Mac Streaming Centre of Excellence

Professional Streaming
on Apple Silicon

Unlock the full potential of your Mac for streaming. From Metal rendering to custom Twitch API integrations — everything you need to build a professional workflow.

4K

Recording

Metal

Renderer

API

Integrated

The Problem with Twitch VODs

Most streamers rely on Twitch VODs for their recordings. It's convenient, but you're leaving quality and control on the table.

📺

Twitch VOD Limitations

  • Quality capped at your stream bitrate
  • Audio muted for copyrighted music
  • Deleted after 14-60 days
  • No 4K option regardless of your hardware
  • Chat replay disappears when downloaded
💾

Local 4K Recording

  • Full 4K quality with HEVC compression
  • Complete audio — your content, your rules
  • Permanent archive on your storage
  • YouTube-ready quality for repurposing
  • Baked-in context (chat, stats, overlays)

The industry standard: Stream at 1080p for Twitch compatibility, record at 4K locally for maximum quality. Your Apple Silicon Mac can handle both simultaneously with zero extra CPU load.

The Mac Streaming Challenge

Mac streamers face a unique problem: tools like StreamElements are built for Windows. Essential features simply don't exist on macOS.

⚠️ What's Missing on Mac

StreamElements Limitations

  • • No native Mac app
  • • Browser source workarounds only
  • • Limited OBS integration
  • • No local recording features

Recording Context Gap

  • • Viewer count not baked into recordings
  • • Stream timer absent from local files
  • • Chat feed missing from archives
  • • Event notifications lost

When you download your Twitch VOD, you lose all the context that made the stream engaging.

Your recording becomes just video — no chat, no viewer milestones, no raid celebrations.

A Programmatic Solution

If the tools don't exist, we build them. Using the Twitch API, server-side PHP, and OBS browser sources, we can recreate — and improve upon — the missing functionality.

How It Actually Works

OBS Browser Source

JavaScript Widget

AJAX Request

fetch() / XMLHttpRequest

PHP Backend

Your Server

Twitch Helix API

OAuth 2.0

1. OBS Browser Source

A JavaScript-driven HTML page loaded as a browser source in OBS. It renders the widget UI (viewer count, timer, chat) and updates in real-time. Because it's part of your scene, it gets recorded in your 4K local file.

2. AJAX Polling

The widget makes periodic fetch() calls to your server endpoint (e.g., every 10 seconds). This retrieves the latest stream data without refreshing the page — smooth, flicker-free updates.

3. PHP Server Script

Your server-side script (dashboard.php) handles authentication, caches API responses, and returns JSON data. It stores your encrypted Twitch credentials and manages OAuth token refresh.

4. Twitch Helix API

The official Twitch API provides stream data (viewers, uptime), user data (followers), and EventSub for real-time events. Your server authenticates with OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials.

Widget Preview

Stream Dashboard LIVE
👁️ Viewers
1,247
⏱️ Uptime
02:34:17
❤️ Followers
12.4K

Latest Event

🎉 StreamerFan99 just subscribed!

💬 Live Chat

ModeratorMike: Great stream tonight!

SubUser123: Can you show the OBS settings?

NewViewer: First time here, love the quality

GiftedSub: 4K recording is insane

This entire widget gets captured in your 4K recording — permanent context

👁️

Live Viewer Count

Real-time viewer numbers pulled from Twitch Helix API, displayed as an OBS overlay and baked into your recording.

⏱️

Stream Timer

Uptime counter synced with your actual stream start, persisted in recordings so viewers know the context.

💬

Chat Integration

TMI.js-powered chat feed displayed in OBS and captured in your 4K recording — permanent chat history.

🎉

Event Alerts

Follows, subs, raids, and bits — all captured via EventSub webhooks and displayed in your recording.

📊

Stats Dashboard

Combined widget showing peak viewers, follower count, session stats — your stream's vital signs at a glance.

🔐

Subscriber Tools

Premium widgets and configs for Twitch subscribers — authenticated via OAuth, verified via API.

The Professional Workflow

This is how it all comes together — from OBS config to Twitch API to your final 4K archive.

1

Configure OBS for Dual Output

Enable Metal renderer, set canvas to 4K, output scaled to 1080p for stream. Use Apple VideoToolbox H.264 for streaming, HEVC for recording.

→ Covered in the free course

2

Set Up Twitch API Integration

Register your app in the Twitch Developer Console. Generate Client ID and Secret. Configure OAuth scopes for the data you need.

→ Twitch Developer Console
3

Deploy Server-Side Scripts

PHP scripts on your server handle API authentication, token refresh, and data fetching. They serve JSON endpoints for your OBS widgets.

Requires: PHP 8+, MySQL/MariaDB, SSL certificate

4

Add Browser Sources to OBS

JavaScript widgets fetch data from your PHP API and render in OBS browser sources. Transparent backgrounds, custom styling, real-time updates.

Uses: window.obsstudio hooks, fetch API, CSS animations

5

Stream + Record Simultaneously

Go live. Your 1080p stream goes to Twitch. Your 4K recording captures everything — including all the context widgets baked right in.

Result: Professional archive with permanent chat, stats, and events

If Only There Were a Solution...

Imagine a service that provided Mac streamers with ready-to-use dashboard widgets, pre-configured Twitch API integrations, and OBS browser sources — all designed for Apple Silicon and optimised for 4K recording workflows.

A subscription service where you get:

Viewer count widget
Stream timer overlay
Chat feed for recordings
Event notifications
Stats dashboard
OBS config files

We're building exactly that. Starting with free education, moving to premium tools.

Follow the journey on Twitch

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Create an account with your Twitch API credentials to access the dashboard widgets.

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🔒 Your Twitch credentials are encrypted with AES-256 and never shared with third parties.

Free Training

Mac Streaming Masterclass

Start with the fundamentals. Learn Metal rendering, VideoToolbox encoding, and how to configure OBS for simultaneous 1080p streaming and 4K recording.

✓ Metal & VideoToolbox explained ✓ Config files included ✓ Personalised recommendations

Developer Resources