Open-source | Low-latency | Hardware-accelerated | Local Wi-Fi
Important
OpenStream Beta is a beta release. It is ready for local Wi-Fi camera workflows, but device-specific camera behavior and network quality can still vary. Please report bugs in GitHub Issues.
| Step | Download | Install on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | openstream-android.apk |
Android phone |
| 2 | openstream-obs-plugin-installer-windows-x64.exe |
Windows OBS PC |
| Fallback | openstream-obs-windows-x64.zip |
Manual OBS plugin install |
Need the non-technical walkthrough with screenshots? Start with docs/set-up.md.
OpenStream Beta sends your Android phone camera directly into OBS Studio over local Wi-Fi. It uses Camera2, MediaCodec video/audio encoding, MPEG-TS muxing, SRT transport, two-way LAN discovery, source-slot pairing, and a native OBS source plugin.
Phone camera -> HEVC/H.264 + AAC -> SRT over Wi-Fi -> OpenStream Beta camera slot in OBS
| Area | V2 improvement |
|---|---|
| OBS setup | The OpenStream Camera Control dock provides the original v2.1 connection and camera controls. |
| Upgrade safety | Existing OpenStream V7 scene sources keep loading while new sources appear as OpenStream V8. |
| Pairing clarity | OBS and Android both describe slots as production camera positions instead of raw listener ports. |
| Release polish | Version defaults, release notes, and setup docs are aligned around the V2 beta release. |
DroidCam is a mature phone-as-webcam product with Wi-Fi, USB, desktop webcam clients, and an OBS plugin. OpenStream Beta is a beta open-source alternative focused on local OBS camera slots, SRT transport, high-bitrate video, and a repo-controlled release/update path.
| Feature | OpenStream Beta | DroidCam / DroidCam OBS |
|---|---|---|
| Project model | Open-source repo with Android app, native OBS plugin, CI builds, and public release assets. | Commercial app/client/plugin from Dev47Apps with free SD usage and paid HD/pro features. |
| Primary workflow | Turn Android phones into dedicated OBS camera sources over local Wi-Fi. | Use a phone as a webcam for video calls or as an OBS camera source. |
| OBS integration | Native OpenStream V8 source with camera slots, discovery, pairing URLs, and live controls. |
Direct DroidCam OBS plugin; no separate desktop client needed for OBS use. |
| Transport | SRT over LAN with MPEG-TS carrying HEVC/H.264 video and AAC audio. | Wi-Fi and USB transfer options; DroidCam OBS advertises hardware-accelerated video. |
| Video target | 1080p60 default with high local bitrate and HEVC preference. |
Standard-definition free mode; HD/Full-HD/4K options depend on DroidCam mode and pro upgrade. |
| Audio path | AAC microphone audio into a separate OBS mixer channel, tuned for 48 kHz live production. |
Sound capture is supported, including webcam-style audio paths. |
| Multi-camera setup | Source slots such as CAM A and CAM B reserve phones and recover reconnects into the same OBS source. |
DroidCam OBS supports adding multiple devices as OBS sources. |
| Remote camera controls | The OBS Cameras dock controls zoom, torch, lens switching, and the phone identification overlay. | Pro features include manual camera controls and PC remote controls. |
| Release updates | GitHub Releases provide openstream-android.apk and updater metadata for in-app update prompts. |
Updates are delivered through DroidCam's app/client/plugin distribution channels. |
| Best fit | Builders and streamers who want an inspectable, hackable OBS-first camera pipeline. | Users who want a polished cross-app webcam product with mature USB and desktop-client options. |
Sources: DroidCam official site, DroidCam OBS plugin, and DroidCam OBS usage notes.
Download the APK from the release, copy it to your Android phone, open it, and allow the install prompt. Grant camera and microphone permissions on first launch.
Download and run openstream-obs-plugin-installer-windows-x64.exe on the Windows PC that has OBS Studio installed. Restart OBS after the installer finishes.
