Choose How to Stream

Pick how the picture and sound from your suite reach Pixelview. You set this up once per room; after that, starting a session takes a click.

The best source is the SDI or HDMI output that already feeds your monitor, connected to a capture device, because it carries exactly what your monitor shows. A streaming app or a dedicated box then compresses the picture and sends it to Pixelview. With no video output, your editing software can send the picture over the network instead.

Edit / grade systemSDI or HDMI outCapture deviceStreaming appPixelview

The guides mention WHIP, SRT, and NDI. These are just different ways of moving video, and each guide tells you which to pick. See Terms Explained.

What do you have in your room?

A Mac or Windows PC with a Blackmagic capture devicePixelview Desktop RecommendedThe Pixelview app. Pair it with a code from Admin, choose your capture device and start streaming. You do not need stream keys or encoder settings.A capture device from another brand, an Intel Mac or Linux, or NDIOBS StudioA free streaming app. More settings than Pixelview Desktop, and our guide walks you through each one. Also the right choice if you already use OBS and want to keep one app.No computer to spare, or a room anyone should be able to runHardware encoderA small box, preconfigured by us. Plug in SDI, network, and power; there is no software to run.No capture device and no video outputStraight from your editing softwarePremiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, and Flame can send the picture over the network without extra hardware.

Still unsure? Email hello@pixelview.io with what is in your room, or book a call.

Compare the options

	Pixelview Desktop	OBS Studio	Hardware encoder	From editing software
Setup effort	Lowest	Medium	Lowest	Medium
Runs on	Mac (Apple Silicon) and Windows	Mac, Windows, Linux	No computer	Your editing computer
Needs a capture device	Yes, Blackmagic	Yes, most brands	No, SDI goes straight in	No
Highest format	10-bit 4:4:4 (Mac)	10-bit 4:2:2	Depends on the encoder model	Depends on the software
HDR beta	Yes	Yes	No	No
Shows exactly what your monitor shows	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, it is a software output

Streaming from your editing software

With a capture device, use one of the options above with any editing or grading software. These guides are for sending the picture out of the software itself:

Software	Without extra hardware	Notes
Adobe Premiere Pro	Direct to Pixelview or through OBS	Direct is simplest. Through OBS gives more control over quality.
Avid Media Composer	Direct to Pixelview or through OBS	Same trade-off as Premiere Pro.
Final Cut Pro	Through OBS	Sends the picture to OBS over NDI.
Autodesk Flame	Through OBS	Sends the picture to OBS over NDI. Lower quality than an SDI output, and a good way to try Pixelview.
DaVinci Resolve, Baselight, and others	Use your SDI output with Pixelview Desktop, OBS Studio, or a hardware encoder.

"Direct" uses SRT. "Through OBS" sends the picture to OBS over your network using NDI, and OBS sends it on to Pixelview.

Before every session

Create or activate a project, start your stream, check the thumbnail in Admin and the viewer link yourself, then invite your viewers. New to Pixelview? Start with Your First Session.

Watching on SDI at the other end

Pixelview Desktop on a Mac can also receive a session and play it out over SDI to a reference monitor or projector, in 10-bit 4:2:2 or 10-bit 4:4:4 RGB. See Receive a Stream and Play Out over SDI.