Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

Start a stream

Welcome! This guide will walk you through setting up and broadcasting your first stream using FOV.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the FOV software installed and running.

Technical Considerations & Operational Constraints

Using FOV introduces a fundamentally different architectural model compared to standard OBS streaming by routing each source as an independent track. Because multi-track encoding imposes strict resource, structural, and network demands, keep the following guidelines in mind before going live:

important

Bandwidth Multiplication, Encoders & Codecs

  • Bandwidth Scaling: Each source is transmitted as an independent video or audio track, resulting in significantly higher bandwidth demands than a regular OBS setup. Your target bitrate configuration applies to every individual track. If your output bitrate is set to 2500 kbps and your scene contains 4 video layers, your total bandwidth allocation scales linearly up to 10,000 kbps upload overhead (excluding audio). Plan your network capacity accordingly.

  • CPU Load & Hardware Encoding: Your encoder settings apply universally to every track. Hardware-accelerated encoding (NVENC, AMF, or QuickSync) is strongly recommended to handle the multi-track workload efficiently. While software-based encoders (x264) can be used, running multiple concurrent streams places a heavy burden on your processor and may lead to high CPU usage or frame drops.

Supported Codecs

  • Video: H.264 (h264), H.265 (h265)
  • Audio: AAC (aac), Opus (opus)

warning

Single-Scene & Layout Lock

  • FOV operates strictly within a single-scene setup. Scene switching, as well as adding, removing, or configuring sources, is disabled while streaming. Finalize all scene structures completely before starting your broadcast.

note

Automated Track Isolation & Audio Rules

  • Automated Tracking: Track isolation is fully automated by FOVSystem. You do not need to manually configure tracks or checkboxes inside the Advanced Audio Properties window; any source currently visible and active in your active scene automatically spawns its own independent stream track.

  • Fixed Audio Mapping: Manual adjustments inside the Advanced Audio Properties panel are automatically overwritten or ignored. Audio sources map on a strict 1:1 basis based on their order of addition.

Quickstart

Follow these steps to configure your broadcast:

1. Configure the Platform Service

  1. Launch the application binary.
  2. Open Settings from the main dashboard control interface and select the Stream tab on the left margin.
  3. Set the service type dropdown to FOV - Multitrack.

2. Enter Infrastructure Target Parameters

Populate your connection details:

  • Server URL: Specify your target platform API endpoint. Use https://api.fovapp.live for the public service, or enter your custom backend API URL if you are self-hosting (see the developer documentation).
  • Stream Key: Insert your authentication token string.

3. Configure Your Scene

Add multiple audio and video sources to your current single active scene just like you would in regular OBS.

4. Go Live and Watch the Stream

  1. Click Start Streaming in the workspace console interface.
  2. Depending on your configuration, your interactive multi-track stream will be available on your self-hosted instance or on https://fovapp.live.

You can now watch your stream and enjoy the unique functionalities provided by FOV, such as resizing and moving video tracks around dynamically.