Note
If you prefer manual installation, download openstream-obs-windows-x64.zip, extract it, and run install-openstream-plugin.bat as administrator.
In OBS, click + in Sources, choose OpenStream V8, keep the camera slot enabled, and press OK. Each source gets a slot such as CAM A or CAM B, so multi-phone setups can stay organized.
Open the OpenStream Beta Android app on the same Wi-Fi network as the PC. Its guided discovery panel lists available OBS camera slots; tap one to connect. The camera feed should appear in OBS within a few seconds.
Use OBS as usual. Open Docks → OpenStream Camera Control for the original v2.1 camera controls. Phone audio appears as a separate OBS mixer channel.
Tip
Use a 5 GHz or Wi-Fi 6 network, keep both devices on the same subnet, and disable VPNs or router client isolation during first setup.
| Area | Current support |
|---|---|
| Phone OS | Android 10+ with Camera2 and hardware MediaCodec support. |
| OBS host | Windows x64 with OBS Studio 32.2.1 and its bundled FFmpeg SRT support. |
| Network | Same LAN/subnet; guest Wi-Fi, VPNs, and client isolation can block discovery. |
| Release maturity | Beta. Expect device-specific camera quirks and Wi-Fi-dependent latency. |
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full HD Streaming | Streams a 1080p camera feed at up to 60 fps over SRT. |
| Hardware Encoding | Uses MediaCodec HEVC/H.265 with H.264 fallback. |
| Audio Streaming | Sends microphone audio with the video stream as AAC. |
| Multi-Lens Switching | Supports rear, ultrawide, telephoto, and front cameras when available. |
| Pinch-to-Zoom | Smooth digital zoom with a live zoom indicator. |
| Screen-Off Streaming Mode | Dims the phone to a black overlay while keeping capture and streaming active. |
| Torch and Screen Controls | Keeps the phone awake and can toggle torch while streaming. |
| OBS Slot Picker | Shows available OBS camera slots on the phone and blocks busy slots from accidental reuse. |
| Auto-Discovery | Finds OpenStream Beta OBS listeners on the same LAN and advertises the phone back to OBS. |
| Manual Connect | Supports manual IP and port entry when discovery is blocked. |
| Live Stream Telemetry | Shows frames, keyframes, transferred megabits, errors, and active lens while streaming. |
| Identify Overlay | Displays a large slot label on the phone when triggered from OBS. |
| Reconnect Hold | Keeps a reserved OBS slot for 45 seconds after a disconnect to make brief Wi-Fi drops less disruptive. |
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Native OBS Source | Adds an OpenStream V8 source type inside OBS Studio while preserving V7 scene compatibility. |
| Multi-Camera Dock | Shows every OpenStream Beta source with state-aware connect, retry, stop, discovery, and live camera controls. |
| One-Click Installer | Windows installer copies the plugin into the OBS plugin folder. |
| Camera Slots | Gives each source a stable slot label such as CAM A, CAM B, or a custom slot name. |
| Phone Discovery | Lists discovered Android phones, includes a refresh action, and can let the phone choose the OBS slot. |
| Auto-Connect | Listens for the Android app and connects without typing IP addresses. |
| Deep-Link Pairing URL | Exposes an openstream://connect pairing URL with slot, port, latency, and source identity. |
| Separate Audio Mixer | Phone microphone audio gets its own OBS mixer channel. |
| Remote Controls | Adjust zoom, torch, rear/front camera, and the phone slot label overlay from the persistent dock. |
| Reconnect Handling | Reserves and releases phones per source so streams recover into the same OBS slot. |
| Moment | Experience |
|---|---|
| First launch | The phone explains camera/microphone access, then presents a guided discovery state over the camera preview. |
| OBS setup | Add one OpenStream V8 source per camera angle, name the production slots, and monitor them from the Camera Control dock. |
| Pairing | The phone scans for available OBS slots and provides refresh, empty-state recovery, and manual fallback. |
| Going live | A LIVE badge, zoom chip, stream stats, and status text make the active connection visible at a glance. |
| Multi-camera work | Busy and reserved slots prevent two phones from fighting over the same source. |
| On-set checks | Use Show Slot Label on Phone in OBS to flash the slot label on the physical phone. |
| Battery and heat | Use DISPLAY for a black screen-off overlay or STAY to keep the phone awake. |
Android phone
Camera2 preview/capture
MediaCodec HEVC/H.264 video
MediaCodec AAC audio
MPEG-TS muxer
libsrt sender
|
| SRT media stream on port 9000
v
Windows PC
OBS Studio
OpenStream Beta native source plugin
FFmpeg SRT receive/decode
OBS video frame + audio mixer output
Discovery uses UDP port 51515. Camera remote controls use the phone HTTP control server on port 9001.
