How to Enable and Stream HDR in OBS Studio

This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to set up, configure, and broadcast High Dynamic Range (HDR) content using OBS Studio. You will learn the necessary hardware prerequisites, the specific color settings required within OBS, and how to configure your encoder to deliver a vibrant, high-contrast stream to compatible platforms like YouTube.

Prerequisites for HDR Streaming

Before configuring OBS Studio, ensure your system meets the following hardware and software requirements: * Operating System: Windows 10 or 11 with HDR enabled. * Display: An HDR-compatible monitor. * Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 10-series / RTX series, AMD Radeon RX 5000 series or newer, or Intel Arc GPU. * OBS Studio: Version 28.0 or newer (which introduced native 10-bit and HDR support).

Step 1: Enable HDR in Windows

OBS Studio cannot capture HDR metadata unless Windows is actively outputting an HDR signal. 1. Right-click on your desktop and select Display settings. 2. If you have multiple monitors, select your HDR-capable display. 3. Toggle the Use HDR switch to On.

Step 2: Configure OBS Color Settings

To process 10-bit HDR video, you must change the default color space settings in OBS Studio. 1. Open OBS Studio and click Settings in the bottom-right corner. 2. Navigate to the Advanced tab on the left menu. 3. Under the Video section, update the following settings: * Color Format: Change from NV12 to P010 (this enables 10-bit color). * Color Space: Select Rec. 2100 (PQ) (the standard for HDR10) or Rec. 2100 (HLG). PQ is highly recommended for gaming and streaming. 4. Click Apply.

Step 3: Set Up Your Video Encoder

Standard H.264 encoding does not support HDR. You must use a modern encoder such as HEVC (H.265) or AV1. 1. In the OBS Settings menu, navigate to the Output tab. 2. Change the Output Mode at the top to Advanced. 3. Select the Streaming tab. 4. Change the Video Encoder to one of the following: * NVIDIA NVENC HEVC or NVIDIA NVENC AV1 (for RTX 40-series cards). * AMD HW H.265 or AMD HW AV1 (for RX 7000-series cards). * SVT-AV1 / AOM-AV1 (CPU-based AV1, requires a highly powerful processor). 5. Set your bitrate. HDR streams require higher bandwidth; a bitrate of 10,000 Kbps to 15,000 Kbps for 1080p HDR, or 20,000 Kbps to 30,000 Kbps for 4K HDR is recommended.

Step 4: Capture HDR Sources

Now you must add your HDR game or display to your scene. 1. In the Sources dock, click the + icon and select Game Capture or Display Capture. 2. Open the properties of the source you created. 3. Ensure that the source is capturing the HDR-enabled monitor or game. 4. If your game has an in-game HDR toggle, open the game settings and turn HDR On. OBS will automatically detect the 10-bit input signal and tone-map it correctly in your preview window.

Step 5: Configure Your Streaming Platform

Currently, YouTube is the primary platform that natively supports live HDR streaming. 1. Go to your YouTube Studio dashboard and create a live stream. 2. Copy your Stream Key. 3. In OBS Studio, go to Settings > Stream. 4. Set the Service to YouTube - HLS (HLS is required for HDR streaming, do not use RTMP). 5. Paste your stream key, click Apply, and then click OK. 6. Click Start Streaming in OBS. YouTube will process the 10-bit metadata and display an “HDR” badge on your live player for viewers with compatible displays.