How do I incorporate two additional camera feeds into my Zoom meetings?

[Jack Decker]

I have three cameras I need to incorporate into my Zoom meetings in addition to those of attendees. How do I do that?

Details: 1) My main camera is a Sony RX100 III. This focused on me. 2) A Logitech c920 will focus on scorecards that I flip by hand. 3) A cheap Versa Cam (1080 full HD) will focus on essentially a placeholder to force a four-box configuration on the Zoom screen. Not that it matters, but it focuses on just a card with the show's logo on it. This feed is only seen by me, the contestants, and my editor ... though when I do live YouTube streams, it will seen by those who are watching the live streams.

If you're wondering what I'm am trying to do, here's a link to playlist of the first competition series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0IpxJ6_Xd0&list=PL7mHjDLBCmOpCMUZ2DmyFEgJHFxY-N4_O

For the above videos, I used the c920 for my main camera (the one on me) and then two smartphones that I invite to the meetings. I set them up without sound with one focusing on the scorecards (lower right box) and the other on a placeholder image (lower left box) to force a four-box configuration. Now you don't see what the placeholder sees in the above linked videos as my editor superimposes the show's logo over its feed and changes that to images related to what the contestants are asking or thinking out loud.

It is a PAIN to have to set up the two cellphones to do this and thus why I got the two new cameras BUT what I don't know is how to get Zoom to accept their feeds. The tech guy at the camera shop suggested I somehow use Streamlabs OBS (or OBS Studio [unless that's just another name for the former]) but nothing beyond that and no real instruction on how to actually do it with Streamlabs OBS.

Can someone please tell me how to do it?

 

[FerretBomb]

There are a couple of ways to do this, depending on how you intend for it to show up.
First off though, SLOBS is not OBS Studio. SLOBS is a hacked-up derivative version designed to trap new users into the StreamLabs ecosystem, intentionally breaking compliance with the source OBS Studio to force lock-in under other pretenses.

Situation 1: You want ONE Zoom participant with four cameras split into a four-square within their one Zoom camera.
This is what OBS is for. Just add all four to a Scene in OBS, then use the Virtual Camera into Zoom.

Situation 2: You want four individual Zoom participants.
OBS can't really do this, it isn't a Zoom multiplexer. You'll need four copies of Zoom running, and just point each at a different camera.

As a side note, if you're in Situation 1, you shouldn't need a camera pointed at your logo on a card, you can just import the digital image directly as an Image Source in your Scene.

 

[Jack Decker]

Hi FerretBomb,

Thanks for replying! Not sure which situation I'm in. I, myself, will be generating three feeds: one on me, one on the scorecards, and one on the placeholder image to force the four-box format in Zoom. But I will also have two contestants who will be part of the Zoom call who need their own feeds incorporated into the conference call. When the video's first contestant competes, that is when I will need to provide the three feeds. Upper-left box: contestant; upper-right box: me; lower-left box: placeholder image; and lower-right box: scorecards. When the second contestant competes, I will only need to provide two feeds (myself and scorecards) because the first contestant stays on screen while the second contestant competes. Upper-left box: second contestant; upper-right box: me; lower-left box: first contestant; and lower-right box: scorecards.

As for directly importing the digital image of the show's logo, it would be great to actually eliminate that feed. My problem is Zoom will then configure the feeds into a three-box configuration that has the third box centered on the screen underneath the two other images. That is too much of a hassle to deal with for my editor.

 

[konsolenritter]

You can try the following:
Put a screen-capture of your zoom-window into an obs-scene. Then copy that and insert a copy-by-reference (right mouseclick) into the same scene. (Thus you will have two identical capture windows of your single zoom window, each on top of the other).
Drag one of them by mouse aside. Then pan the border (dragging the corners by mouse while using the Alt-Key) to shrink that window to show the contestant, then drag the corners without Alt to resize that part window to your needs and drag it (clicking in the center) to your wished position in your scene. Then repeat those steps with the second copy so it shows yourself.

Finally you should end up with two part-images of your (single) zoom window, each showing one of you guys, dragged and zoomed according to your wishes. Finally add your logo and other stuff as you want.

