A detailed explanation into why I switched from XSplit Broadcaster over to OBS Studio and why you may want to do the same.
Episode #10-09 released on September 29, 2019
I'm a longtime user of XSplit Broadcaster, and I have used OBS Studio a number of times in the past, including the episode where I compared Synergy 2 to ShareMouse, and had a section related to streamers where I demonstrated whether or not those two software solutions placed nice with XSplit and OBS Studio. However, I have always used XSplit to stream my gameplay on Twitch and used that to record my episodes of this show, until recently.
Last week, I made the decision to switch over to OBS Studio as my primary streaming platform. This decision resulted in last week's episode and live streams being recorded and streamed using OBS Studio, instead of XSplit. There are many reasons why I switched, and only one reason why I still like XSplit Broadcaster, however I won't using XSplit anymore.
The only reason I like XSplit Broadcaster over OBS Studio is how it compensates for gain when using a green screen with a webcam while recording or streaming.
Now, these are the reasons why I switched to OBS Studio, instead of using XSplit, starting with the price, OBS Studio is free. And, for all the features we get, XSplit is really overpriced.
With OBS Studio, I get real time preview, I was no longer getting a consistent real time preview with XSplit, it may be the way the program has been coded with time. But considering the hardware is the same and only XSplit is having a preview issue, the issue is with XSplit.
Another reason for the switch is that I have a clear means of checking my audio levels, and with XSplit that isn't clearly possible or even clearly visible.
The next point mainly affects geeks like myself, but I love having easily viewable continuous statistics about my stream and my computer. In XSplit you experience dropped frames and have no idea why. In OBS Studio I can have dropped frames related to gameplay and rendering lag and experience no dropped frames related to my stream, knowing that means I can safely determine that in that case my network was not an issue.
As of version 24 on OBS Studio, I have access to custom browser docks and all my Twitch docks are placed, visible and real time. It allows me to have more than one location for my chat, activity feed and twitch stats that include a number of useful pieces of information related to ongoing streams. XSplit doesn't have any integration of browser docks unless you integrate them as part of your stream, which further loads the CPU and GPU depending on how you render or stream your game play or other video footage.
Another neat addition to my stream, that I didn't have access to with XSplit, is the ability to change my bitrate at any point, and under settings then advanced, having the option under network to have a dynamically changing bitrate to manage congestion in the case my network is being bogged down by other people. This is similar to how Netflix operates when your connection is poor, it doesn't stop the stream, it just steps it down. And, when the connection becomes less congested the bitrate returns to normal.
I love hot keys, and OBS Studio has them. Sure, XSplit had them, too, but I had to pay for XSplit. I can start my stream and my recordings using macro keys on my keyboard simplifying my life entirely with no difference in behavior for myself.
Host : Steve Smith | Music : | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Dot Net