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How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

jordanlewis.org

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Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#81

Post by wtallis »

nfrmatk wrote: post #51
wtallis wrote: post #40

Does anyone know of a good presentation system that does not consist of compressing raw pixels and sending that to the audience? It's a huge waste of bandwidth that I'd rather see used to provide reliable low-latency audio. I'd love to be able to teach programming in a way that lets the students explore the live state of my working directory and follow along with file edits, but rendered locally on their machines at…

I think that you can do something like this with VS Code's Live Share[1] feature. And I think it's possible to do read-only sessions as well. Been a while since I looked at that feature though, so I'm not certain. [1]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/liveshare/use/...

That seems to be pretty much what I was looking for. Thanks!

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#82

Post by ponker »

ChicagoBoy11 wrote: post #64
twox2 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it comes down to your "persona". For example George Hotz does multi-hour long coding streams that are all over the place, but they have some entertainment value because he's a bit of a kooky character.

It made me almost feel bad watching it, though. The dude is clearly so quick -- not even in coding, but just using a computer in general -- that given how much of my life I spend in front of this thing, I think I really missed a trick in not being extra attentive to trying to make sure I could maneuver my way around it as fast as he does.

You can always find people better than you. But if you focus on continuous improvement that number will shrink while the number that you are better than will grow.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#83

Post by peoplenotbots »

daenz wrote: post #4

Do a lot of programmers feel like they could be effective on a livestream? I might be in a minority, but my preferred coding style is very non-linear and sporadic, and wouldn't make for an enjoyable viewing experience.

I think a key to streaming is balance of audio and visual "stimulation." If you're not "doing" (as captured by OBS) something stimulating then you need to be saying something engaging. Some in theory if you're coding in python you might need say something to engage your; teaching, explaining your methodology or talking about current events around technology. If you're confident your audio stimulation will not be as strong you need to visualize something engaging. Sometime I did once via youtube was streaming myself writing a research paper creating maps in arcgis.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#84

Post by VikingCoder »

nickjj wrote: post #72

One thing that I was surprised not to see in the post was how to deal with editing files that have secrets (such as API keys or email credentials). When I set up OBS, I overlayed a full screen image that says I'm showing something secret which had nothing but a small webcam feed in the bottom right so folks could still see me but not my desktop. It was assigned to a global hotkey toggle of course.

I think the best way to deal with secrets is to not live stream them, at all, ever, in any way.

If you have secrets anywhere near your live stream, it's not a question if "if" you will leak them but "when." Don't put yourself in that situation.

Work _hard_ to keep yourself out of that situation.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#85

Post by zaxu »

wtallis wrote: post #79
rustyconover wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you'd be surprised how efficient video codecs with regards to bandwidth used, nobody sends raw pixels at all. Also with HLS latency can be very short with the right settings. A few tips for coding screencasting: For coding screencasts you should make sure that chroma subsampling isn't enabled when you're doing the encode of the video otherwise it may look worse with highly contrasting areas. Decrease the enco…

> I think you'd be surprised how efficient video codecs with regards to bandwidth used, nobody sends raw pixels at all. Also with HLS latency can be very short with the right settings. We've all had enough experience with Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, etc. in recent months to know that this is not something that works well out of the box. And that's before we get into issues like the fact that I'm using a 34…

At the same time, moving video coming from a camera is a lot different than a stream of what is essentially a 95% a still image.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#86

Post by 29athrowaway »

nickjj wrote: post #72

One thing that I was surprised not to see in the post was how to deal with editing files that have secrets (such as API keys or email credentials). When I set up OBS, I overlayed a full screen image that says I'm showing something secret which had nothing but a small webcam feed in the bottom right so folks could still see me but not my desktop. It was assigned to a global hotkey toggle of course.

On Twitch:

- Not only I have seen secrets revealed on stream, like passwords and tokens and such... I have seen people working with databases full of personally identifiable information, and you could see names, phone numbers, e-mails and addresses on stream. There are irresponsible people out here.

- I have seen people doxxing themselves by showing their git identity, or some popup window with some licensing information such as "Registered to: John Doe", or when the autocomplete suggestions on their browser search bar shows "[Facebook favicon] John Doe".

As you can see, there are many, many ways to leak your identity on stream. If you want to have a discrete online presence, try to do all your work on a dedicated VM, or take measures such as using a dedicated browser for your stream related activities, a separate git identity, hide splash screens, and pay attention to detail at how things look before you go live.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#87

Post by pjc50 »

29athrowaway wrote: post #86
nickjj wrote: post #72

One thing that I was surprised not to see in the post was how to deal with editing files that have secrets (such as API keys or email credentials). When I set up OBS, I overlayed a full screen image that says I'm showing something secret which had nothing but a small webcam feed in the bottom right so folks could still see me but not my desktop. It was assigned to a global hotkey toggle of course.

On Twitch: - Not only I have seen secrets revealed on stream, like passwords and tokens and such... I have seen people working with databases full of personally identifiable information, and you could see names, phone numbers, e-mails and addresses on stream. There are irresponsible people out here. - I have seen people doxxing themselves by showing their git identity, or some popup window with some licensing informa…

.. why would you live stream yourself if you weren't willing to expose your real identity?

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#88

Post by 29athrowaway »

pjc50 wrote: post #87
29athrowaway wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On Twitch: - Not only I have seen secrets revealed on stream, like passwords and tokens and such... I have seen people working with databases full of personally identifiable information, and you could see names, phone numbers, e-mails and addresses on stream. There are irresponsible people out here. - I have seen people doxxing themselves by showing their git identity, or some popup window with some licensing informa…

.. why would you live stream yourself if you weren't willing to expose your real identity?

Note that many streamers do not use a webcam, or don't show their faces on camera. Some do use a camera but still conceal their basic personal information.

There are benefits to streaming. It somehow makes you productive, because you don't want to look bad in front of your audience.

Plus, there are smart people on Twitch. A lot of lurkers that do not stream have an impressive amount of knowledge.

Money-wise, it's not worth it. The category that has the most programmers, "Science & Technology", has only 2,000 viewers at a time on a good day. That is very little compared to other categories. If you want to make money, publishing YouTube videos may be way more profitable than Twitch.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#89

Post by pengaru »

It's unlikely I'd ever share livestreams of my coding, but I do think there's value for any craftsman to watch recordings of their work.

Programmers have it especially easy in this regard since it doesn't require any cameras/lighting/tripods/line of sight whatever. Just record your desktop for a day and watch it in down time. I think you'll be surprised to see what deficiencies stand out as an observer that you've probably come to just live with due to complacency/habit. It helps prioritize areas to improve, and you can do this iteratively.

Re: How to Run a Live Coding Stream on Twitch Using OBS

#90

Post by corobo »

VikingCoder wrote: post #84
nickjj wrote: post #72

One thing that I was surprised not to see in the post was how to deal with editing files that have secrets (such as API keys or email credentials). When I set up OBS, I overlayed a full screen image that says I'm showing something secret which had nothing but a small webcam feed in the bottom right so folks could still see me but not my desktop. It was assigned to a global hotkey toggle of course.

I think the best way to deal with secrets is to not live stream them, at all, ever, in any way. If you have secrets anywhere near your live stream, it's not a question if "if" you will leak them but "when." Don't put yourself in that situation. Work _hard_ to keep yourself out of that situation.

That would require no secrets. All it takes is a misclick into a .env file.

I’d assume you’re not coding on a production system so your secrets shouldn’t be too hard to revoke, cycle them after your stream and any time you leak them.

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