| Parameter | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1920x1080 |
Full HD capture target |
| Frame rate | 60 fps |
30-60 fps depending on device support |
| Video codec | HEVC/H.265 | H.264 fallback |
| Bitrate | 50 Mbps |
High-quality local Wi-Fi default; lower if the link drops frames |
| SRT latency | 120 ms |
80-200 ms useful range |
| Discovery port | 51515/udp |
LAN discovery beacon |
| SRT port | 9000 |
Media stream |
| Control port | 9001/http |
Remote zoom, torch, lens |
Development build:
cd android
$env:JAVA_HOME = 'C:\Program Files\Android\Android Studio\jbr'
.\gradlew.bat :app:assembleDebugDebug APK output:
android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
Note
Normal APK builds link bundled libsrt static libraries for real network streaming. Use -Popenstream.nonStreamingCiBuild=true only for intentional source-compile checks.
Signed release build:
$env:OPENSTREAM_RELEASE_KEYSTORE = "$PWD\openstream-release.keystore"
$env:OPENSTREAM_RELEASE_STORE_PASSWORD = "<store-password>"
$env:OPENSTREAM_RELEASE_KEY_ALIAS = "<key-alias>"
$env:OPENSTREAM_RELEASE_KEY_PASSWORD = "<key-password>"
.\gradlew.bat :app:assembleReleaseThe easiest local build path on Windows is the included script:
.\build_plugin.batTo package without installing:
$env:OPENSTREAM_SKIP_INSTALL = "1"
$env:OPENSTREAM_PLUGIN_PACKAGE_DIR = "$PWD\artifacts"
.\build_plugin.batThe package output is artifacts/openstream-obs-windows-x64.zip.
GitHub Actions publishes:
| Asset | Purpose |
|---|---|
openstream-android.apk |
Signed Android app install package |
openstream-obs-plugin-installer-windows-x64.exe |
Recommended Windows OBS plugin installer |
openstream-obs-windows-x64.zip |
Manual OBS plugin package |
See docs/release.md for release tagging and validation.
Validate SRT transport without OBS:
python tools/openstream_receiver.py --port 9000 --latency-ms 120 --ffplayThis is a developer/debug tool only. Normal users should install the OBS plugin.
- Camera2 hardware-accelerated capture
- HEVC/H.265 and H.264 encoding with MediaCodec
- SRT transport with MPEG-TS muxing
- Native OBS source plugin with FFmpeg decode
- LAN auto-discovery
- Audio streaming into the OBS mixer
- Remote camera controls from OBS
- Windows plugin installer
- Adaptive bitrate based on network conditions
- QR pairing for restricted networks
- GPU zero-copy receive path
- macOS/Linux OBS plugin packages
| Link | URL |
|---|---|
| Website | OpenStream Beta.pages.dev |
| Releases | github.com/YashasVM/OpenStream/releases |
| Issues | github.com/YashasVM/OpenStream/issues |
Made by @YashasVM
Turn your phone into a pro OBS camera source. No cables required.