Webcam test for streaming and OBS

A streaming setup adds a layer most people do not have: virtual cameras that can be permitted while the real one was never asked for.

1. 1Select the camera icon in the address bar, set Camera to Allow, then reload.
2. 2Open the picker above and check which device was actually granted. A virtual camera can hold the permission while the physical camera sits unused.
3. 3Pick the physical camera by name rather than leaving it on 'Default'.

If OBS can see the camera and this page cannot, the camera is held rather than missing — the two cannot have it at the same time.

1. 1Close OBS completely. A video capture source holds the camera exclusively for as long as it exists in the scene, even with the preview stopped.
2. 2Quit Camo, Snap Camera and NVIDIA Broadcast as well. They sit in the background by design.
3. 3Reload this page — and close this tab before reopening OBS, or OBS will find the camera held instead.

With OBS installed this is the normal state of affairs: whichever of the two opened the camera first keeps it until it lets go.

1. 1Close OBS, or remove the video capture source from the scene, then reload this page.
2. 2Check the system tray and menu bar for capture utilities still running after their window was closed.
3. 3Remember it works both ways. Close this tab before going back to OBS.

For streaming the useful question is not whether a picture appears, but whether the numbers match what you are about to ask OBS for.

1. 1Switch to the physical camera in the picker. A virtual device whose host app is not running produces a black frame rather than an error, which is why this looks like a broken camera.
2. 2Most webcams only sustain their top frame rate in bright light. Add light before concluding the camera cannot reach 60fps.
3. 3Set the source resolution and FPS in OBS to the values measured here. Asking for 1080p60 from a camera delivering 720p30 costs CPU and gains nothing.