Telestream Support

Need help with Wirecast?

You’ve come to the right place. Find answers, download updates, check out training resources, or get in touch with our support experts.

Still Need Help?

For fastest support, use the in-app support feature. In the Wirecast application, under the Help menu, click “Send Support Information…” and complete the form.

Wirecast in-app support menu

Contacting Support

Install & Activate

Common questions related to activating your product.

Use our new License Reset Tool where you have 24/7 access to reset your own license key.

Depending on your date of purchase, use the following:

If purchased through a reseller, contact them directly to recover your license.

Your license may only be activated on one (1) computer at a time. Reset your license by:

Yes, Wirecast v4 and higher licenses are cross-platform. You can activate your license on both Mac and Windows.

My support expired on my perpetual (lifetime) Wirecast license, how can I renew?

We are no longer selling support renewals for perpetual/lifetime licenses. You can stay on your last supported version, purchase a new Subscription to regain access to updates and support, or use our self-help resources.

How to lower CPU usage

System CPU usage should remain below 70% while streaming.

  • Disable “Live GPU Accelerated Icons”
  • Set canvas size to 1280×720
  • Select a lower resolution encoding preset
Why am I getting dropped frames?

We recommend checking your bandwidth via speedtest.net. System CPU usage should remain below 60% while streaming. Try switching to MPEG4 if using H.264.

  • Chroma Key: Supports Green and Blue screen. Use main, fill, and back lights for best results.
  • USB Webcams: Supported via AVFoundation (Mac) and DirectShow (Win).
  • PTZ Cameras: Visca over IP control supported (e.g. PTZOptics).

Wirecast Demos & Tutorials

Wirecast is compatible with a vast variety of hardware and software!

Below, you will find many tested, suggested, and officially supported tools for your streaming and production needs.

Wirecast natively has the ability to add integrated audio sources such as your PCs line-in jack, microphone, and system audio capture.

Tested Interfaces:

  • TASCAM (US-20×20, US-16×08, US-2×2, MiNiSTUDIO)
  • Behringer (UMC1820, ADA8200)
  • Focusrite (Scarlett 18i8)
  • M-Audio, MOTU, Native Instruments, PreSonus, RME, Steinberg, Zoom

Traditional Cameras

Connect SD, HD and UHD/4K video cameras using compatible capture cards (SDI, HDMI).

USB/Web Cams

Logitech (C920, C930E, Brio), Microsoft LifeCam series, and any webcam supporting AVFoundation (Mac) or DirectShow (Win).

PTZ/Robotic

PTZOptics, Lumens, 1 Beyond, Panasonic, Sony. Supports VISCA over IP and NDI controls.

Capture devices enable a computer to accept HDMI or SDI input from camcorders and DSLRs.

  • Capture Cards: AJA, AverMedia, Blackmagic Design, Bluefish444, Elgato, Epiphan, Inogeni, Magewell, Osprey.
  • Control Surfaces: X-keys for Wirecast, Elgato Stream Deck, AKAI Professional APC mini/mkII, Novation Launchpad MK2.

NDI stands for “Network Device Interface,” an IP streaming video protocol to simplify sharing sources across a network.

  • NDI Software: Adobe Creative Cloud, EasyWorship, NewBlue Titler Live, NewTek tools, ProPresenter, Sienna tools.
  • Web Streams: RTMP, RTMPS, RTMP(e), RTSP, HTTP, MMS streams directly. Teradek Cube supported.
  • Output: Supports HDMI or SDI output through AJA and Blackmagic playback devices.

The Wirecast Workflow

A high-level overview of how audio, video, and network sources flow through your hardware, into Wirecast, and out to your audience.

Audio/Video Sources

Devices:
  • Cameras: SD/HD SDI, HDMI, USB, USB-C, and Thunderbolt
  • iOS / Wirecast Go
  • Microphones: USB, Line In, XLR
  • Audio interfaces, mixers, and ASIO devices
Web/IP & Other:

Hardware Capture

Computers:
  • Mac (Apple Silicon & Intel)
  • Windows PC
  • Wirecast Gear (Win10)
  • Note: Quad-core processor recommended.
Video Capture:
  • PCIe, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0/3.1
  • AJA
  • Blackmagic Design
  • Magewell and more…

Encoding

Software Encoding:
  • X264, H.264
  • RTMP, SRT
  • ProRes, MJPEG
  • AAC, and WMV
Hardware Accelerated:
  • Intel QuickSync
  • nVidia NVENC
  • Apple H.264