 

[Jack Decker]

Hi Konsolenritter,

Thanks for the reply. Wow. That sounds like a lot of work each and every time. Would just using two cellphones just be easier?

 

[Tomasz Góral]

This is easy, of course for me.
You need 4 sources (video).
First: OBS.ninja is better like zoom
Second: open obs.ninja in browser (i recommend Chrome), run directory room, send invitation,
1. source is your guest,
2. source is your camera,
3. source is next camera

In OBS you can add all group connected (e.g. 4 source) or connect manual every source if in your room have more connected people in this scenario add 4 source browser to OBS every source put on canvas in 1/4 screen. Get address from directory room, put in to Browser Source and now you have what need to stream on YT or any other rtmp service.

 

[konsolenritter]

Thanks for the reply. Wow. That sounds like a lot of work each and every time. Would just using two cellphones just be easier

Hhhm. I don't think so. If you take the zoom window in full-sized mode and you know when it will have the three-parties-look or the fouth-parties-look, the three/four participants will always be sitting roughly within the same boundaries on the screen, right?

So it should suffice to have one or two scenes prepared like this. And you put up these kind of scenes almost _once_. Before i gave that hint to you, a tried it by myself. I prepared a (libreoffice impress) presentation to have three coloured rectangles sitting roughly there. Could capture them the described way.

Additional hints: Minimizing the program (in your case: zoom window) to the systray will prevent to capture frames anymore. So the captured prog should be left window-open. _But_ it can be in the background even! You can get OBS in the foreground and it will capture the zoom window behind itself correctly...

Just give it a try. If you are used to use your mice, it would last you just five minutes to prepare that.

 

[konsolenritter]

First: OBS.ninja is better like zoom

Hi Tomasz, obs.ninja sounds interesting. But how can the guests hear each other?

 

[Tomasz Góral]

Hi Tomasz, obs.ninja sounds interesting. But how can the guests hear each other?

How ?
I use speakers sometimes headphones and microphone.

 

[Jack Decker]

OBS.ninja is better like zoom

I have the first contestant in a "waiting room" until it is their turn to play. I film five game episodes per recording session so each contestant will have to spend time in a waiting room as they alternate who goes first. Is there a waiting room kind of thing in OBS.ninja?

 

[Jack Decker]

Hhhm. I don't think so. If you take the zoom window in full-sized mode and you know when it will have the three-parties-look or the fouth-parties-look, the three/four participants will always be sitting roughly within the same boundaries on the screen, right?

Kind of. Five game videos are recorded per recording session with the contestants alternating who goes first each video. While the first contestant competes, I need the second contestant to be in a temporary waiting room. While the first contestant competes, there will be his feed plus the one on me, another on the scorecards, and a third as a placeholder. When I bring in the second contestant, the first contestant is moved into the box the placeholder was using and the second contestant is moved into the box the first contestant was in.

So it should suffice to have one or two scenes prepared like this. And you put up these kind of scenes almost _once_. Before i gave that hint to you, a tried it by myself. I prepared a (libreoffice impress) presentation to have three coloured rectangles sitting roughly there. Could capture them the described way.

So I'd have two "scenes" pre-made that I can use over and over again. Easily switching the placeholder feed for one of the first contestant and giving the box of the first contestant to the second contestant, right? What about a waiting room for the second contestant to be temporarily parked in?

 

[Tomasz Góral]

you can control two or more rooms and move people from one to other rooms.

 

[konsolenritter]

How ?
I use speakers sometimes headphones and microphone.

I try to understand...
Recently i thought that obs.ninja has been a one-way-ticket to stream your cam and/or mic into an website. Got it right now that obs.ninja rooms are completey two-way (or more) conference solution with audio into all directions, yepp?

 

[Tomasz Góral]

y

I try to understand...
Recently i thought that obs.ninja has been a one-way-ticket to stream your cam and/or mic into an website. Got it right now that obs.ninja rooms are completey two-way (or more) conference solution with audio into all directions, yepp?

yepp