You can install Wirecast on any Mac or Windows computer that meets the minimum system requirements.
Topics
•Minimum: Windows 10 version 1809 or higher; or Windows 11 21H2
•Recommended: Windows 10 21H2
Note: Run Wirecast on the Windows Aero theme. This includes a hardware-accelerated window manager. Running Wirecast on the Windows Classic theme can cause performance issues.
Note: How to check the generation of your Intel processor.
•Minimum: Intel sixth generation (Insufficient for 1080p+ or 60 fps workflows) or later; or AMD Ryzen™ 1000 Series or later
•Recommended: Intel seventh generation or later; or AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series or later
•Minimum: 8GB RAM
•Recommended: 16+ GB RAM
•Minimum: 7200 RPM Hard Drive (HDD) for recording to disk
•Recommended: Solid State Drive (SSD)
•Minimum: Intel HD (insufficient for advanced Multi-Viewer workflows), 2 GB VRAM, DirectX 11 capable
•Recommended: Dedicated Nvidia GeForce 4+ GB VRAM, DirectX 12 capable
Recommended: Total bitrate needed x 2 = required upload bandwidth
Make sure the following ports are open for traffic on your network:
•80 (HTTP/HTTPS)
•443 (SSL)
•1935 (RTMP)
•2935 (RTMPS)
•3478 (STUN/Rendezvous)
•5349 (STUN/Rendezvous)
•5353 (mDNS for NDI sources)
•5960-59xx NDI port range (one port for each NDI source in use)
•7272 (Remote Desktop Presenter)
•49152-65535 (WebRTC Media/Rendezvous, selected at random)
If you’re behind a firewall, ask your streaming destination for any sites you should whitelist.
Rendezvous uses WebRTC technology, requiring speed and power. These are the minimum bandwidth and CPU power for good Rendezvous performance:
Rendezvous Bandwidth Requirements | Studio (2 guests + 1 host) | Pro (7 guests + 1 host) |
|---|---|---|
Bandwidth1 | Add 4 Mbps | Add 5+ Mbps2 |
Processor1 | 5 quad-core3 | 7 quad-core3 |
Based on a single simultaneous stream of 720p 30 x264 @ 4.0 Mbps.
1As you add guests, Wirecast reduces the bandwidth per guest. This maintains reliability.
2 Minimum recommended processor with example stream4.
3 Demanding workflows might require a more capable CPU.
•Solid State Drive or fast RAID array recommended
•Data rates vary depending on the recording, resolution, and frame rate selected.
•Keep total expected data rate within available disk write speed.
Note: If the highest total data rate exceeds the disk-write speed, Wirecast might drop frames.
•Intel Core i5 CPU @ 2.5 Ghz or higher recommended for 720p streaming with x264 @ 30 fps
•Intel Core i7 CPU @ 3.0Ghz or higher recommended for 1080p streaming with x264 @ 30fps
Note: 60 FPS streaming increases CPU usage and bit rate. Add 4Mbps or higher for good quality.
•Minimum 4GB RAM, 2GB free hard disk space
•Additional hard disk space required for recording to disk
Hardware Accelerated Encoding Requirements
•Intel Quick Sync Video encoding requires an Intel CPU with an Intel® QuickSync Video core.
•NVIDIA NVENC encoding requires an NVidia GPU with Kepler architecture or newer.
You can install Wirecast on any Windows or Mac computer that meets the Wirecast basic system requirements.
To install Wirecast, do the following:
1.Download the installer from the Telestream website:
https://dynamic.telestream.net/downloads/download--wirecast.asp?prodid=wirecast.
2.Run the installer (EXE) program and follow the instructions.
If you have an older version of Wirecast already installed, the installer upgrades to the newer version.
See also Install and Activate Wirecast for Windows.
3.(Optional) The installer asks whether you want to install the Virtual Microphone. If you do, check the box for this feature. You must have administrative rights to install Virtual Microphone.
To uninstall Wirecast, do the following:
1.Run the Wirecast installer (EXE) program.
The installer asks if you want to repair or remove the existing version.
2.Select Remove to uninstall the existing version of Wirecast.
You can purchase and activate Wirecast on a computer that is either online or offline.
See:
Production & Streaming: Renewal & Licensing Questions.
https://support.telestream.net/s/article/Licensing-Questions
Wirecast Activation Guide for Mac
Wirecast Activation Guide for Windows
Purchasing and Activating Wirecast Online
To purchase and activate Wirecast, do the following:
1.Launch Wirecast.
2.Select File > Preferences > Licenses, and click Purchase. Purchase Wirecast.
Telestream sends you a Wirecast serial number.
3.Close and relaunch Wirecast.
Wirecast opens the Welcome dialog.
4.Click Enter existing serial number.
Wirecast opens the Enter serial number field.
5.Enter your serial number into the Enter serial number field.
6.Click Continue.
Telestream validates the serial number and activates Wirecast.
Note: You can also purchase a serial number at telestream.net.
See Preferences.
If the Wirecast computer is not on the Internet, activate your license and unlock Wirecast on another computer that is online. To activate your license from another computer, do the following:
1.Follow the steps in the Offline Activation Guide at:
https://telestream.net/telestream-support/wire-cast/training.htm.
Telestream sends you a serial number for Wirecast.
2.On the offline machine, launch Wirecast.
Wirecast opens the No Internet Connection dialog.
3.Click Enter existing serial number (offline activation) button.
