Security IP-Camera To OBS Studio To Stream 2 Youtube for Free Cloud Video Storage

One day we’ve released a video about the ways how to avoid a cloud storage subscription fee, and there were quite common options like switching multiple microSD-cards, getting yourself a videorecorder with hard drive and et cetera. This time we went further with an option, suggested by a viewer of our channel, who suggested using an Open Broadcast Software, OBS, to stream the video from camera to Youtube, that eventually gives us almost an unlimited cloud video storage for free and 100% legit. Let’s set what it is and how to set it up for you

On one hand, when you purchase a camera for yourself, you know that you need to take care of the storage for a footage from camera. There are offers from cloud services in the subscription form, there is a microSD card option, but not all cameras support it and the capacity is usually not large. There is a video recorder, where we additionally purchase a hard drive on a 1TB+ and this is the main and most common option.

So, YouTube. Judge by yourself – free video hosting for everyone in the world.

• Free

• Video hosting

• For everyone

No fees, no limits, and if you restrict your channel to private access only – it’s even better. In fact, this is the same cloud storage for videos, but it’s free, commonly used by half of the world, almost unlimited and legit.

Software and The Principle

The essence of a method is that we install a certain software called OBS, and the tool, by the way, is widely used by streamers on Youtube and Twitch due to its simplicity and the fact it’s a freeware. We take the RTSP-stream incoming from the camera, which nearly every IP camera has support for, and we output it to our decoder on the PC – to the OBS software, which, in it’s turn, converts the RTSP-stream to the RTMP-stream, supported by a majority of streaming services, including Youtube.

We turn on the broadcast in YouTube and start streaming from OBS to Youtube, and this broadcast will be saved on YouTube. So this is how we get a free cloud storage for videos from our camera. It may sound complicated, but it’s a theory. On a practice, it’s literally a couple of highly simple and quick steps, so I’m sorry to delay it – let’s move on to practice.

The Practice

I have my Hikvision DS-2CD2443 cube camera activated and added into the IVMS-4200, a Hikvision tool to work with their appliance.

• That is our 1st step – an activated and added camera with “Online” status.
• Go to the site of the free Open Broadcast Software → download and install.
• While the installation’s in progress, go to Youtube → settings → YouTube Studio → on the right top corner “click create” → Go live.

• Now on the page you can choose anything, it’s a private broadcast anyway, and click “create stream”. Next in that room you will see data, and don’t actually need all these settings, it’s up to you, the only thing I do – I set it to the ultra-low latency.
• Leave the browser in this position and launch OBS

The Set-up

Now we are going to output the RTSP video stream from our camera right to the OBS software. And we start from creating the RTSP-link. For Hikvision, and actually that is applicable to all other manufacturers, there is an instruction on Manufacturer’s website. Here are the most common ones:

• rtsp://192.168.2.128:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0&unicast=true&proto=Onvif
• rtsp://admin:admin@10.7.6.67:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
• rtsp://192.168.2.128:554/live

Dahua Formula: rtsp://admin:admin@10.7.6.67:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1

Hikvision: rtsp://admin:12345@192.168.200.11:554/Streaming/Channels/101

• rtsp — the protocol
• admin — user name (created upon registration)
• 12345 – the password for your camera / video recorder
• 192.168.200.11 — Camera IP-address
• 554 — RTSP-port of the camera (default, and is modifiable)
• 101 — 1st cam, 1st channel (could be just 01)
• 201 — 2nd cam, 1st channel
• 302 – 3rd cam, 2nd channel and et cetera.

RTSP is the type of a protocol we use, then the username that you have created for the camera upon activation and the password. Next is the camera’ IP-address, port, streaming, channel and channel number.

Copy the link that we have formed and open the OBS tool.

• Hit the “Plus” button in the “Source” tab
• In the menu pick the “Media source” – name and press confirm.
• What we do now – uncheck the “Local File” box, and the new field will appear.
• Into the “Input” field paste that link and click okay. And here you are!

If done right – your camera stream will appear right there.

• The final step is as follows: we go to file on top → settings → stream, and there in the “service” select Youtube/Youtube Gaming.
• We need to specify the recipient address of this video stream, that is, the channel that we have created on a previous stage, the YouTube broadcast.
• Go back to browser with your streaming room tab, and there, opposite to the “Stream Key” item, click copy, and now go back to OBS. Insert that key into the “stream key” field in OBS, click apply and close.

That’s it, we’re done. And now the most crucial step – launching the broadcast -“Start Streaming” button – press it and go back to YouTube in browser. Wait a little, then you’ll see a status of the connection, and if it’s good – press “Go Live” and you’re on air, which is displayed both on a Youtube and OBS.

The stream goes in parallel with the upload to Youtube servers, and so we’ve got an archive that we can view in the same way we do in any other cloud services. For your information – the maximum video length on Youtube is 12 hours, and the file size is 268 gb. maximum. BUT! There are no such restrictions for broadcasting and it can literally last forever, but the recording itself cannot exceed 12 hours, so I think YouTube will start a new recording every time after 12 hours of stream. What else I want to mention – for the streaming purpose the sub-stream is used, which always goes in significantly worse quality. And what we can do about it is to raise this quality in the camera settings, but don’t expect FULLHD every time.

Conclusion

Apparently, the only drawback of this method is that you need a PC as a server with such OBS decoder that can work 24/7 to perform this decoding and the redirection of video to Youtube servers. It will be perfect if you have a stationary PC at home, and you can assign it to perform this function. And if you don’t want to worry about all this stuff, in the Pipl Systems Store we have got for you NVR’s, DVR’s, and hard drives for them, MicroSD cards, as well as alarm systems and IP-intercom systems in addition to your cameras, and many other devices and brands ?

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