One of the most important things you'll need in order to stream to Subsplash Live is an encoder. The encoder's job is simple but essential: it converts your audio/video content into a digital format capable of streaming to your desired platform. Not all encoders are created equal, however, and they come in many different shapes, sizes, price tags, features, and levels of quality. Some encoders are software applications on your computer (AKA, "software encoders"), while others are stand-alone hardware (AKA, "hardware encoders").

There are a few different protocols used for streaming, and Subsplash Live uses the protocol known as RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol). In theory, any encoder that supports encoding to the H.264 specification and streaming to custom RTMP destinations will work for streaming to Subsplash Live; however, it's important to know that some are more suited to the task than others. Below are a few of the more common encoders people use to stream to Subsplash Live!

Software encoders are usually cheaper than hardware encoders, but keep in mind that they will need to be installed on a device to be used, so if you do not have a suitable computer available, that should be factored into the cost of using a software encoder.

This is our favorite encoder option, period. Commonly known as OBS Studio or simply OBS, this software is an entire open-source production studio lovingly developed by a community of content creators. While it is much more than just an encoder, it does have a great encoder module built in. Best of all, it's free! The free price tag shouldn't scare you off, though; our clients have more success stories with OBS than with any other encoder on the market. It's also the easiest to set up and easiest to support when problems do arise. In fact, we have so much to say about OBS that decided to write an entire article about it: Why does Subsplash recommend OBS? Available for Windows and macOS.

Wirecast is another production studio wrapped up in a single software application. It works very well and is more polished than OBS, but it tends to require a bit more in the way of computing power than OBS does. Also, unlike OBS, it costs: lifetime licenses for Wirecast start at $599 with the "Pro" version costing $799, and after 1 year of owning the product, there is an annual fee to remain on the latest version of the software (an extra $119 or $299 yearly, depending on which type of access plan you choose). Alternatively, monthly subscriptions to Wirecast Pro are available that range between $35 and $49 per month. Available for Windows and macOS.

This is yet another production-studio-in-a-box software application. Like Wirecast and OBS, it is a lot more than just an encoder, but it can perform that job. Also like Wirecast, it is more polished, more resource-intensive, and more costly than OBS, with vMix offering versions of their software at the $60, $350, $700, and $1200 tiers. After your first year, version updates cost $60 annually. There is also a $50 per month "Max" subscription option, which includes version updates as part of the base subscription cost. Only available for Windows.

Another production-studio-in-a-box software, but notable for a couple of reasons. First, it has found special popularity with content creators on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch (particularly video-game-related content); and second, it is significantly cheaper than both Wirecast and vMix. You can get access to XSplit for as little as $5 per month, with lifetime access costing $200. Furthermore, version updates are always free! Only available for Windows.

Formally known simply as “Studio”, this is the last production-studio-in-a-box software worth mentioning here. Studio is pretty much like all of these other applications, though it does seem to have a reputation for quality color correction options. The main downside to Studio is the lack of access: Vimeo acquired Livestream and their Studio software in 2017, and the software is now only distributed as part of the Vimeo Premium plan which costs $55 per user per month. Available for Windows and macOS.

The only software option not designed to be a video production studio. ProPresenter is actually a presentation software, widely used by churches to display worship lyrics, on-screen graphics, and other media on their in-house projectors and live streams. With ProPresenter 7, the Renewed Vision development team added the ability to stream the output directly from ProPresenter via RTMP to a streaming server (such as Subsplash Live). While this was a great idea on their part, the feature they developed gives the user very little control over the encoding settings, and streams from ProPresenter to Subsplash Live often encounter issues; as a result, we currently recommend using ProPresenter to handle presentation and using something else (like OBS) to handle encoding. Available for Windows and macOS and starting at $399.

Hardware encoders are self-contained devices, generally needing only a video input, a power supply, and an Internet connection in order to get your stream to its destination (though, they do often require a computer for the first-time setup). The biggest advantage to hardware encoders is that they can afford to focus exclusively on the task of encoding; computers, fundamentally, are multitasking devices, and a software encoder is just one of the many tasks they need to divert time and resources into. If the computer determines that a different task has priority, the stream will suffer as it waits for the computer to resume encoding. This is not as big a risk with purpose-built hardware encoders; however, hardware encoders are usually harder to set up and harder to support, often costlier, and often more limited in their settings. Because of these reasons, we recommend choosing a software encoder like OBS, but if a hardware encoder is a must-have for you, then we do have some options to consider!

