RTMP to VDO.Ninja

Stream from OBS, MELD Studio, or any RTMP encoder directly into VDO.Ninja

How It Works

VDO.Ninja uses WebRTC, which is browser-native but incompatible with traditional streaming protocols like RTMP. Meshcast bridges this gap by:

Your encoder sends RTMP to Meshcast servers, which convert it to WebRTC (WHEP) in real-time. VDO.Ninja then pulls the WebRTC stream like any other guest.

Requirements

• Meshcast account - A registered account is required; a free account is enough for RTMP ingest
• RTMP-capable encoder - OBS, MELD Studio, Streamlabs, FFmpeg, etc.
• Stable upload - At least 1.5 times the total stream bitrate

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Copy Your RTMP Details

   Open the Meshcast dashboard and copy the complete RTMP URL. It looks like rtmp://host:1935/live/pk_example.

2. Configure Your Encoder

   In OBS, open Settings > Stream and choose Custom. Put everything through /live in Server, then put the private pk_... value in Stream Key.

   Service

   Custom

   Server

   rtmp://[dashboard-host]:1935/live

   Stream Key

   pk_...

   Never use the public st_... Stream ID for publishing.

3. Configure Output Settings

   Use H.264 video and AAC audio. These settings provide broad playback compatibility:

   Encoder

   H.264 (hardware if available)

   Rate Control

   CBR

   Bitrate

   2500-4000 kbps

   Keyframe

   2 seconds

   B-frames

   0

   VDO.Ninja receives this stream through WebRTC/WHEP, so H.264 B-frames must be disabled. In OBS, set B-frames or Max B-frames to 0; for Apple VT, clear Use B-Frames; for x264, use bframes=0 in Custom x264 Options. Stop and restart the stream after changing the encoder.

4. Start Streaming

   Click "Start Streaming" in OBS. Your stream should show as "Live" in the Meshcast dashboard within seconds.

Viewing in VDO.Ninja

Once your stream is live on Meshcast, you can pull it into VDO.Ninja:

Method 1: Dashboard VDO.Ninja Watch Link (Recommended)

In the Meshcast dashboard, open Stream Links, choose Watch, and copy the VDO.Ninja View link. It uses the public st_... Stream ID. Never put the private pk_... Publishing Key in a watch link.

Method 2: OBS Browser Source

If adding to OBS as a browser source, use the Meshcast embed player:

Use the public st_... Stream ID here as well—never the private Publishing Key.

Method 3: Share the Feed into a VDO.Ninja Room (Advanced)

&whep and &whepplay play the source only for the person who opens the link. To make an external WHEP feed available to room peers, join as a room publisher using &whepshare= (also called &whepsrc=) with the URL-encoded WHEP URL.

See the VDO.Ninja WHEP Share guide for the advanced options.

Use Cases

MELD Studio on Mac

MELD Studio doesn't have a virtual camera on Mac. If you prefer an encoder-based workflow instead of screen sharing, stream via RTMP to Meshcast:

1. In MELD, go to Stream settings
2. Add Meshcast as a custom RTMP destination
3. Start streaming
4. Pull the WHEP URL into VDO.Ninja

Multi-Camera Setups

Each separately published camera needs its own encoder output and Meshcast Publishing Key. Standard OBS sends one program output at a time; multiple simultaneous feeds require additional OBS instances or suitable multi-output tooling.

Remote Production

Remote contributors with an RTMP-capable encoder can publish through Meshcast, then you can add the resulting WHEP feed to your VDO.Ninja production. Network compatibility varies, so test each contributor's connection before going live.

Troubleshooting

Stream not appearing?

• Check your stream key is correct (copy/paste, don't type)
• Verify the stream shows as "Live" in Meshcast dashboard
• Open Stream Links again and use the server currently assigned by the dashboard. If it remains unavailable, contact support.

OBS says Streaming, but VDO.Ninja stays black or loading?

RTMP can be connected while WebRTC/WHEP playback rejects H.264 video containing B-frames. Set B-frames to 0 (or clear Use B-Frames), then stop and restart the OBS stream.

High latency?

• Use CBR rate control, not VBR
• Set keyframe interval to exactly 2 seconds
• Check View > Stats in OBS for dropped frames; lower the bitrate if your connection cannot keep up
• If your plan offers manual server selection, choose a healthy server closer to your location

Quality issues?

• Ensure your upload speed is at least 1.5x your bitrate
• Use 720p at 2500kbps for reliable quality
• Avoid 1080p60 unless you have 10+ Mbps upload

HEVC/H.265 not working in OBS Browser Source?

Solution: For the widest compatibility, use H.264. In OBS, choose an H.264 encoder such as Apple VT H.264, NVENC H.264, Quick Sync H.264, AMD H.264, or x264. Do not rely on a particular Chromium version alone.