed FPS (even if it’s very high) along with Variable Bitrate (below), as it will make your encoder work better.

• If you want to have animation stability, we recommend that you change your Unreal Project Settings to have the same Frame Rate as selected in your encoder, so that you encode exactly the same frames as are being rendered.

• In general, we recommend that your encoder Frame Rate is a divisor of your Project Settings Frame Rate since this ensures a stable output.

• For example, a 120FPS Unreal project/ game can be encoded successfully at any of 120/60/30/24FPS , but 90/50/25FPS will result in an unstable output.

Bitrate Mode

• This defines whether you are outputting a fixed (Constant Bitrate) or whether you allow the bitrate to ‘float’ (Variable Bitrate):

  

• The actual bitrate of your content will change depending on the complexity of the pixels in your output.

• If you are streaming, you will need to set Constant Bitrate along with a fixed Frame Rate (normally 30FPS) so that your stream receiver is able to decode your frames reliably.

• You set the bitrate value in the Video Bitrate box below.

• 5,000kbps (5Mbps) is the standard value recommended for a 1080p stream.

  

• If you are streaming at higher resolutions you should increase this value.

• If you are recording, you should normally use a Variable Bitrate because this will result in lower file sizes (since there is no filler).

  • You can also set a Max Video Bitrate which will cap the bitrate if you are afraid of your file sizes getting too big (this will limit quality if the actual bitrate of your output is higher).

    

QMin and QMax

• These two values set the floor and ceiling for the amount of compression the encoder is allowed to use, which affects the quality of your visual output.

• The default settings reflect levels which we have found to produce a high quality image but you can potentially reduce the QMin to 10 and increase the QMax to 35 or 40.

  

• If you set a Constant Bitrate:

  • QMin stops your encoder from wasting resources when your actual bitrate is lower than the Video Bitrate (it delivers the pixels you need and then just pads the rest).

  • QMax stops your encoder from compressing the image too much when your actual bitrate is higher than the Video Bitrate (it stops rather than trying to compress the image too much.

• If you set a Variable Bitrate with a high Max/ Video Bitrate:

  • QMin stops your encoder from wasting resources, optimising your file sizes when the actual bitrate is low (by not adding any padding).

  • QMax allows the encoder to work harder if the scene is complex, increasing the bitrate of the frame/s (up to the Max/ Video Bitrate:) so that the encoded image contains less/ no visual artefacts .

Profile

• This setting tells the encoder what processes (compression features, pixel prediction etc.) it is allowed to undertake to produce each frame.

• We don’t recommend changing this from High unless you have a specific technical reason to do so (for example you want to record very high quality color content using High 444).

• The different options are:

  

  • Baseline and Constrained Baseline: These options switch off more advanced processes in the encoder such as motion prediction. Only use this if you are recording or streaming to extremely old hardware which may struggle to decode using modern methods.

  • Main: This is an older profile developed for SDTV which has been replaced by High.

  • High: This allows for 8-bit color depth and more efficient prediction techniques that significantly improve sharpness and reduce "banding" in gradients.

  • High 444 (Professional): This keeps all color data for every single pixel.

    • This will result in much larger file sizes and requires a much higher bitrate (~15,000kbps for 1080p).

    • It can only be used for recording as it’s not compatible with web browsers/ players.

Frames per Iframe

• An ‘Iframe’ encodes all the pixel data in a frame, rather than using compression algorithms to guess some of its content.

• This setting determines the number of frames that are encoded in between each of these ‘full’ frames which affects your file size, bitrate usage, stream quality and precision with which you can jump to different points in your video.

• For streaming to YouTube/ Twitch etc. it is recommended to have a Iframe every 2 seconds, so if you are streaming at 30FPS you should set this value to 60.

  • If you are streaming highly complex visuals, you can lower the Iframe amount so the compression algorithms don’t have to work so hard to guess what the pixels are doing.

• For recording, you have more flexibility:

  • If you want a super smooth file for editing which less prone to image degradation over time, you could set the value to 1 so every frame is an Iframe.

