Go live with OBS & Strevalo
A complete beginner's guide. No technical experience needed. You will be live in under 5 minutes.
Steps
1. Download OBS 2. Create your event 3. Get your stream key 4. Configure OBS 5. Set up your scene 6. Go live 7. Share your linkDownload and install OBS
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is free, professional streaming software used by millions of broadcasters worldwide — from churches to major TV networks. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Go to obsproject.com and click the download button for your operating system. Install it like any normal program.
Already have OBS? Skip straight to Step 2. Any version of OBS from the last 3 years will work perfectly with Strevalo.
Create your event on Strevalo
Log in to your Strevalo account and click + New Event from your dashboard. Fill in your event title, date, privacy setting, and whether you want live chat and replay enabled.
Choose your access level — Public for anyone to find, Unlisted for link-only access, or Password Protected for private events like weddings or family celebrations.
Tip for churches: Set your Sunday service to Password Protected so only your congregation members can access it. Share the password in your weekly bulletin.
Get your RTMP URL and stream key
After creating your event, Strevalo gives you two things you need to connect OBS — your RTMP Server URL and your unique Stream Key. You will find both in your event's Studio page.
They look like this:
Keep your stream key private. Anyone who has it can stream to your event channel. Never share it publicly or paste it in a chat.
Configure OBS settings
Open OBS. Go to Settings → Stream. Change the settings to exactly these values:
Now go to Settings → Output and set these for a solid, reliable stream:
Go to Settings → Video and set:
Slow internet connection? Reduce Video Bitrate to 1500 Kbps and Output Resolution to 854×480. Your stream will still look good and stay stable.
Set up your scene and sources
In OBS, a Scene is what your viewers see. A Source is what you add to the scene — your camera, your screen, a microphone, images, or text.
For a basic church or event stream you need two sources:
- Video Capture Device — your camera or webcam. Click the + in Sources, choose Video Capture Device, select your camera from the dropdown.
- Audio Input Capture — your microphone or audio mixer. Click the + in Sources, choose Audio Input Capture, select your microphone.
Drag the video preview to fill the canvas. Check your audio meter is moving when you speak — the bars should reach the yellow range, never the red.
Audio is more important than video. Viewers will forgive a slightly blurry picture but not poor audio. If you have a dedicated microphone or sound mixer, always use it over the built-in laptop mic.
Go live
When you are ready, click the Start Streaming button in OBS (bottom right). OBS will connect to Strevalo and your event goes live within 5–10 seconds.
Go to your Strevalo dashboard and open your event's Studio page. You will see the stream health indicator turn green — this confirms Strevalo is receiving your video.
Always do a test stream first. Start streaming 10 minutes before your event begins. Open your watch link in a different browser to see exactly what your viewers see. Check audio, video quality, and that the correct source is showing.
Share your watch link
From your Strevalo dashboard, copy your event's watch link. It looks like:
Share this link anywhere — WhatsApp, email, Facebook, your church bulletin, or your website. Viewers click it and watch instantly in their browser. No app download. No account needed. No charge to viewers.
Works on every device. Your viewers can watch on mobile, tablet, laptop, or smart TV browser. The stream adapts automatically to their connection speed.
Ready to go live?
Create your account in 60 seconds and have your first event live today.