Check out Elliott Bishop’s Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/bishopgp
If you’re an esports fan, you probably have a group of streamers you watch consistently on Twitch and YouTube. Video game streaming has become a huge industry in recent years, with millions of people every day tuning in to watch pros play at top levels on their personal computers.
But if there’s one thing to note about the average Twitch streamer, it’s that production quality hasn’t changed much since the platform’s launch. Just about any channel you enter is a screen-shared game feed with a webcam of the player in the corner. If you’re lucky, the streamer will sometimes switch between the webcam and the game, but don’t expect much more than that!
Elliott Bishop isn’t your average Twitch streamer. A former live producer & marketer who has worked with clients like Red Bull and Verizon Digital Media Services, Bishop combined his commercial live streaming knowledge with his passion for gaming and constructed a setup that uses 2 production-quality cameras in lieu of webcams.
“One day I was streaming and I thought, ‘part of what makes certain live videos so interesting and compelling is the multiple angles that viewers get when cameras are switched, so why not do the same for gaming’?” said Bishop. “Because I have all of this high-end production at my disposal, I decided to create a setup that would separate me from other streamers and create a brand for myself.”
Next-Level Gaming Setup
Bishop’s setup includes two cameras: one front-facing and one back-facing. These allow him to switch between either the standard face camera, the camera behind which captures a wide shot of his PC setup, or the video feed from his gameplay. Here’s a rundown of the equipment:
- 1x Sony A7S as front-facing camera
- 1x Sony FS700 as back/side camera
- 1x Teradek Cube 255 for looping in the back/camera feed
- 1x Gaming PC
- 1x Secondary PC running OBS switcher
Teradek Cubes are video streaming encoders that take high-definition 1080p30 / 720p60 video feeds from camera sources via HDMI/SDI input and streams them directly to the Internet or to decoder destinations. For gaming, this takes the encoding load off of the gaming PC’s CPU, allowing it to dedicate the processing to keeping the gameplay smooth.
For Bishop’s setup, every camera source goes directly to the secondary PC, which is essentially his dedicated production switcher. The Sony FS700 is mounted with the Teradek Cube 255 encoder, which pulls the video feed and sends an RTSP stream to OBS. After overlays are added in, the feed is sent directly to Twitch.
A Twitch Channel Unlike Any Other
Twitch has always relied on gameplay to attract viewers, with only small additions like basic subscription & donation overlays (aka static images) being implemented in the years since launch (via streamlabs). Bishop’s multicam streams add a refreshing new twist to the conventional Twitch broadcast, and gives another reason for viewers to enjoy his content.
“Streaming is a way for me to combine my passion in gaming and promoting. My goal is to offer viewers content that differentiates me from other broadcasters and focus on what makes my channel unique: production quality,” said Bishop. “People love that I could switch from the front camera to one behind or on the side. It’s something they don’t normally experience in this space.”
Essential to his production is the Cube 255 encoder. It broadcasts the camera’s feed wirelessly to the LAN with minimal delay, allowing Bishop to skip the cables and be completely wireless. The camera can be placed anywhere on a tripod within WiFi range and get a signal to OBS.
“Teradek has given me a way to break apart from what you typically see on Twitch. Because it’s a hardware encoder, it frees up processing on my PCs so they can focus on gaming and streaming. With the Cube, I’m able to step up my production and create a broadcast you’d only see at larger scales.”
Elliott Bishop streams on Twitch daily. Check out his Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/bishopgp