The Mac OS X Thread

2014-09-12 08:00:44 am

should be able to use ffmpeg right? can compile it yourself. i've only ever done it using ffmpeg as a library (e.g. noriko, kumari) but i know a lot of people use the cli app to stream.

dunnius

Edit history:

dunnius: 2014-09-12 10:47:54 pm

2014-09-12 10:42:46 pm

Intruding N313 and F014

Quote from HDL:

Is there a reason you're not updating to 10.9? I'm sure you already know it's free. Honestly 10.6 is antiquated at this point so this may be a sign that it's time to update.

My computer is a 32 bit Intel (1.83 GHz Core Duo), so I cannot upgrade it further.

(It's also the reason for the Time Split Tracker project to run on 32 bit. I'd like to run it on my computer.)

HDL

Edit history:

HDL: 2014-09-17 03:54:53 pm

HDL: 2014-09-17 02:30:30 pm

2014-09-17 02:30:19 pm

So apparently builds of OBS with window capture have been out for a while: https://github.com/jp9000/obs-studio/releases

I can confirm window capture works like CamTwist, that is it won't show anything that overlaps the window you're capturing and it won't show the desktop the way it does in the current Windows version. I can't figure out how to crop it though, if cropping is even implemented yet.

Edit: Checked their forum, cropping isn't in yet so it looks like we have to wait a bit longer unless you like title bars in your stream.

HDL

2014-09-19 01:49:59 pm

The CocoaSplit author got his own domain now, where he's putting both CocoaSplit "Classic" and the new CoreImage experimental builds: http://cocoasplit.com

Warning, opening the current version (1.9.1) and then opening the old version will corrupt the settings. Also the new build kind of screws with Syphon/CamTwist source colors. I reported both bugs so hopefully they'll be fixed soon.

The new experimental builds add stuff like window capture (low performance for now), multiple sources, plugin effects, various layouts, overlays, etc.

presjpolk

2014-09-19 01:51:17 pm

HELLO!

Between OBS Studio and Cocoasplit... I feel comfortable in saying RIP CamTwist.

HDL

2014-09-19 02:37:57 pm

I really like CamTwist, I just wish the performance was optimized. Steve doesn't seem concerned with that, though. Sad

I'd like to use CocoaSplit exclusively but unfortunately its window capture is like 15 fps or something low like that. Once it's improved using only CocoaSplit will let us free up a big chunk of CPU usage better reserved for the actual encoding. Smiley

Incroyablebb

2014-09-22 12:11:31 pm

Hey guys, I'm having issues with llanfair and snes9x lately after upgrading to osx mavericks. Dunno why but whenever I start the timer, snes9x lags a lot (like around 50 fps instead of 60). I'm not talking about the stream which I don't care so much if it's a bit laggy. I'm thinking about the gaming instead. It's just annoying to play right now. I could run without using the splits, but it's not so easy. Any idea how I can make it better ?

dunnius

2014-09-22 07:58:46 pm

Intruding N313 and F014

I'm not sure what(and also the reason) is taking up lots of CPU (you can use check Activity Monitor to identify the culprit), but it can likely be solved by using another timer program.

Incroyablebb

2014-09-23 10:08:41 am

Yeah, but unfortunately, there's nothing quite like llanfair. Tried the ones on this thread but they don't work really well

dunnius

Edit history:

dunnius: 2014-09-23 11:53:17 pm

2014-09-23 11:52:46 pm

Intruding N313 and F014

Unfortunately, the Mac version of my Time Split Tracker got put on hold since I no longer have any interest in trying to use XCode. One suggestion I can make is to install WINE (http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/) and use one of the Windows programs. The Windows version of Time Split Tracker is far more current, and is complete, and that is the method I use to run my timer when I stream.

HDL

2014-09-30 01:52:48 pm

Don't know why I didn't think of this before, but there is a workaround for CocoaSplit's current poor window capture frame rate.

Let's assume you want to have layouts and overlays like with CamTwist, but don't want the extra CPU usage that comes with it. CT video is fed to CS via Syphon, so all we have to do to remove CT from the equation is make your sources use Syphon too.

https://github.com/zakk4223/SyphonInject

How to use: run whatever OpenGL application you want, run SyphonInject, highlight the desired software, click "inject." You can then quit SyphonInject.

Use this for any kind of preview window like Norichan, and you can select that window in CS as a Syphon source. Drastically lower CPU usage and full frame rate, not to mention that it doesn't capture title bars so no cropping is necessary. This works just like regular window capture in that it won't capture other windows or parts of your desktop.

Check the attached video for a very basic example of a layout done in CS without CT (the frame skips are from Norichan and its lack of vsync, not CS performance).

Don't know why I didn't think of this before, but there is a workaround for CocoaSplit's current poor window capture frame rate.

