Video Streaming Configuration - VR Stage Lighting

Overview

Video streaming is the foundation of VRSL’s DMX system. This guide covers how to configure your streaming setup for optimal DMX data transmission and live event performance.

While streaming is required for DMX control, AudioLink-only setups do not need external video streaming.

Understanding VRSL Streaming

VRSL encodes DMX data as colored pixels in a video grid. This video is then streamed to VRChat, where VRSL’s shaders decode the pixels back into lighting data.

Why Video Streaming?

Advantages:

Universal Sync: All players see the same data
Works Today: No waiting for VRChat features
Flexible: Any video player can work
Live Control: Real-time DMX during performances

Challenges:

Latency (typically 2-8 seconds)
Requires bandwidth
Compression can affect data quality
Requires external streaming setup

Streaming Architecture

DMX Software → Artnet Grid Node → OBS/Streaming Software → 
Streaming Server → VRChat Video Player → VRSL Shaders → Lights

Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements

Minimum:

CPU: Intel i5 8th gen / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or better
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD RX 580 or better
RAM: 16GB
Upload Speed: 10 Mbps minimum
Extra Monitor: 1920x1080 resolution

Recommended:

CPU: Intel i7 10th gen / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or better
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 / AMD RX 5700 XT or better
RAM: 32GB
Upload Speed: 25+ Mbps
Dedicated streaming PC (for large events)
Wired network connection

Software Requirements

Streaming Software (choose one):

OBS Studio (recommended, free)
Streamlabs OBS
XSplit
vMix (professional)

Optional:

Artnet Grid Node (for DMX control)
Local streaming server (for reduced latency)
Network monitoring tools

OBS Studio Configuration

Installation

Download OBS Studio from obsproject.com
Install with default settings
Launch OBS and complete first-time setup wizard
Skip the auto-configuration wizard (we’ll configure manually)

Video Settings

Navigate to Settings > Video

Base (Canvas) Resolution:

Set to 1920x1080
This is your working resolution

Output (Scaled) Resolution:

Set to 1920x1080
Must match base resolution for DMX (no scaling)

Downscale Filter:

Set to Lanczos (highest quality)
Only matters if you’re scaling (which you shouldn’t for DMX)

Common FPS Values:

Set to 30 for standard streaming
Can use 60 for smoother motion (requires more bandwidth)

Do NOT use different base and output resolutions for DMX streaming. This can corrupt the DMX data grid.

Output Settings

Navigate to Settings > Output
Set Output Mode to Advanced

Streaming Tab: Encoder:

NVIDIA NVENC H.264 (if you have NVIDIA GPU) - Recommended
QuickSync H.264 (if you have Intel integrated graphics)
x264 (software encoding, CPU intensive)

Rate Control:

Set to CBR (Constant Bitrate)
Ensures consistent quality for DMX data

Bitrate:

Minimum: 6000 Kbps
Recommended: 8000-12000 Kbps
High Quality: 15000-20000 Kbps
Balance based on your upload speed

Higher bitrate = better DMX data quality = less movement jitter. Use the highest bitrate your connection can reliably sustain.

Keyframe Interval:

Set to 2 seconds
Lower values reduce latency
Don’t go below 1

Preset:

NVENC: Quality or High Quality
QuickSync: Quality
x264: veryfast or faster

Profile:

Set to high

Look-ahead / Psycho Visual Tuning:

Disable both
These can interfere with DMX data accuracy

Advanced Settings

Navigate to Settings > Advanced

Video:

Color Format: NV12
Color Space: 709
Color Range: Partial

Stream Delay:

Start with 0
Can add delay if needed for sync

Reconnect:

Enable Automatically reconnect
Retry Delay: 10 seconds
Maximum Retries: 20

Scene Setup for DMX

Create DMX Scene

In OBS, create a new Scene called “DMX Grid”

This scene will contain only the Artnet Grid Node output

Add Grid Node Source

Option A: Window Capture (Recommended)

Click + under Sources

Add Window Capture

Name it “Artnet Grid Node”

Select the Artnet Grid Node window

Capture Method: Windows 10 (1903 and up)

Enable Capture Cursor: No

Option B: Display Capture

Click + under Sources

Add Display Capture

Name it “Grid Monitor”

Select the display showing Grid Node

Enable Capture Cursor: No

Configure Source

Right-click the source in OBS

Select Transform > Fit to Screen

Ensure no black bars or cropping

Verify resolution is exactly 1920x1080

Critical: Do NOT apply any filters to the DMX grid source:

No color correction
No sharpening
No scaling filters
No chroma key
No effects

These will corrupt the DMX data.

