Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteOBS Studio 28.0, released on 31 August 2022, was a major infrastructure and workflow update: it moved OBS to Qt 6, added HDR and 10-bit output options, introduced native Apple Silicon builds, and expanded audio capture and automation support. Whether those changes help depends on your operating system, hardware, plugins, capture source, and streaming destination. OBS 28 is a historical release; later OBS versions may have different support and service compatibility.
At a glance: the changes that matter
| Change | Who it matters to | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| HDR and 10-bit color options | Creators producing HDR or 10-bit SDR video | Requires AV1 or HEVC, compatible hardware and workflow; OBS 28’s release notes described YouTube HLS with HEVC for HDR at that time. |
| Qt 6 migration | Anyone upgrading, especially users of older systems or plugins | OBS 28 dropped support for several older operating systems and 32-bit systems; Qt 5-dependent plugins needed compatible updates. |
| Native Apple Silicon builds | Mac users with Apple Silicon | Third-party plugins might not have native builds; x86 builds remained an option when needed. |
| Application-specific audio capture | Windows streamers separating an app’s sound from desktop audio | The feature was Windows-specific in the OBS 28 release notes. |
| ScreenCaptureKit and macOS audio capture | Mac streamers capturing their screen or audio | ScreenCaptureKit support was for macOS 12.5 and later; direct audio capture was noted for macOS 13 and later. |
| obs-websocket 5.0 included | Users of scripts, remote controls, and integrations | Check compatibility with the version 5 protocol rather than assuming older setups work unchanged. |
OBS Project marked the software’s tenth anniversary with the 28.0 release. The anniversary is historical context, not a performance result.
HDR and 10-bit output: more color options, more dependencies
OBS 28 added color-format and color-space settings that made HDR and 10-bit output possible. The release notes specify that both HDR and 10-bit encoding require AV1 or HEVC. For HDR, OBS recommended the P010 color format and Rec. 2100 PQ color space. At the time of the 28.0 release, OBS described HDR streaming through YouTube’s HLS service using an HEVC encoder. That is a release-era compatibility statement, not a guarantee about YouTube’s current support or every account and workflow.
10-bit SDR is also possible
A 10-bit SDR recording could use P010 with an SDR color space such as Rec. 709 or Rec. 601, but still required an AV1 or HEVC encoder. OBS’s release notes said 10-bit HEVC encoding required an NVIDIA 10-series, AMD 5000-series, or newer GPU. Intel QuickSync and Apple VT were not supported for that particular feature at the time.
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HDR games in an SDR scene
If you captured an HDR game but built an SDR scene, OBS 28 could tonemap the HDR source to SDR. This does not make an HDR stream: it adapts the source for an SDR output workflow.
Know the preview and filter limitations
OBS noted that HDR preview did not work on macOS or Linux at the time, and that several inputs and encoders still needed updates. The following filters did not function on sources rendered in HDR:
- Apply LUT
- Chroma Key and Color Key
- Image Mask/Blend
- Luma Key
- Sharpness
These limitations matter when planning scenes: an HDR-capable encoder alone does not make every source, filter, preview, or delivery path HDR-ready.
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External HDR capture is a separate workflow
For an external HDR source, such as a console or camera routed through a capture device, OBS’s guidance required a device supporting a 10-bit format such as P010. The HDR device-capture support described by OBS was for Windows at the time. Its tested-device list included ASUS CU4K30, ASUS 4KPRO, EVGA XR1 Pro, AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K (GC573), Elgato 4K60 Pro Mk.2, Elgato 4K60 S+, and Elgato 4K Pro. Treat these as examples in OBS’s dated guidance, not current purchase recommendations; check each device’s present specifications and availability. A capture card is not required for ordinary SDR streaming or for capturing a game directly on the PC.
Qt 6 changed upgrade compatibility
OBS moved its user-interface framework from Qt 5 to Qt 6 to keep pace with toolkit updates and support newer operating systems and architectures. The cost of that transition was a higher minimum platform baseline. OBS 28 no longer supported:
- Windows 7 or Windows 8
- macOS 10.13 or macOS 10.14
- Ubuntu 18.04
- 32-bit operating systems
If your computer ran one of these systems, OBS 28 was not a routine compatible upgrade. You would need a supported operating system and 64-bit platform to use that release.
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Check plugins before upgrading
Plugins built around Qt 5 might stop working with OBS 28 unless their authors updated them for Qt 6. That did not mean every plugin broke: compatibility depended on the plugin, operating system, and architecture. OBS published a plugin compatibility snapshot dated 31 August 2022 and explicitly described it as non-exhaustive. Check the current version and architecture support for every plugin you rely on, particularly on Apple Silicon, before changing OBS versions.
Native Apple Silicon builds: useful if your plugins fit
OBS 28 offered native Apple Silicon builds, allowing OBS itself to run without x86 emulation. OBS said this could run more optimally, but the release materials do not provide a measured performance benchmark, so there is no substantiated percentage or speed gain to expect.
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The practical choice is between running the native build and retaining access to plugins that may not yet support Apple Silicon. OBS said users could use x86 builds when they needed a broader selection of plugins unavailable natively. Check the architecture of the entire workflow—not just OBS—including plugins and related tools.
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Audio and capture updates depend on your platform
Windows: capture audio from one application
OBS 28 added application-specific audio capture on Windows. It can capture output from a single process, which is useful when you want to separate a game or app from general desktop sound. Do not assume this exact OBS 28 feature was available on macOS or Linux; the release notes identify it as Windows-specific.
macOS: ScreenCaptureKit and direct audio
On macOS 12.5 and later, OBS added support for Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit framework, which OBS described as improving capture performance. OBS also noted direct audio capture without third-party solutions on macOS 13 and later. Those version requirements are distinct: ScreenCaptureKit support starts at 12.5 in the release notes, while the direct-audio point is tied to macOS 13 and later.
OBS 28 also listed Apple VT encoder improvements and CBR, CRF, and Simple Mode support on Apple Silicon. The release notes specified that CBR required macOS 13 or later.
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obs-websocket 5.0 became part of OBS downloads
OBS 28 downloads included obs-websocket 5.0 as a first-party plugin. In its 3 August 2022 announcement, OBS described version 5 as a rewrite with a new protocol, additional features, and improved reliability, and said integration would help standardize official API support used by third-party scripts and tools.
If you use automation, remote control, or an integration, check whether it supports obs-websocket 5.0 and its protocol. Do not assume a setup built for an older websocket version will connect or behave identically after an upgrade.
Other additions in OBS 28.0
The 28.0 announcement also listed an updated AMD encoder implementation on Windows, NVIDIA background-removal integration on Windows, automatic recording splits by time or file size, and the Yami default theme. These are selected examples, not a complete changelog; OBS 28 included additional fixes and changes.
Should you install or care about OBS 28?
Because OBS 28.0 is a historical release, the right question today is not simply whether its features sound useful, but whether you need that specific version. For a current setup, compare the version you intend to run against your operating system, hardware, plugins, and streaming service’s current requirements.
- For HDR or 10-bit work: verify codec and encoder support, P010/color-space settings, source and filter compatibility, and delivery requirements before building the workflow around the release-era HDR path.
- For older computers: confirm the OS is supported; OBS 28 dropped the platforms listed above.
- For Apple Silicon: verify native plugin support first, or consider the x86 build if a required plugin is unavailable natively.
- For isolated audio capture: match the feature to its platform and OS requirements rather than treating it as universal.
- For automation: check that scripts and integrations support obs-websocket 5.0.
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