Let's assume you want to have layouts and overlays like with CamTwist, but don't want the extra CPU usage that comes with it.  CT video is fed to CS via Syphon, so all we have to do to remove CT from the equation is make your sources use Syphon too.

https://github.com/zakk4223/SyphonInject

How to use: run whatever OpenGL application you want, run SyphonInject, highlight the desired software, click "inject."  You can then quit SyphonInject.

Use this for any kind of preview window like Norichan, and you can select that window in CS as a Syphon source.  Drastically lower CPU usage and full frame rate, not to mention that it doesn't capture title bars so no cropping is necessary.  This works just like regular window capture in that it won't capture other windows or parts of your desktop.

Check the attached video for a very basic example of a layout done in CS without CT (the frame skips are from Norichan and its lack of vsync, not CS performance).

Attachment:

CocoaSplit.mp4

HDL

Edit history:

HDL: 2014-10-05 01:14:04 pm

HDL: 2014-10-05 01:11:37 pm

2014-10-05 12:43:39 pm

So I decided I don't like how basic and short the Mac OS X information is on the Knowledge Base. I want the information to be more structured and a lot more helpful, so I'll be writing various pages about streaming, capturing, and recording on OS X. The OP of this thread gives a good basis but doesn't actually explain in detail how to use any of that stuff, so that's what I'll be tackling next, starting with this:

https://kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Mac_Recording_and_Streaming
https://kb.speeddemosarchive.com/Mac_Recording_and_Streaming/CocoaSplit

Unfortunately my experience with capture devices is very limited, so I won't be able to write much there. But I know tons about the software, so that's what I'll be focusing on.

nate

2014-10-05 03:15:06 pm

excellent.

HDL

2014-10-12 09:26:12 am

All right, I knocked out all the important stuff. We now have pages on:

Mac Video Capture
Mac Audio Capture
ScreenFlow
CocoaSplit
Yua (I didn't make this one but it's linked for convenience.)
FFmpeg

This should cover all the necessary details regarding A/V capture, streaming, and encoding. If anyone still needs help feel free to ask.

HDL

Edit history:

HDL: 2014-10-16 10:07:41 am

2014-10-16 09:25:51 am

New version of OBS with Syphon support: https://github.com/jp9000/obs-studio/releases

Also a really important note about encoding videos with ScreenFlow. It turns out that encoding with x264 directly from ScreenFlow screws with the color space a little, so the colors are close but no cigar. I updated the ScreenFlow page with details for circumventing this.

Basically just export a lossless video and use ffmpeg to encode instead.

It's also worth noting that QuickTime does not display colors correctly, so when testing this you should use another media player like VLC. If you're taking screen shots, don't use Quick Look either since the colors are wrong. Open them up with Preview. Undecided

HDL

2014-11-05 11:36:03 am

Well I wanted to wait before posting this, but some issues arose so meh.

First some excellent news. I learned that ffmpeg can indeed screen capture on OS X (the wiki doesn't reflect this) using AV Foundation. After loads of testing, research, more testing and more research, I finally have it down and will eventually update the guide to explain how to do it. Furthermore I've done numerous tests with lossless capture and ffmpeg is extremely accurate to the source.

The bad news is that I uncovered a bug with its screen capture; ffmpeg ignores input frame rate settings (output frame rate works) with AV Foundation capture because it hasn't been implemented yet. I reported this to the devs and it was acknowledged, so it'll eventually be fixed, but for now screen captures are locked to 15 FPS. ffmpeg also can't capture system audio just yet. You can work around this by using Soundflower instead.

When this is fixed I would HIGHLY recommend recording with ffmpeg over ScreenFlow due to another problem I found. It turns out ScreenFlow's raw recordings are not entirely accurate in either color or clarity, even with lossless selected. This is different from the color issue I previously mentioned which was during export. Check the attached zip for comparisons. I reported this as well so now the ball is in Telestream's court.

Honestly the ScreenFlow thing is not really enough to get any SDA submissions rejected, but if you're like me and want your recordings to be absolutely perfect then ffmpeg is really the only way to go.

Well I wanted to wait before posting this, but some issues arose so meh.

First some excellent news.  I learned that ffmpeg can indeed screen capture on OS X (the wiki doesn't reflect this) using AV Foundation.  After loads of testing, research, more testing and more research, I finally have it down and will eventually update the guide to explain how to do it.  Furthermore I've done numerous tests with lossless capture and ffmpeg is extremely accurate to the source.

The bad news is that I uncovered a bug with its screen capture; ffmpeg ignores input frame rate settings (output frame rate works) with AV Foundation capture because it hasn't been implemented yet.  I reported this to the devs and it was acknowledged, so it'll eventually be fixed, but for now screen captures are locked to 15 FPS.  ffmpeg also can't capture system audio just yet.  You can work around this by using Soundflower instead.

