Installing

This page describes the installation, from starting the setup until the program is ready to use. It explains what the installer asks and what it puts on disk. It also answers the two most common questions: what happens to an OBS Studio you already have, and what happens when the licence key does not work. If you install the program on several computers, see the installation in detail in part 13.

Before you start

Operating system	Windows 10 version 1803 or newer, or Windows 11, 64-bit
Rights	Administrator rights during the setup
Disk	About 1.1 GB
Internet	Required the first time, because the setup downloads about 180 MB
Close first	Any other application based on the OBS engine, including OBS Studio

The last point is important, because two OBS-based applications that run at the same time overwrite each other’s configuration. The setup checks for this, and if it finds such an application, it stops and explains why.

What the setup does

The setup takes you through seven steps:

1. It asks for a language. You can choose English, Dutch, Norwegian, German or Spanish, and the language of Windows is selected by default. The setup continues in the language you choose, and the program uses it at the first start.
2. It checks the computer. The setup checks whether an OBS-based application is running and whether Windows is new enough. If a check fails, it stops before it changes anything.
3. It downloads and installs the program. If the correct version is already present, the setup skips the download, so a second run over an existing installation takes only a few seconds.
4. It switches off the automatic updates of the engine. The program does not update itself. To get a new version, use Check for updates… or run a new setup.
5. It asks for your licence key. See below.
6. It asks which modules to install, and which of them to switch on immediately.
7. It creates the launcher and the shortcuts, and gives write access to the configuration folder.

The licence key

The setup shows a page where you enter the key from your account page. With that key, the setup asks the website which modules belong to your account, and it then offers exactly those modules.

You can also leave the field empty. In that case you get only the modules that were supplied with the installer, and nothing else changes.

If the key does not work, the setup shows a message and continues with the modules that were included. This can happen when the key was mistyped, when there is no internet connection, or when the key has been withdrawn. The message is only a warning, and the installation has not failed.

Choosing modules

The module page lists the modules available to you, each with two checkboxes:

[x] Example module                     1 MB
    [x] Activate now

The first checkbox installs the module, and the second switches it on immediately. You can also install a module without activating it. The module is then on disk, and you can switch it on later under Settings → Modules without running the setup again.

The second checkbox depends on the first, so you cannot activate a module that you do not install.

What is put on disk

C:Program FilesUltimate Playout
  UltimatePlayout.exe        <- the launcher you start
  Modules                   <- the modules you chose
  engineconfig             <- your settings, scenes and logs

There are two things to know about this layout:

• The folder engineconfig contains your configuration, and every user of the computer can write to it. This suits a control-room PC with changing volunteers, because everyone finds the same setup. It is less suitable for a workstation where each user expects personal settings.
• Your own documents are stored in another place. Cue lists and exports go to your Documents folder and not to Program Files. See The first start.

Your existing OBS Studio

The setup does not change an OBS Studio that you installed yourself. It does not rename, reconfigure, upgrade or downgrade it, so your OBS Studio keeps its own settings, scenes and updates, and both programs can be installed on the same computer.

There is one rule: do not run them at the same time. Close one program before you start the other.

Unattended installation

The setup can also run without questions, which is useful when you install the program on several computers:

UltimatePlayout_Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /KEY=UP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

In silent mode, the module page is not shown, and the setup installs and activates every module. If the download archive is already on the computer, you can pass its location to the setup, so that the download is skipped:

UltimatePlayout_Setup.exe /VERYSILENT /OBSZIP="D:deployobs.zip"

Part 13 describes these options, and the language option, in more detail.

Uninstalling

Uninstalling removes the program folder completely. Your cue lists and exports are in your Documents folder, so they are not removed.