Getting Started: OrangePi5 Plus Stream Options
If you’re part of ProjectWeatherEye, you’re probably looking to capture video from a USB weatherproof camera (or maybe another device) and send it to the cloud. The OrangePi 5 Plus is our preferred single-board computer (SBC). It’s got an octa-core Rockchip RK3588 processor, solid GPU support for video handling, and plenty of ports (USB, HDMI in and out, Ethernet) to hook up your gear. For our purposes, it’s perfect for grabbing video feeds and streaming them out to the world or in-house setup.
We’re going to cover two main ways to make this work: BELABOX for the serious streamers who want top-tier quality, and OBS on Ubuntu for the hobbyists who just want something simple that gets the job done. There’s a third option with FFMPEG we’ll touch on briefly, but it’s advanced enough to deserve its own post later.
Method 1: BELABOX – For the Streaming Obsessed
If you’re the type who wants your camera footage to look pristine and stream reliably, or if you’re looking to stream from remote areas, BELABOX is your answer. It’s built for live streamers—think Twitch pros or folks doing IRL broadcasts—but it’s awesome for ProjectWeatherEye too. It supports multiple internet connections (like bonding Ethernet and a USB modem) for rock-solid streaming, and it uses HEVC (H.265) video encoding. Compared to the older H.264 standard, HEVC delivers better quality at lower bitrates—crisper video without hogging as much bandwidth. That’s a win if you’re pushing high-res streams over garbage internet.
Heads up, though: BELABOX Cloud costs $10/month per encoder/relay. Worth it if you’re serious, but it’s a recurring cost to factor in. Once you’re set up, you can pull it into VLC, OBS, or Streamlabs using a link. Tons of flexibility here.
Official BELABOX information and tutorial site: https://belabox.net/
Installing BELABOX
Here’s the rundown—full details are on the BELABOX website, but here’s the overall idea:
Grab the Image: Head to belabox.net, find the OrangePi 5 Plus image, and download it.
Flash It: Use Balena Etcher (free software) to flash that image onto a microSD card. Put the card into your OrangePi.
Power Up: Hook up an HDMI monitor (makes life easier), plug in an Ethernet cable (seriously, don’t rely on WiFi for streaming—it’s a disaster waiting to happen), and power on the Pi.
Find the IP: Once it boots, the HDMI screen will show BELABOX’s interface with an IP address (like 192.168.1.XXX). It should be at the top of the command lines on the screen. Note it down.
Register It: On a computer on the same network, type that IP into your browser to access the BELABOX console. Then go to cloud.belabox.net, sign up, and link your device with the relay service.
Change Settings: In the BELABOX console, you’ll set up your encoder. Pick your input from the dropdown (USB port, HDMI port, etc), adjust bitrate (more on that later), and choose your input (like your USB weather-proof camera). If you’re streaming to a service that only takes H.264 (most do), you’ll need to transcode HEVC to H.264 downstream—advanced users, we’ll cover that in a future post. Regardless, it can be still viewed in VLC, OBS, or other player/encoder by clicking “SRTLA Relays” button at the top of the website, then using the “SRT watch settings summary” links. There’s 2.
Once it’s running, you’re done. Your stream can go wherever you point it—cloud server, OBS, wherever. Just keep an eye on that $10/month if you’re using their cloud relay. Additionally, if you want to figure things out on your own before we get into it together, we’d recommend pulling the stream into OBS, then using OBS to stream it wherever you want.
Method 2: OBS on Ubuntu – The Hobbyist’s Choice
OBS on Ubuntu is a solid, free option. It’s the same OBS you might know from desktop streaming, but we’re running it on the OrangePi. For this, we recommend Joshua Riek’s Ubuntu image for the Rockchip-based OrangePi 5 Plus. Stock Debian or Ubuntu doesn’t play nice with the Pi’s Mali G610 GPU, and that GPU is key—it handles video encoding/decoding so your CPU isn’t sweating bullets. Without GPU support, your streams will stutter or tank.
Setting It Up
Download the Image: Grab Joshua Riek’s Ubuntu from his GitHub (look for the OrangePi 5 Plus version). (Link: https://joshua-riek.github.io/ubuntu-rockchip-download/ )
Flash It: Same deal as BELABOX—use Balena Etcher to write it to a microSD card.
Boot Up: Stick the card in the Pi, connect an HDMI monitor, USB keyboard/mouse, and Ethernet (again, WiFi’s a gamble), then power it on.
Install Ubuntu: Follow the on-screen setup. Default login is usually “ubuntu”/“ubuntu”—change that password ASAP for security.
Install OBS: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run these commands line by line, pressing enter after each line, from the OBS site:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install obs-studio
That’s it—OBS is now on your Pi. Reboot to be safe (terminal command: sudo reboot).
Configuring OBS
Add Your Camera: Plug in your USB weather cam, open OBS, and add it as a source. It might show up as “V4L2 Video Device” under “Video Capture Device.” Test it out.
RTSP Option: Got a security cam with an RTSP feed? Add it as a “Media Source” in OBS and paste the RTSP URL (usually something like rtsp://username:password@IPaddress:port—check your cam’s manual).
Stream Settings: Go to Settings > Stream, pick “Custom,” and paste your RTMP link (e.g., rtmp://yourserver/live/streamkey). We’ll cover setting up a home RTMP server in another post if you’re going that route.
Output Tweaks:
For resolution and bitrate:
720p: 1500-2500 Kbps
1080p: 3000-4500 Kbps
Keep it reasonable—too high and a shaky connection will drop frames.
Auto-Reconnect: In Settings > Advanced, set “Retry Delay” to 10 seconds and “Max Retries” to 9999. This keeps OBS trying if your internet has issues.
Auto-Start Magic
Want your stream to start on its own when the Pi powers on? Most people will not, but here’s how if you do. Open the terminal, then In the terminal:
Open the startup apps file. Open the terminal again, then type:
nano ~/.config/autostart/obs.desktop
Press enter.
Put the following in the file:
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=OBS Auto Start
Exec=obs --startstreaming
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Save (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X) and reboot. Now OBS launches and streams automatically—great for a headless setup.
Third Option: FFMPEG
There’s a third way using FFMPEG—a command-line tool to stream USB or RTSP feeds directly to the cloud. It’s powerful, lightweight, and super customizable, but it’s also a bit of a pai for beginners to configure. We’ll dive deep into that in a separate post because it’s advanced enough to stand alone.
Wrapping Up
So, there you go—two solid paths for ProjectWeatherEye with the OrangePi 5 Plus. BELABOX is your high-end choice: multi-connection support, HEVC quality, and a cloud relay (for a price). OBS on Ubuntu is the free option for hobbyists who just want to plug in a cam and go. Pick what fits your own project—either way, you’re going to have a reliable way to stream.Got questions? Bring them to one of our Project WeatherEye live streams, or send us an email.
Next time, we’ll tackle home RTMP servers or that FFMPEG.