    • Your file size will be very large (you should pair this with High 444 Profile and a very high Bitrate ~50Mbps)

  • For content with less professional requirements an Iframe every second should be more than enough, for example for a 30FPS output set the value to 30.

Output Custom Resolution

• This setting allows you to encode an output resolution different to that of your Render Target.

• You can input the resolution you need into the value boxes, but if you select an aspect ratio (16:9, 4:3 etc.) which is different from your input Render Target then your output wil be distorted:

  

• If you set a higher resolution, then the encoder will ‘upscale’ the frames, which will result in some blurring/ smearing as the pixels are spread across the image.

  • In general this isn’t recommended (you should just set a higher resolution for your actual output).

• If you set a lower resolution, then the encoder will ‘downscale’ the frames using bilinear sampling.

  • This should result in a decent image quality although it can sometimes cause visual artefacts.

Audio Encoder Settings

Audio Bitrate

• This is the bitrate allocated to encode your audio which makes a big difference to your content due to the sensitivity of the human ear to distortion.

  

• For live-streaming to YouTube/ Twitch, a value of 160kbps – 192kbps is recommended as this keeps your file size low but provides high audio quality.

  • You can increase this to up to 320 kbps (the max permitted on streaming platforms) if you are streaming high quality music and want the maximum possible quality.

• For recording, a value of 256kbps – 320kbps should provide a high quality output that prevents artefacts arising from any post-processing (noise removal etc.) you might do.

• Your Audio Bitrate is added on top of your Video Bitrate (192kbps + 5,000kbps = total 5,192kbps) so if you set a large value it will increase your file size (for streaming make sure you have enough bandwidth to handle it.

Submix

• By default if you have the Encode Audio setting above ticked, the encode will select your Unreal ‘Viewport’ audio (the main audio of your project/ game) which is the Master Default Submix.

• If you want to select a different Submix then you can add it here which will replace the Master Default Submix:

  

• Multi-channel audio output encoding is not yet supported.

Audio Channel Layout

• You can use this to select whatever audio channels you want your audio output to have.

• For general streaming and recording, we recommend you stick to Stereo which requires a lower Audio Bitrate and is what most listeners will be able to decode.

• For VR streaming or recording (or if you want to create a more immersive audio experience) Stereo Downmix is recommended because it tries to replicate a Surround Sound audio set up in a stereo output.

• More immersive audio layouts require a much higher Audio Bitrate to capture all the separate channels of audio.

• The different options match those that are possible to output in Unreal:

  

  • Mono: This is a single audio output and so unless you are recording sound emitting from a specific point, it will feel flat to listeners.

  • Stereo: This is two-channel output which matches most headphone and speaker systems. The left and right values can be used to create a spatial effect for listeners giving a feeling of immersion.

  • Quad: This outputs four audio channels (Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left, Rear Right) and so requires four speakers to work correctly. You need to increase your Audio Bitrate if you are using this option to at least 256 – 320 kbps.

  • 5.1: This outputs six audio channels (Front L/R, Center, Rear L/R, and a LFE/Subwoofer) and so requires six speakers of that type to work correctly. This is a set up found in cinematic surround sound. You need to increase your Audio Bitrate if you are using this option to at least 384 – 512 kbps.

  • 7.1: This outputs eight audio channels (Front L/R, Center, Side L/R, Rear L/R, and a LFE/Subwoofer) and so requires eight speakers of that type to work correctly. This is the most precise spatial immersion available in standard formats. You need to increase your Audio Bitrate if you are using this option to at least 512 – 640 kbps.

  • Stereo Downmix: This outputs two channels but takes the audio data from a Surround (5.1 or 7.1) signal creating a more immersive listening sensation. This only requires a standard stereo bitrate of 160kbps – 192kbps.

Audio Offset

• This setting allows you to Offset your audio by a number of miliseconds to make it play either before or after your video frame:

  

• You shouldn’t need to use this unless your Transcoder or playback system needs it because in general the audio and video should be perfectly synced together by the encoder.

