Setup
Requirements
Rovto doesn't replace OBS: it runs alongside it. On top of a classic OBS setup, it adds web overlays (browser sources). That changes your machine needs a little. Here are a few technical notes.
The difference
Classic OBS vs OBS with Rovto
What changes compared to a usual OBS stream.
Classic OBS
Encode and broadcast
- •OBS captures your game and your camera, encodes the video and sends it to the platform.
- •The load comes mostly from video encoding (CPU or GPU) and upload bandwidth.
- •A few static images and texts as overlay, light on resources.
With Rovto
Plus: real-time web overlays
- •Each scene is a browser source (a mini Chromium inside OBS) showing the web overlay and updating live.
- •Several browser sources = more RAM and a bit more GPU/CPU for rendering.
- •On the internet side, almost nothing more: overlays are very light on bandwidth.
In short: if your machine already handles a clean OBS stream, mainly plan for a bit more RAM for the browser sources. On the connection side, the needs barely change: overlays are very light.
Machine
Recommended PC setup
As a guide, for a 1080p stream with Rovto overlays.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor (CPU) | 4 recent cores | 6 to 8 cores (e.g. Ryzen 5/7, recent Core i5/i7) |
| Memory (RAM) | 8 GB | 16 GB, or 32 GB with many scenes/sources |
| Graphics card | GPU with hardware encoder | Recent dedicated GPU (NVIDIA NVENC recommended) |
| Encoding | Hardware (NVENC / AMF / QuickSync) | Hardware (NVENC) to free the CPU |
| Storage | SSD | SSD (fast source startup) |
Why more RAM? Each OBS browser source is a browser instance (CEF): count roughly 150 to 300 MB per open source. Our collections automatically unload sources that aren't visible to limit the load.
Connection
Internet connection
Rovto adds almost no bandwidth: the needs stay those of a classic stream. This table is mostly a reminder.
| Use | Indicative bitrate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60 stream | 6 to 9 Mbps (upload) | 720p60: 4 to 5 Mbps |
| Rovto overlays | A few KB | Negligible; updates live |
| If caster camera (VDO.ninja) | ~2 to 4 Mbps per caster | Independent of Rovto (same under OBS alone) |
As with any stream: a wired (Ethernet) connection is preferable to Wi-Fi. This isn't specific to Rovto.
Browser
Which browser for the control room
This choice ONLY affects the Rovto interface. Your overlays are always rendered by the browser embedded in OBS, which is a Chromium, whatever browser you use for the control room.
| Browser | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera | Recommended | Chromium-based, like the OBS browser: what you see in the control room matches what goes on air. |
| Firefox | Usable, with two caveats | Generating a transition with transparency and installing the app do not work. |
| Safari | Untested | Nothing should prevent it, but we don't check it on every release. |
The two Firefox caveats, in detail. The stinger transition is encoded by your browser in VP9 to preserve transparency: Firefox cannot produce that format, and Rovto will say so clearly rather than hand you a video with a black background. And installing Rovto as a desktop app is a Chromium-only feature. Everything else, control room, scene editor, OBS export, works normally.
Settings
Best practices
- ✓Use the hardware encoder (NVENC / AMF / QuickSync) to relieve the CPU.
- ✓Connect via Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi.
- ✓Keep the OBS option “Deactivate source when not visible” on browser sources (our collections enable it already, except on caster scenes, whose camera must not reconnect).
- ✓Don't multiply unnecessary browser sources; one overlay instance per scene.
- ✓Close resource-heavy apps in the background (browsers with many tabs, other games).
- ✓Name your OBS audio sources “Mic”, “Voice Chan” and “Music” for the Stream Deck integration.