Wirecast opens the Enter serial number field.
4.Enter your serial number into the Enter serial number field.
5.Click Continue.
Telestream activates Wirecast.
See also Wirecast Offline Activation Guide.
Deactivating a serial number on one computer allows you to re-activate it on another computer. Without an activated license, Wirecast reverts to demonstration mode.
See Demonstration Mode.
Note: You can always reactivate a serial number by re-entering it into the License Key field and clicking Activate.
To deactivate Wirecast, do the following:
1.Select FileWirecast > Preferences > Licenses.
2.Click Deactivate.
Wirecast deactivates the serial number and removes it from the License Key field.
Note: Access the License Reset Tool at:
https://telestream.net/telestream-support/deactivate-software.htm
See Preferences, and Resetting Your License.
At times you might need to reset your Wirecast license with a new serial number. For example, if you try to log in several times with incorrect serial numbers, Telestream might prevent you from logging in without a new serial number. In such cases, you can use the Telestream License Reset Tool to acquire a new serial number for your license. To reset your Wirecast license, do the following:
1.Go to, License Reset Tool.
2.Follow the instructions on the License Reset Tool page.
To log into Wirecast, sign up for Wirecast, or run Wirecast in Demonstration mode, do the following:
1.Launch Wirecast.
Wirecast opens the Welcome dialog.
2.Click one of the following buttons on the Welcome dialog, as desired:
–Log in
–Sign up
–Demonstration
With each purchase of Wirecast, you receive a one-year subscription to Insider Access Support. Insider Access Support comes with upgrades as well as with full licenses. You can renew this subscription annually.
For an additional fee, you can upgrade from an Insider Access Support subscription to a Premium Access Support subscription.
You can upgrade to the latest version of Wirecast for free as long as your license and support subscription are active. To upgrade, download and install the latest version of Wirecast.
If your support subscription has expired, or you haven’t entered your license key into the software, Wirecast reverts to demonstration mode. In demonstration mode, you can’t upgrade. In demonstration mode, you can continue to use the last version of Wirecast released while you had an active support subscription.
See Demonstration Mode.
Before your support subscription expires, Wirecast prompts you to renew it. If you don’t renew before the subscription expires, you can re-subscribe at any time for an additional fee.
See also Support Subscriptions and Upgrades.
To check for Wirecast software updates, do the following:
1.Select FileWirecast > Preferences > Software Update.
2.Click Check Now.
Wirecast checks for updates without transmitting personal data to Telestream.
See Preferences.
With no active serial number, Wirecast enters demonstration mode. In demonstration mode, Wirecast watermarks all outputs, both to disk and to networks. The video water-mark is a periodic overlay of the Wirecast logo. The audio watermark is a periodic voice-over. If you use a Wirecast Studio serial number with a Wirecast Pro feature, Wirecast watermarks the outputs from the Pro feature.
You can control many Wirecast functions with some hardware controllers, also called Human Interface Devices (HIDs). Wirecast provides control to these MIDI controllers:
•APC MINI
•APC40mk2
•Launchpad MK2
Wirecastprovides control to this X-keys controller:
•XKeys 128
To install a hardware controller for Wirecast, do the following:
1.Select File > Preferences > Controllers.
2.Select a controller from the drop-down menu.
3.To close the Preferences dialog box, click the “x.”
See Preferences.
You can prevent screen tearing in Wirecast outputs, and optimize Wirecast performance, by enabling vertical sync. Disable Vertical Sync could cause tearing and video stuttering. This does not, however, decrease broadcast video quality. Disable Vertical Sync is selected by default.
By default, Wirecast synchronizes its output with the refresh rate of your display. However, this degrades performance when the Wirecast Program window is not visible. The Program window might not be visible when the screen is locked, when Wirecast is minimized, or when Wirecast is hidden under another application. Screen tearing also occurs when your system can’t draw a complete frame before another frame comes along.
Unchecking Disable Vertical Sync enables vertical synchronization. Vertical synchronization prevents the video card from drawing a frame until the monitor refreshes from the last frame.
Note: When vertical synchronization is enabled, Wirecast limits the frame rate of the rendering engine to the video-signal frame rate. This improves video quality but could introduce input lag. Lag could interfere with the performance of games, particularly games that require precise timing or fast reaction times.
See also Screen Tearing.
To prevent dropping frames, do the following:
1.Select File > Preferences > Advanced.
2.Uncheck Disable Vertical Sync.
3.To close the Preferences dialog box, click the “x.”
See The Preferences Dialog Box.
You can prevent Wirecast from dropping frames, and optimize Wirecast performance, by lengthening latency.
Wirecast adds latency to all incoming sources. Latency is the period between receiving video and processing it. This gives Wirecast time to store the incoming data properly. Application Source Latency lets you set the length of the latency. The lower this value, the less time Wirecast takes between receiving data and using it. If the latency is too brief or the bitrate too slow, Wirecast drops frames or introduces audio blips. You can set the value for Application Source Latency from a minimum of 50 ms to a maximum of 330 ms. The default is 300 ms.
To prevent dropping frames from short latency, do the following:
1.Select File > Preferences > Advanced.
2.Enter a value, in milliseconds, into the Application Source Latency field.
3.To close the Preferences dialog box, click the “x.”
See Preferences.
If your computer has a drive for capturing media, Wirecast detects the drive on first launch. Wirecast creates the folder, Wirecast Recordings, on the media capture drive.