Destinations

Deliver to:
  • YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and more
  • CDNs & Streaming servers
  • Record to disk via ISO Recording
  • Virtual camera and microphone out
  • HD-SDI output
  • Multi-viewer
  • Live program out via hardware
  • NDI output (Pro feature)
  • Secondary Live Display ouput

Detailed Technical Specifications & System Scaling

Supported Operating Systems

macOS Compatibility macOS Sequoia 15 or macOS 26 Tahoe.
Windows Compatibility Windows 10 (version 1809 or higher), Windows 11 (21H2, 24H2 natively supported).

Hardware Capability Baseline

Minimum Baseline
Processor (CPU): Intel® 6th Generation or newer CPU – or AMD Ryzen™ 1000 Series or newer CPU; Apple M1 or newer. Note: May be insufficient for 1080p+ or 60 fps workflows.

Memory (RAM): 8 GB of standard RAM.

Graphics Engine (GPU): Intel HD Graphics, 2 GB video memory, DirectX 11 capable; Apple Silicon: 8 GB of unified memory. Note: Insufficient for advanced Multi-Viewer workflows.

Storage / Hard Drive: 7200 RPM Hard Drive (HDD) required for local record-to-disk pipelines.
Recommended (Pro) Optimal Target
Processor (CPU): Intel® 7th Generation or newer CPU – or AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series or newer; Apple M1 or newer.

Memory (RAM): 16+ GB of RAM; Apple silicon: 16 GB of unified memory.

Graphics Engine (GPU): Dedicated Nvidia GeForce, 4GB+ video memory, DirectX 12 capable; Apple silicon: 16 GB of unified memory.

Storage / Hard Drive: High-speed Solid State Drive (SSD) or fast RAID array for flawless local multi-track ISO capture and Replay functionality.

Network Stack & Best Practices

Required Ports & Bandwidth

Bandwidth Baseline: Total bitrate needed x 2 = Required upload bandwidth. Upload speed can be tested at websites such as TestMy.net/upload.

Ensure these network ports are open for traffic:

  • 53 (DNS), 80 (HTTP/HTTPS), 443 (SSL)
  • 1935 (RTMP), 2935 (RTMPS)
  • 3478 / 5349 (STUN/Rendezvous peer-to-peer)
  • 5353 (mDNS for local NDI source discovery)
  • 5960-59xx (NDI port range, 1 port per active source)
  • 7272 (Remote Desktop Presenter)
  • 49152-65535 (WebRTC Media/Rendezvous – selected dynamically)
If behind a strict network firewall, check with your streaming target destinations for explicit domain whitelisting guidelines.
Hardware Acceleration Requirements
  • Intel Quick Sync Video: Requires an Intel CPU with an active Intel® QuickSync Video core.
  • NVIDIA NVENC: Requires a dedicated NVidia GPU featuring Kepler architecture or newer.
  • Apple Hardware H.264: Natively utilizes modern Apple Silicon unified pipelines or designated Mac processing arrays.
Rendezvous & Encoding Guidelines

Rendezvous utilizes WebRTC streams which scale system compute targets. Based on single simultaneous 720p30 streams @ 4.0Mbps:

  • Studio (2 Guests): Allocate +4 Mbps bandwidth | i5 quad-core CPU baseline.
  • Pro (7 Guests): Allocate +5+ Mbps bandwidth | i7 quad-core CPU baseline.

High Frame-Rate (60fps) & CPU Stack: Maintained system CPU usage exceeding 60% increases dropped frame likelihood. Consider lowering target canvas resolutions if resource saturation occurs.

Supported Languages

Wirecast interface controls, menus, and production toolkits are fully unlocked and available across 12 distinct localized languages:

English Flag English
Brazilian Portuguese Flag Brazilian Portuguese
Simplified Chinese Flag Simplified Chinese
Czech Flag Czech
French Flag French
German Flag German
Italian Flag Italian
Japanese Flag Japanese
Korean Flag Korean
Dutch Flag Dutch
Spanish Flag Spanish
Swedish Flag Swedish

Current & Previous Versions

Wirecast Plugin for Stream Deck 1.4

Install the free Wirecast Plugin for Stream Deck for easy, tactile control of your broadcast. Compatible with Mac or Windows. Stream Deck sold separately.

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Compatible with Mac & Windows