I need help with recording a Twitch stream in real-time as it happens.
I want to capture the video content directly to my local storage while the broadcast is still ongoing. Waiting for the VOD to become available later won’t work for what I’m trying to do.
I’ve been experimenting with streamlink library and managed to extract the direct stream URL, but I’m stuck on the next steps. What’s the best approach to actually download and save the stream data as it’s being transmitted? Are there specific tools or methods that work well for this kind of real-time capture?
Any guidance on the technical implementation would be really helpful.
If you’re looking for an alternative to streamlink, OBS Studio is an excellent choice. Simply add the Twitch stream as either a browser or media source and you can record directly from there. This gives you more control over bitrate, encoder settings, and file formats. I often use OBS when I need to record multiple streams simultaneously or add overlays. Just make sure to set your recording path to a drive with ample space, as these files can grow quite large. The quality remains consistent, even for longer streams, which isn’t always the case with other methods.
Since you’ve got streamlink working to extract URLs, you’re basically done. Just use streamlink’s recording feature instead of handling the stream data yourself. Run streamlink https://twitch.tv/channelname best -o filename.mp4 and it’ll capture the stream in real-time without extra tools. I always use ‘best’ quality since it’s reliable, but pick a specific resolution if bandwidth’s tight. Main thing - make sure you’ve got enough storage space and write speed for the data rate. I use external drives for long streams so I don’t fill up my main drive.
youtube-dl works gr8 if you’ve got it instlled. Just run youtube-dl https://twitch.tv/username and it handles everything auto. Downloads straight to mp4 which is nice. Only issue is the connection sometimes drops on rlly long streams, but you can restart it easy enough.