OBS Studio 28.0, released on 31 August 2022, was a substantial technical update: it added HDR and 10-bit workflows, moved OBS to Qt 6, introduced native Apple Silicon builds, added platform-specific audio-capture improvements and integrated obs-websocket 5.0. Those changes could expand what a streamer could do, but the benefits depended on the operating system, hardware, plugins, capture source and streaming destination.
OBS Studio 28 at a glance
OBS Project marked the software’s tenth anniversary with OBS Studio 28.0. It was not just a visual refresh: the release changed the application framework and added capabilities that mattered differently to different streamers. The release date and anniversary are historical context; later OBS versions may have changed operating-system support, plugin compatibility and streaming-service support.
| Change | Who it mattered to | Main qualification |
|---|---|---|
| HDR and 10-bit output | Streamers with compatible encoders, hardware and HDR workflows | Required AV1 or HEVC; platform, filters and delivery service constrained use. |
| Qt 6 migration | Anyone upgrading OBS or relying on plugins | OBS 28 dropped several older operating systems, and Qt 5-dependent plugins needed updates. |
| Native Apple Silicon builds | Mac users on Apple Silicon | Some third-party plugins might not be available for the native build. |
| Application audio capture | Windows streamers separating a game’s sound from other desktop audio | Application-specific capture was Windows-only in the release. |
| ScreenCaptureKit | Mac streamers capturing their screen | Framework support began with macOS 12.5; direct audio capture required macOS 13 or later. |
| obs-websocket 5.0 integration | Users of automation, remote controls and third-party tools | Integrations needed compatibility with the version 5 protocol. |
HDR and 10-bit: more color headroom, with real setup constraints
What OBS 28 enabled
OBS 28 added color-format and color-space settings for HDR and 10-bit output. Its release notes recommended P010 as the color format and Rec. 2100 PQ as the color space for HDR. HDR and 10-bit encoding required an AV1 or HEVC encoder. OBS described HDR streaming at release as supported through YouTube’s HLS service with an HEVC encoder; that 2022 statement should not be taken as YouTube’s current support matrix.
It was also possible to record 10-bit SDR using P010 with an SDR color space such as Rec. 709 or Rec. 601, again with AV1 or HEVC. For 10-bit HEVC encoding, OBS specified an NVIDIA 10-series, AMD 5000-series or newer GPU. Intel QuickSync and Apple VT were not supported for that feature at the time. OBS 28 could tonemap an HDR game into an SDR scene, which was useful when capturing HDR content but delivering a standard dynamic-range stream.
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What could get in the way
- OBS said HDR preview did not work on macOS or Linux at the time of release.
- Several inputs and encoders still needed updates for HDR.
- These filters did not function on HDR-rendering sources: Apply LUT, Chroma Key, Color Key, Image Mask/Blend, Luma Key and Sharpness.
- An HDR-capable setting alone did not guarantee an HDR stream: the encoder, source, scene, operating system and delivery service also had to fit the workflow.
Capturing an external HDR source
For a console or camera connected through a capture device, OBS’s guidance required the device to support a 10-bit format such as P010. The article, dated 2 August 2022, described device-based HDR capture as supported on Windows at that time. OBS listed tested devices including ASUS CU4K30, ASUS 4KPRO, EVGA XR1 Pro, AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573), Elgato 4K60 Pro Mk.2, Elgato 4K60 S+ and Elgato 4K Pro. This is an optional path for external HDR capture, not a prerequisite for ordinary SDR streaming. Check current device specifications and OBS support before buying.
Qt 6 changed upgrade compatibility
OBS moved its interface framework from Qt 5 to Qt 6 to keep pace with toolkit updates and support newer operating systems and architectures. The practical cost was that OBS 28 no longer supported Windows 7 or 8, macOS 10.13 or 10.14, Ubuntu 18.04, or 32-bit operating systems. If your computer ran one of those systems, OBS 28 was not a compatible routine upgrade.
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Plugins built against Qt 5 also needed updates for Qt 6. OBS warned some could stop working after an upgrade, but this did not mean every plugin broke: compatibility depended on the plugin and platform. OBS’s compatibility page is a dated, non-exhaustive snapshot. Before updating, check each plugin’s current version and operating-system and CPU-architecture support, especially on Apple Silicon.
Native Apple Silicon builds: useful if your plugins fit
OBS 28 offered a native Apple Silicon build, avoiding x86 emulation. OBS described the application as running “more optimally” but supplied no benchmark, so there is no substantiated percentage or universal performance gain to expect. The key trade-off was plugin availability: some third-party plugins might not yet support the native build. OBS said users could choose an x86 build when they needed plugins unavailable natively. Check the architecture of the OBS build and every essential plugin before switching.
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Audio and screen capture improvements were platform-specific
Windows: capture one application’s audio
OBS 28 added application-specific audio capture on Windows, allowing audio output from a single process to be captured. For a game streamer, that can make it easier to separate game audio from general desktop sound. It was not a universal feature across operating systems in the release notes.
macOS: ScreenCaptureKit and audio conditions
On macOS 12.5 and later, OBS added support for Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit framework, which OBS described as improving capture performance. Direct audio capture without third-party solutions was available on macOS 13 and later. OBS also listed Apple VT encoder improvements and support for CBR, CRF and Simple Mode on Apple Silicon; CBR required macOS 13 or later. Keep the OS conditions in mind when comparing a Mac setup with a Windows tutorial.
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Automation moved to obs-websocket 5.0
OBS 28 downloads included obs-websocket 5.0 as a first-party plugin. In its 3 August 2022 announcement, OBS Project said the version 5 rewrite brought a new protocol, additional features and improved reliability, and that integration would help standardize official API support used by third-party scripts and tools. If you use scene-switching automation, remote controls or integrations, check whether they support the version 5 protocol rather than assuming an older setup will work unchanged.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other notable additions
- Updated AMD encoder implementation on Windows: relevant to Windows users encoding with supported AMD hardware.
- NVIDIA background removal integration on Windows: a platform-specific addition for users with compatible NVIDIA setups.
- Automatic recording splits: recordings could be split by time or file size, helpful for managing long captures.
- Yami theme: OBS 28 introduced it as the default theme.
These are selected changes, not a complete changelog; OBS 28 also contained many other fixes and changes.
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Should a streamer care about OBS 28?
Decide based on the job you need OBS to do, not the version number alone:
- You want HDR or 10-bit output: verify AV1 or HEVC availability, compatible hardware and the relevant color settings; check the destination’s current support separately.
- You are upgrading an older computer: confirm that its operating system meets OBS 28’s requirements before changing versions.
- Your setup depends on plugins: verify Qt 6 and CPU-architecture compatibility for each essential plugin before upgrading.
- You use an Apple Silicon Mac: compare native-build availability for your plugins with the x86 option you may need for older dependencies.
- You want separate game audio: the application-capture change was for Windows; macOS capture improvements had specific OS requirements.
- You automate OBS: confirm that scripts and controls support obs-websocket 5.0.
- You capture an HDR console or camera: check 10-bit capture-device support and the current OS and OBS compatibility; a capture card is unnecessary for a standard SDR workflow.
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