Streaming Destinations

Local Streaming Server (Lowest Latency)

Run your own RTMP server for minimum latency: Using nginx-rtmp:

Install nginx with rtmp module

Configure nginx.conf:

rtmp {
    server {
        listen 1935;
        chunk_size 4096;
        
        application live {
            live on;
            record off;
        }
    }
}

In OBS, set Stream settings:

Service: Custom
Server: rtmp://localhost/live
Stream Key: vrsl

Access stream at: rtmp://your-ip/live/vrsl

Advantages:

Lowest possible latency (0.5-2 seconds)
No external service dependency
No bandwidth costs
Full control

Disadvantages:

Requires server setup
Must manage port forwarding
Limited to your upload speed

YouTube Live (Balanced)

Good balance of latency and reliability:

Go to YouTube Studio
Click Create > Go Live
Choose Streaming Software
Configure:
- Latency: Ultra Low (1-2 seconds)
- Visibility: Unlisted (for DMX streams)
Copy Stream URL and Stream Key
In OBS:
- Service: YouTube - RTMPS
- Server: Primary YouTube ingest server
- Stream Key: [paste your key]

Advantages:

Ultra-low latency mode available
Reliable infrastructure
Free
Can serve multiple worlds simultaneously

Disadvantages:

Still 2-5 second latency
Requires YouTube account
Subject to YouTube terms

Twitch (Alternative)

Similar to YouTube:

Go to Twitch Dashboard
Enable Low Latency Mode
Copy Stream Key
In OBS:
- Service: Twitch
- Server: Closest server
- Stream Key: [paste your key]

Advantages:

Low latency mode
Gaming-focused platform
Reliable

Disadvantages:

3-6 second latency
Less control than local server
Requires Twitch account

Video Player Setup in Unity

Once streaming, configure Unity to receive the stream:

Choose Video Player System

VRSL supports multiple video player systems: TekOSC (Recommended):

Uses OSC instead of traditional video
Lower latency
Better reliability
Included with VRSL

USharpVideo:

Most common in VRChat
Good compatibility
Requires separate package

ProTV:

Feature-rich
Good UI
Requires separate package

VideoTXL:

High performance
Modern features
Requires separate package

Configure Video Player

Spawn your chosen DMX reader from VRSL Control Panel
Select the video player component
Set Default URL to your stream:
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/[VIDEO_ID]
- Twitch: https://twitch.tv/[USERNAME]
- RTMP: rtmp://your-server/live/stream
Configure playback:
- Auto Play: Enabled
- Loop: Enabled (for testing)
- Volume: 0 (DMX data is silent)
Set video resolution to 1920x1080

For testing, use a pre-recorded DMX video with loop enabled. This lets you test without running the full streaming pipeline.

Optimizing Streaming Quality

Reduce Compression Artifacts

In OBS:

Use highest bitrate your connection allows
Use hardware encoding (NVENC/QuickSync) over x264
Use “Quality” preset, not “Performance”
Disable look-ahead and psycho visual tuning
Keep keyframe interval at 2

In VRSL:

Enable interpolation in CRT materials (compensates for artifacts)
Use maximum smoothing (0) on fixtures
Enable signal detection system for error recovery

Reduce Latency

Streaming:

Use local RTMP server if possible
Use hardware encoding (lower processing delay)
Use wired network connection
Reduce keyframe interval (but not below 1)
Choose geographically close streaming server

In Unity:

Position video screen near spawn point
Use efficient video player (TekOSC recommended)
Pre-load/pre-buffer when possible

Network Optimization

Upload:

Reserve bandwidth for stream (QoS on router)
Use wired connection, not WiFi
Close bandwidth-heavy applications
Test your upload speed before events

Monitor Your Stream:

Watch dropped frames in OBS
Monitor bitrate stability
Check network usage
Have fallback plan for connection issues

Testing Your Stream

Test Stream Quality

Start streaming to your destination

In OBS, check Stats panel:

Dropped Frames: Should be 0%
CPU Usage: Should be under 70%
Render Lag: Should be 0

View stream on another device

Check for compression artifacts on the grid

Verify colors are accurate

Test in Unity

Enter Play Mode

Wait for video to start playing

Send test DMX data from console

Verify fixtures respond correctly

Check response timing

Test in VRChat

Build and upload world

Enter world

Wait for stream to load

Test all fixtures and DMX channels

Invite friends to test sync across multiple users

Common Issues

High Latency

Causes:

