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Free and open source video recording and live streaming software OBS Studio version 26.0 is out now.

Pretty much all you need to get going with video content, OBS Studio being cross-platform and open source opened up a lot of options for Linux users when it arrived a few years ago. It's been great to see it flourish.

One of the bigger additions in this release is a new Noise Suppression filter with RNNoise. It should offer much better noise suppression than the original method. The same special tech that's used in Cadmus and NoiseTorch which really does work quite nicely. This is going to be a really great addition for people who want to do video content with OBS but have more background noises. I also quite like the new Source Toolbar above the Sources list, giving you quicker access to switch things around. This toolbar also has media controls for when you're playing other media.

Another currently Windows-only feature was added with support for a "Virtual Camera", which allows you to use the OBS output as a camera in other apps. They said support for other operating systems will be added when they're ready.

On top of new features, here's the notable Linux-specific fixes that came with OBS Studio 26.0:

  • Linux: Fixed an issue where the browser source could crash when browsing files
  • Linux: Fixed an issue with “always on top” sometimes not working with projectors
  • Linux: Fixed an issue where cameras using V4L2 would not respond correctly to pan/tilt controls
  • Linux: Fixed an issue where a user’s preferred language could not be detected correctly
  • Fixed camera controls on Linux video devices not working

Plenty of other improvements came with it, full release notes here.

For Linux you can grab it as a Snap package, which comes pre-loaded with tons of useful extras. Also available as a Flatpak package on Flathub, otherwise head here for other distro downloads.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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massatt212 Sep 30, 2020
did they add a browser to LINUX version of OBS ?
Liam Dawe Sep 30, 2020
Quoting: massatt212did they add a browser to LINUX version of OBS ?
Yes, Browser Source has been available for a while but it was removed from their official builds after issues were found, which this release works around so it should be back for everyone when they upgrade.
TheSHEEEP Sep 30, 2020
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Nice. Noise suppression has always been an issue for streamers and required some really creative solutions from some.
wvstolzing Sep 30, 2020
QuoteAnother currently Windows-only feature was added with support for a "Virtual Camera", which allows you to use the OBS output as a camera in other apps. They said support for other operating systems will be added when they're ready.

Virtual Camera used to be a plugin on windows; it looks like they're integrating it into the base version. A Linux port has existed for quite a while, though it's been a hassle to get it working: https://github.com/CatxFish/obs-v4l2sink
-- it's partly because the documentation isn't clear as to where to install the plugins & what v4l2 module settings it requires; and if you're building it on any distro other than Ubuntu, the install script puts the files in the wrong folder. So hopefully they've accelerated the development of the Linux port.
scaine Sep 30, 2020
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Yeah, as wvstolzing notes, you can still do the virtual camera on Linux, you just need to install v4l2loopback and the obs-v4l2sink. It's a bit fiddly to get working, true, but it's a tick box thereafter, which is really nice.

I do love OBS. I kind of wish it had a "silent" mode where it just runs in the background, automatically setting up the replay buffer and capturing the screen. Then I could just hotkey "moments" throughout the day, whether that's a game moment, or a Zoom call.

I'd still need a way to share them, but it's not the end of the world to do a quick manual youtube upload.
beko Sep 30, 2020
Quoting: scaineYeah, as wvstolzing notes, you can still do the virtual camera on Linux, you just need to install v4l2loopback and the obs-v4l2sink. It's a bit fiddly to get working, true, but it's a tick box thereafter, which is really nice.
This reminds me that I was going to write an article on this. Got it set up for Fedora after some fiddling and now it's basically my everyday driver for various video conferences on Zoom, BBB, Jitsi, Teams, whatever.

Edith says: There's a nice article on pulse-effects over at Fedora Magazine btw: https://fedoramagazine.org/tune-up-your-sound-with-pulseeffects-speakers/


Last edited by beko on 30 September 2020 at 8:50 pm UTC
maltahl Oct 1, 2020
Quoting: scaineI do love OBS. I kind of wish it had a "silent" mode where it just runs in the background, automatically setting up the replay buffer and capturing the screen. Then I could just hotkey "moments" throughout the day, whether that's a game moment, or a Zoom call.

I'd still need a way to share them, but it's not the end of the world to do a quick manual youtube upload.

There is a replay buffer on OBS you can even keybind it for that exact use, it is like Shadowplay or Relive just with OBS on linux/multiplatform.

I use it myself with a buffer for 10 minutes and it works great, you just need more RAM the higher quality and longer you want the buffer to be but it is not very much if you already have 16G RAM or above, we are talking like 500MB to 1000MB RAM for my setup.
scaine Oct 1, 2020
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Quoting: maltahl
Quoting: scaineI do love OBS. I kind of wish it had a "silent" mode where it just runs in the background, automatically setting up the replay buffer and capturing the screen. Then I could just hotkey "moments" throughout the day, whether that's a game moment, or a Zoom call.

I'd still need a way to share them, but it's not the end of the world to do a quick manual youtube upload.

There is a replay buffer on OBS you can even keybind it for that exact use, it is like Shadowplay or Relive just with OBS on linux/multiplatform.

Yeah I... know? Like I said, I wish you could set it up in silent mode, and automatically start the replay buffer. Right now, you have start OBS, then press "start replay buffer". I'm just being lazy!
beko Oct 1, 2020
Quoting: scaineYeah I... know? Like I said, I wish you could set it up in silent mode, and automatically start the replay buffer. Right now, you have start OBS, then press "start replay buffer". I'm just being lazy!
Do you know about obs-websocket? This may scratch your itch. Afair that's used by e.g. http://touch-portal.com/
scaine Oct 1, 2020
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Quoting: beko
Quoting: scaineYeah I... know? Like I said, I wish you could set it up in silent mode, and automatically start the replay buffer. Right now, you have start OBS, then press "start replay buffer". I'm just being lazy!
Do you know about obs-websocket? This may scratch your itch. Afair that's used by e.g. http://touch-portal.com/

Haha! I'm waaaaay too lazy to build my own launcher that hooks into OBS via websocket! Interesting though, I had no idea OBS was so easy to integrate with other platforms. Well, I say easy... well beyond my skillset.
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