  • A positive value such as 10 will delay the audio so it is 10 miliseconds behind the video frame.

  • A negative value such as -10 will accelerate the audio so it is 10 miliseconds in front of the video frame.

Audio Buffer Size

• This setting defines the number of Samples that you keep in memory in case the GPU isn’t able to process a frame (due to overload from rendering the game).

• If you are streaming, you should make this value quite large, such as 1024 so that you have enough samples available that you don’t get a drop in audio.

• However, if this value is too large then it can desync the audio from the video so you either need to set an Audio Offset or reduce this value.

Live-Streaming to Other Platforms

You can live-stream to multiple platforms at the same time from Editor or your game/ app.

• Just add a new Destination Array element in the Details panel of the Media Output Encoder:

  

YouTube

• You can live-stream both standard and 360 video to YouTube at up to 4K resolution with an ultra-low-latency option of ~3 seconds.

• For a 1080p stream at 30FPS we recommend to select a Constant Bitrate of 5,000kbps and an audio bitrate of 256kbps.

• For a 360 degree video stream at 4K and 30FPS we we recommend to select a Constant Bitrate of 20,000-40,000kbps and an audio bitrate of 256kbps.

1. Go to https://studio.youtube.com/ and in the top right hand corner, click Create> Go Live:

   

2. You will be streaming via RTMP in the Output Type section of the Media Output Encoder which requires a Stream Key and a Stream URL:

   

3. You can get the stream key from the top of the youtube window, either Create new stream key or select an existing one, then click the Copy icon and paste this key into the Media Output Encoder Details panel:

   

4. The Stream URL is listed at the bottom of the youtube window in the Stream settings section. Copy it and paste it into the Media Output Encoder Details panel:

   

5. Scroll down in Stream Settings to set your Latency and camera projection:

   

   1. Stream latency:

      1. Normal latency is around 30 seconds but guarantees stream stability and has higher quality video. You normally need this for streaming >1080p.

      2. Low latency is around 15 seconds and ensures stability while also permitting some interaction.

      3. Ultra low-latency: This tries for 3 seconds of latency and should be used if you have an interactive stream with audience messaging and feedback. You need a good internet connection otherwise your stream may be interupted.

   2. 360 Video: If you are streaming from the OWL 360 Camera you need to enabled this.

   3. Enable DVR: You should normally have this ticked as it lets your viewers pause, rewind, and play back the stream while you are still live.

6. Press Start in your Media Output Encoder and you will see your stream appear in YouTube Studio:

   

Twitch

• You can only live-stream 2d video to Twitch but it has an ultra-low-latency option ~3 seconds for interactivity.

• Twitch allows up to 1080p resolution and 60FPS for which you should use a Constant Bitrate of 6,000–8,000 kbps and an audio bitrate of 256 kbps (for lower FPS the bitrate can be lower).

1. Go to your Twitch Creator Dashboard> Settings> Stream:

   

2. You will be streaming via RTMP in the Output Type section of the Media Output Encoder which requires a Stream Key and a Stream URL:

   

3. The basic stream URL is rtmp://live.twitch.tv/app/ , there are also regional URLs you can find only if you want to try to decrease your latency.

4. You can find your stream key at the top of the Stream section of the Creator Dashboard. Copy and paste this into Unreal:

   

5. You can also select between Normal (~20 seconds) and Low latency (~3 seconds).

6. Press Start in your Media Output Encoder and you will see your stream appear in Twitch Creator Dashboard.

Kick

• You can live-stream 2d video to Kick with low latency.

• Kick allows up to 1080p resolution and 60FPS for which you should use a Constant Bitrate of 6,000–8,000 kbps and an audio bitrate of 256 kbps (for lower FPS the bitrate can be lower).

1. In your Kick profile to to Settings> Stream URL and Key:

   

2. Input these into the Output Type section of the Media Output Encoder:

   

3. Click Start or initiate your blueprint in Unreal and you will be streaming to Kick.

TikTok

• You can live-stream to TikTok if you have authorisation or over 1,000 followers.

• TikTok gives you a temporary Stream Key and URL for each different live-stream you make.

