# OBS GStreamer Source Plugin - Setup Guide

## Arch Linux (and variants)

Install everything in one step:

```bash
yay -S obs-gstreamer gst-plugins-bad-libs gst-plugin-va gst-plugin-qsv gst-libav
```

Skip to the OBS pipelines below.

---

## Windows

### 1. Install GStreamer

Download the latest **MinGW x86_64** runtime installer from the official GStreamer site:

https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/download/#windows

The current stable version is **1.28.1**. Make sure you pick the **MinGW** variant and the **x86_64** architecture, not MSVC, and not x86.

Run the installer. When prompted, select the **Complete** installation to ensure all plugins (including libav, needed for software decoding) are included. It will install to `C:\gstreamer\1.0\mingw_x86_64\` by default.

### 2. Add GStreamer to PATH

Open PowerShell and run:

```powershell
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "C:\gstreamer\1.0\mingw_x86_64\bin;" + [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "User"), "User")
```

This prepends the GStreamer binaries to your user PATH. You can also do this manually via **System Properties > Environment Variables** by adding `C:\gstreamer\1.0\mingw_x86_64\bin` to your user PATH.

### 3. Install obs-gstreamer

Download `obs-gstreamer.zip` from the latest release (currently **v0.4.1**):

https://github.com/fzwoch/obs-gstreamer/releases

Extract the zip and copy `obs-gstreamer.dll` from the `windows` folder to:

```
C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins\obs-gstreamer\bin\64bit\
```

You may need to create the folders if they don't exist.

Restart OBS if it was running.

---

## OBS Pipelines

Add a **GStreamer Source** in OBS and paste the appropriate pipeline. If the plugin is installed correctly, you should see it in the source list:

![GStreamer Source in OBS](assets/source.png)

Replace `<IP>` with the server IP address, which will be provided during the event.

### H.265 decoder reference

Use the tables below to find the right decoder element for your hardware. Replace `<DECODER>` in the game stream pipeline with your chosen element. Prefer vendor-specific over generic, and generic HW over software.

#### Linux

| Hardware | Type | Vendor-Specific | Generic HW | Software Fallback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GPU (Maxwell+) | dGPU | `nvh265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
| Intel iGPU (Skylake+) | iGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `vah265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| Intel Arc | dGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `vah265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| AMD iGPU (Ryzen 2000G+) | iGPU | `vah265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
| AMD dGPU (Polaris+) | dGPU | `vah265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
| No GPU / F-series / non-G Ryzen | CPU | - | - | `avdec_h265` |

#### Windows

| Hardware | Type | Vendor-Specific | Generic HW | Software Fallback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GPU (Maxwell+) | dGPU | `nvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| Intel iGPU (Skylake+) | iGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| Intel Arc | dGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| AMD iGPU (Ryzen 2000G+) | iGPU | - | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| AMD dGPU (Polaris+) | dGPU | - | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
| No GPU / F-series / non-G Ryzen | CPU | - | - | `avdec_h265` |

### Game stream pipeline

**Game stream** (H.265 over TCP with audio):

```
tcpclientsrc port=5000 host=<IP> ! matroskademux name=demux ! queue ! h265parse ! <DECODER> ! videorate ! videoconvert ! video.  demux. ! queue ! audiorate ! audioconvert ! audio.
```

Replace `<DECODER>` with the element from the tables above (e.g. `nvh265dec`, `qsvh265dec`, `vah265dec`, `d3d11h265dec`, `avdec_h265`).

**Webcam** (MJPEG over TCP):

```
tcpclientsrc port=5001 host=<IP> do-timestamp=true ! multipartdemux ! image/jpeg, framerate=30/1 ! jpegparse ! jpegdec ! queue ! video.
```

For additional webcams, duplicate the pipeline and increment the port number (`5002`, `5003`, etc.).

### TomorrowLAN stream layout

- **Quad stream**: one player cam per IP (4 IPs total, one webcam each).
- **Main stream**: two player cams per IP (2 IPs total, two webcams each, ports `5001` and `5002`).

---

## Troubleshooting

### GStreamer Source not showing in OBS (Windows)

**Step 1: Restart OBS**

Completely close OBS and reopen it. The plugin is only loaded when OBS starts.

**Step 2: Check the plugin file is in the right place**

Open File Explorer and navigate to:

```
C:\ProgramData\obs-studio\plugins\obs-gstreamer\bin\64bit\
```

You should see `obs-gstreamer.dll` in that folder. If the `ProgramData` folder is hidden, type the path directly into the File Explorer address bar.

If the folders don't exist, create them yourself:
1. Open `C:\ProgramData\`
2. Create `obs-studio` folder (if it doesn't exist)
3. Inside it, create `plugins`
4. Inside that, create `obs-gstreamer`
5. Inside that, create `bin`
6. Inside that, create `64bit`
7. Place `obs-gstreamer.dll` in the `64bit` folder

**Step 3: Check that GStreamer is installed and in your PATH**

Open PowerShell (press the Windows key, type `powershell`, hit Enter) and run:

```powershell
gst-launch-1.0 --version
```

If you see a version number (e.g. `GStreamer 1.28.1`), GStreamer is correctly in your PATH.

If you get an error like `'gst-launch-1.0' is not recognized`, GStreamer is either not installed or not in your PATH. Go back to step 2 of the Windows setup above and re-run the PowerShell command to add it to your PATH. Then **close and reopen PowerShell** and try again.

**Step 4: Check for DLL conflicts**

Some software (e.g. Tesseract-OCR, GIMP) installs its own copy of GStreamer or GLib DLLs. If one of these appears earlier in your PATH than the GStreamer `bin` folder, OBS may load the wrong DLLs and fail silently.

To fix this, open **System Properties > Environment Variables**, find `Path` under User variables, and make sure `C:\gstreamer\1.0\mingw_x86_64\bin` is at the **top** of the list. You can select it and click **Move Up** until it's first.