This is a great (if rather odd) device. It's more similar to a hardware version of OBS than it is to a traditional hardware encoder, and yet it does the job of a hardware encoder better than many of those more traditional devices. The ATEM Mini Pro and Mini Extreme combine video mixing functionality (allowing multiple cameras or other video sources to be mixed together into a single production) and video encoding functionality (allowing that single production to be streamed directly to its destination). The ATEM Mini Pro costs $295, with the Mini Pro ISO, Mini Extreme, and Mini Extreme ISO models costing successively more; however, if you're planning to make effective use of the video mixing functionality, factor in the cost of a dedicated monitor for the multiview output!

The Magewell Ultra Stream is a good hardware encoder option, offering support for common formats in an inexpensive package ($449). Controlling the encoder can be done from physical buttons on the device, or via computer or mobile app. However, note that Ultra Stream models are not capable of matching all of our recommended settings for Subsplash Live, and because of this they can be susceptible to issues from time to time.

Teradek is a well-established encoder manufacturer, and the VidiU X ($399) is their entry-level hardware encoder. It's widely used and serves many people very well, though it has one problem: as an "entry-level" device, the degree of control over the specific settings is limited, and you may find your stream not matching our recommended settings and you having no control over the settings that need to change.

A step up from the VidiU X, the VidiU Go (starting at $990) is a purpose-built hardware encoder to enable streaming on the go, over either Wi-Fi or cellular networks. However, like the VidiU X, the degree of control over the output is limited, and it is possible that you would be unable to meet our recommended settings and would likely experience technical issues as a result.

While the Helo ($1,399) is a relatively popular hardware encoder, it is not recommended for use with Subsplash Live at this time. The documentation might suggest otherwise, but the Helo can only send a variable bit rate over RTMP (rather than the constant bit rate that we strongly recommend), and the degree of variation is exceptionally high. Stream instability is likely.

Several platforms exist which allow streaming from mobile devices, or which allow mobile devices to be used as cameras that wirelessly connect to a central streaming encoder. The flexibility of such a system can be a wonderful advantage, but involving so many wireless connections in your livestream invites a significant chance of instability. If you’re willing to take that chance, here are some mobile/hybrid platforms to consider!

Larix is s a very straightforward app enabling RTMP streaming from mobile devices. It offers a high level of control over most settings, and it is pretty reliable. While we caution against streaming from a mobile device over a wireless connection, Larix should be your first choice in this category.

Switcher Studio is a multicam production studio app built around the idea of using multiple mobile devices to provide multiple camera angles, and having them all wirelessly connect to a single, central device for mixing and streaming. It can only work with iOS mobile devices, macOS webcams, and macOS and PC screen captures. The central device is an iPhone or iPad, and the user can control which connected camera angles and source they want to use at any given moment. Unfortunately, Switcher Studio’s encoding settings are limited, meaning that if problems were to arise with your stream's performance, there would be little you could do to correct them.

Similar to Switcher Studio, Sling Studio is a wireless multicam production studio platform; however, unlike Switcher Studio, Sling Studio actually involves both a hardware and a software component. Multiple mobile devices running the Sling Studio app can be used to connect to the central Sling Studio hub, which is a combination hardware encoder/Wi-Fi router. By utilizing its own dedicated wireless network, Sling Studio sidesteps a couple of the issues with mobile device streaming by ensuring there won’t be other network traffic interfering with the stream. Unfortunately, another similarity it shares with Switcher Studio is that it offers only limited control over encoding settings.

Another multicam production studio software that has seen some popularity for its ease-of-use; however, in an effort to be as easy as possible, it offers almost no control over your encoding settings, and thus almost no ability to make any improvements if problems arise. As a result, using Ecamm Live with Subsplash Live is not recommended at this time.

Under most circumstances, OBS is the way to go for your streaming encoder. Furthermore, we would generally recommend investing in computer upgrades and better Internet service to make OBS perform better before investing in a hardware encoder. If you are curious about using an encoder not listed here, feel free to reach out to the support team!