When this is fixed I would HIGHLY recommend recording with ffmpeg over ScreenFlow due to another problem I found.  It turns out ScreenFlow's raw recordings are not entirely accurate in either color or clarity, even with lossless selected.  This is different from the color issue I previously mentioned which was during export.  Check the attached zip for comparisons.  I reported this as well so now the ball is in Telestream's court.

Honestly the ScreenFlow thing is not really enough to get any SDA submissions rejected, but if you're like me and want your recordings to be absolutely perfect then ffmpeg is really the only way to go.

Attachment:

Capture Comparison.zip

nonsensebread

2014-12-07 02:50:23 pm

Hey guys a quick question. I am trying to record N64 attempts using a Dazzle DVC 100 and a Macbook pro. I can't get sound from the dazzle in videoglide though I was wondering if you guys have any workarounds for this situation. I am using soundflower for my mic sound. I can get video though just no sound. Thanks in advance for any help. And I am planning to stream using OBS.

HDL

2014-12-10 01:35:43 pm

I've never used that device or VideoGlide, but I assume you're capturing through standard composite cables? Can you show screen shots of the audio settings?

HDL

2014-12-11 06:50:06 pm

Does anyone here have a SSD (or at least a "fast" HDD)? I'd like to get some confirmation to see if others get the same results I do with some recording tests. Post here or PM me if you'd like to help.

presjpolk

2014-12-11 08:07:18 pm

HELLO!

That's hard to check on a Mac these days, with the fusion drives blurring the lines

presjpolk

2014-12-11 08:08:08 pm

HELLO!

Also I was helping Badbrakes with his Dazzle today. It looks to me like the Videoglide drivers are really old, coded to an old interface, and are rapidly becoming obsolete? Sad

Looks like you can't use them with OBS Studio, for example.

HDL

2014-12-12 06:56:30 am

Quote from presjpolk:

That's hard to check on a Mac these days, with the fusion drives blurring the lines

Was this in response to me or nonsensebread? A fusion drive would probably be fast enough.

presjpolk

2014-12-12 07:16:15 am

HELLO!

That was in response to you. The second comment in response to nonsensebread, sorry for the confusion, posting before bed. Smiley

HDL

2014-12-12 08:23:41 am

OK then, I'll just post this here first so y'all can know the issue I'm encountering: http://v002.info/forums/topic/syphon-recorder-fps-issue/

Basically the CamTwist + Syphon Recorder combo is as accurate as ffmpeg for lossless recording. Pure ARGB pixel format and accurate colors (with regular "Desktop" capture, "Desktop+" screws with the colors). Try this test:

-Set CamTwist to 120 FPS (for some reason this actually makes it do 60 FPS smoothly whereas typing 60 doesn't).
-Set it to a low resolution like 320x240.
-Capture an emulator/game at that resolution which runs at 60 FPS (most NES, SNES, and Genesis games).
-Run Syphon Recorder and choose "None (Uncompressed)," Lossless, 60 FPS, 320x240, and Linear PCM.
-Record a video with lots of motion.

This method of recording is actually very light on the CPU/GPU, but more taxing with disk write speed. The result should be a video that comes really close to smooth 60 FPS but skips frames at regular intervals. The QuickTime inspector might report 60 FPS or something close to it, while the video itself doesn't reflect that. Let me know if you see these frame skips as well. I'm trying to get the dev to fix it so we can finally have a usable screen capture option.

OK then, I'll just post this here first so y'all can know the issue I'm encountering: http://v002.info/forums/topic/syphon-recorder-fps-issue/

Basically the CamTwist + Syphon Recorder combo is as accurate as ffmpeg for lossless recording.  Pure ARGB pixel format and accurate colors (with regular "Desktop" capture, "Desktop+" screws with the colors).  Try this test:

-Set CamTwist to 120 FPS (for some reason this actually makes it do 60 FPS smoothly whereas typing 60 doesn't).
-Set it to a low resolution like 320x240.
-Capture an emulator/game at that resolution which runs at 60 FPS (most NES, SNES, and Genesis games).
-Run Syphon Recorder and choose "None (Uncompressed)," Lossless, 60 FPS, 320x240, and Linear PCM.
-Record a video with lots of motion.

This method of recording is actually very light on the CPU/GPU, but more taxing with disk write speed.  The result should be a video that comes really close to smooth 60 FPS but skips frames at regular intervals.  The QuickTime inspector might report 60 FPS or something close to it, while the video itself doesn't reflect that.  Let me know if you see these frame skips as well.  I'm trying to get the dev to fix it so we can finally have a usable screen capture option.

presjpolk

2014-12-12 09:31:23 am

HELLO!

OK, suggestion for your disk write issues. Try getting the Apple Pro Video Formats and use ProRes instead of uncompressed.

That's what I always used with the Blackmagic when recording lossless.