====== Streaming Guides ======

These are guides to the various ways we've found to stream audio/video content for the group.

===== Alexa's Discord Method =====
I stream movies and anime through discord using a particular hardware setup. I settled on this after some trial and error and some consideration of my goals. I wanted to:
  - Watch from bed
  - Hear the video AND still hear people commenting
  - Have a good experience for people who are into the video

To do this, I use headphones AND monitor speakers.

Initial setup/configuration: \\
I set Discord to use the headphones for input and output, and have the input mode set to voice activity. (Settings / Voice & Video) \\
On my video player (I generally use DVDFab Player 6) I've set the output to the monitor speakers.

Before Streaming: (Initial Setup) \\
First, I join the Discord channel and start my camera so I can talk to everybody. \\
Then I select the video (file or disc) and start the player (Immediately pausing if it starts to play) \\
Then I share the player application as a stream (I've found 720/30 works really well for my internet connection) \\
If Discord can't share the player, I have to go into Discord's Settings / Activity Status and remove the "game" and re-add the player.

Starting the Stream: \\
In Discord I turn off my camera (it just sucks bandwidth/CPU and no one should be looking at each other anyway while we watch the movie, right ;-) \\
Then I set Discord's input mode to "push to talk". That way, sounds in my room don't get transmitted over Discord. \\
Then I start the player so we're watching the movie. \\
Then I move one headphone so one is on my ear, and one is off so I can hear the movie through the monitor speakers (because I can't hear my own stream through discord). \\
Finally I adjust my monitor speakers to a good volume... and we're watching the movie! \\

Finishing Up: \\
Once the video is over, I basically reverse everything. \\
I set Discord's input mode back to Voice Activity. \\
And I turn on my camera so we can talk about what we just watched.