Distance to streaming server
Buffering in video player
Network congestion
Slow encoding preset

Solutions:

Use local RTMP server
Use faster encoding preset
Reduce keyframe interval
Use wired connection
Choose closer server

Dropped Frames

Causes:

Insufficient upload bandwidth
CPU/GPU overload
Network instability

Solutions:

Reduce bitrate
Use hardware encoding
Close other applications
Check network quality
Reduce canvas resolution (last resort, may affect DMX)

Compression Artifacts

Causes:

Bitrate too low
Aggressive encoding preset
Network packet loss

Solutions:

Increase bitrate (minimum 6000 kbps)
Use “Quality” preset
Enable maximum smoothing in VRSL
Use hardware encoding

Stream Not Playing in World

Check:

URL is correct and accessible
Video player is configured properly
Stream is actually live
Permissions in VRChat
Video player has correct permissions in world

Advanced Configuration

Multi-PC Streaming Setup

For large events, separate streaming from DMX control: PC 1 (DMX Control):

Runs lighting software
Runs Artnet Grid Node
Outputs to capture card

PC 2 (Streaming):

Receives capture card input
Runs OBS for streaming
Handles network upload

Advantages:

No performance impact on DMX
Dedicated resources for streaming
Can use different network connections

Stream Backup System

Create redundancy for critical events:

Primary Stream: Live DMX via YouTube/Twitch
Backup Stream: Pre-recorded DMX loop on second URL
Fallback: AudioLink-only mode

Use Udon to switch between sources if primary fails.

Quality Profiles

Create OBS profiles for different situations: Testing Profile:

Lower bitrate (3000 kbps)
Faster preset
Local streaming

Performance Profile:

Medium bitrate (6000 kbps)
Balanced preset
Public streaming service

Quality Profile:

High bitrate (12000+ kbps)
Quality preset
Local or reliable service

Best Practices

For Live Events:

Test stream setup 24 hours before event
Have backup pre-recorded DMX video ready
Monitor stream health during event
Use dedicated hardware for streaming
Have emergency fallback plan (AudioLink-only mode)
Run test events to verify full pipeline

Reliability:

Use wired connections everywhere possible
Have backup internet connection
Use stable, proven software versions
Document your entire setup
Train backup operator

Performance:

Use hardware encoding (NVENC/QuickSync)
Keep OBS scenes simple
Close unnecessary applications
Monitor system resources
Use dedicated streaming PC for large events

Next Steps

Complete your DMX Setup
Learn Performance Optimization
Integrate AudioLink as backup
Create Custom Fixtures

Get Started

Core Concepts

Fixtures

Components

Guides

​Overview

​Understanding VRSL Streaming

​Why Video Streaming?

​Streaming Architecture

​Prerequisites

​Hardware Requirements

​Software Requirements

​OBS Studio Configuration

​Installation

​Video Settings

​Output Settings

​Advanced Settings

​Scene Setup for DMX

​Streaming Destinations

​Local Streaming Server (Lowest Latency)

​YouTube Live (Balanced)

​Twitch (Alternative)

​Video Player Setup in Unity

​Choose Video Player System

​Configure Video Player

​Optimizing Streaming Quality

​Reduce Compression Artifacts

​Reduce Latency

​Network Optimization

​Testing Your Stream

​Common Issues

​High Latency

​Dropped Frames

​Compression Artifacts

​Stream Not Playing in World

​Advanced Configuration

​Multi-PC Streaming Setup

​Stream Backup System

​Quality Profiles

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

​Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Understanding VRSL Streaming

Why Video Streaming?

Streaming Architecture

Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

OBS Studio Configuration

Installation

Video Settings

Output Settings

Advanced Settings

Scene Setup for DMX

Streaming Destinations

Local Streaming Server (Lowest Latency)

YouTube Live (Balanced)

Twitch (Alternative)

Video Player Setup in Unity

Choose Video Player System

Configure Video Player

Optimizing Streaming Quality

Reduce Compression Artifacts

Reduce Latency

Network Optimization

Testing Your Stream

Common Issues

High Latency

Dropped Frames

Compression Artifacts

Stream Not Playing in World

Advanced Configuration

Multi-PC Streaming Setup

Stream Backup System

Quality Profiles

Best Practices

Next Steps

Resources