Graphics cards aren’t just for gaming, they’re powerful tools for streaming too. While most modern pixel pushers are capable of encoding video for live broadcast, Nvidia has classically been a few steps ahead of AMD in terms of features. Twitch’s Enhanced Broadcasting, for example, has eluded Radeon pixel pushers despite being readily available on many GeForce cards. However, Team Red is finally catching up in this regard, albeit with fewer supported devices.
Announced earlier this year, Enhanced Broadcasting is a collaborative effort between Twitch and OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). In a nutshell, it aims to leverage the native encoding capabilities of a GPU to provide multiple encodes of a stream. This removes the faff of setting options such as bitrate as the process becomes entirely automated, improving the experience for streamers and viewers. Better still, you don’t need the best graphics cards from either AMD or Nvidia to use it.
From July 18, 2024 onwards Enhanced Broadcasting is no longer in beta. Of course, the feature has a few system requirements. While Nvidia GeForce GTX 900 series and newer graphics cards enjoy support, restrictions for AMD are more restrictive beginning with Radeon RX 6000 series. There’s no clear indication as to why this is the case, but this likely plays into Team Green’s longstanding encoding expertise.
While it’s unfortunate to see Radeon users get the shorter end of the stick with Enhanced Broadcasting, it’s still great to see Enhanced Broadcasting make its way to Radeon and GeForce users alike. Now, Twitch just needs to deliver on its promise to bring AV1 encoding to the platform for streamers to truly get the most out of their graphics cards.
Should your system meet the requirements, you can try the feature for yourself by downloading, or updating to, OBS Studio 30.2. Don’t forget to have the latest graphics card drivers installed on too so that any pesky compatibility gremlins are kept at bay.