• TikTok allows a resolution up to 1080 x 1920 pixels (1080p with a 90 degree rotation) up to 60FPS. For a 1080p stream at 30FPS we recommend to select a Constant Bitrate of 5,000kbps and an audio bitrate of 256kbps.

1. Go to http://livecenter.tiktok.com/producer:

   

2. Under Stream Setting, locate your Server URL and your Stream Key:

   

3. Input these into the Output Type section of the Media Output Encoder:

   

4. Click Start or initiate your blueprint in Unreal and you will be streaming to TikTok.

Instagram

• You can live-stream to Instagram via a Professional Account which you manage in Settings> Account Type and Tools.

• Instagram gives you a temporary Stream Key and URL for each different live-stream you make.

• Instagram allows a resolution up to 1080 x 1920 pixels (1080p with a 90 degree rotation) up to 60FPS. For a 1080p stream at 30FPS we recommend to select a Constant Bitrate of 5,000kbps and an audio bitrate of 256kbps.

1. In your Instagram Desktop profile go to Create> Live video:

   

2. Click through to the Stream Key and URL information:

   

3. Copy and paste these into the Output Type section of the Media Output Encoder:

   

4. Click Start or initiate your blueprint in Unreal and you will see your stream in the preview window. Click Go Live to broadcast:

   

Distributing with your Project/ App

• The Media Output Encoder will work automatically when shared to third party users in projects/ apps (provided you have the correct license).

• However, it currently only works with NVIDIA GPUs.

Trouble-Shooting

If you have an issue with encoding your content we recommend to follow these steps to help diagnose what might be happening:

Check Output Log

• The Output Log has a variety of data which may provide an immediate answer to what is happening and is the best place to start if the encoder isn’t behaving as you expect.

Compare Recording with Stream

• If you have an issue with the quality of the video or audio, you should Save-to-File to see if the issue persists.

• Save-to-File uses the same encoder as the streaming options but doesn’t have the complexity of network connections, so can show you exactly what the encoder is producing.

  • If the recorded content has the same issue as your streamed content then you need to change your Video or Audio Encoder Settings.

  • If the recorded content doesn’t have the same issue as your streamed content, then you need to check the settings of your network or streaming settings like Don’t Drop Frames or Write Timeout Seconds.

Stream to Local Connection

• If you are using one of the streaming protocols then we recommend to test a local stream first to OBS Studio or VLC Player to check the content quality.

• This will advise whether your issue is with your network connection or settings or something to do with the encoder.

Try Alternative Protocol

• Whenever you are thinking through your stream pipeline, always check what is the most stable protocol available in your transcoder or media server and use that.

• For example, RTMP is a prolific streaming protocol but is fundamentally less stable than SRT.

• If you are streaming a single stream to YouTube or Twitch RTMP will be fine, but if you are streaming multiple outputs to a media server then we would strongly advise switching to SRT for a much higher level of stream stability and reliability.

Decide what Latency you Need

• Ultra-low-latency <3 seconds streaming is exciting but demands a much more stable network connection and faster network speed than low-latency or standard latency.

• If you need audience interactivity or contemporaneity to real-world events, then you may have to use ultra-low-latency in which case you need to focus heavily on your network.

• However, in many cases low or standard latency will provide a much better audience experience, guaranteeing that viewers on different devices with different connections can all receive your content seamlessly.

Frame Rate Drop when in Background

• By default, Unreal throttles the CPU when Unreal is in the background vs other software.

  • To change this, go to Editor Preferences and untick Use Less CPU when in Background:

    

Audio not Playing when Editor in Background

• By default, Unreal will stop audio playing when the Editor is in the background vs other software.

  • To change this, pick the Engine version you need in your File Explorer and go to the file path:

    

  • In Config go to BaseEngine.ini and open the notepad:

    

  • Search for UnfocusedVolumeMultiplier and change the value from 0.0 to 1.0:

    

  • Save the file and close and re-open Unreal. Your audio will now play continuously no matter if Unreal is in the background or minimised.