The RECentral 4 streaming program, whether it be Express or 4, is basically the same with very small differences including the mainframe layout—slightly. The program itself is basically the same, but, depending on which device you get, there will be a different firmware update for you to install so make sure you are up-to-date with the program fixes. And if you are not sure about program compatibility, AVerMedia has got you covered with a paring program to make sure things are in order. Just make sure to head over the AVerMedia.com under gaming and choose the device you have to be redirected to this area.

RECentral 4 is easy to install and easy to navigate. Right off the bat, you got 3 main functions to use in the program: Capture/Stream, Media Share, and Settings.

Under Capture/Stream, you have 2 main modes to choose from which are Multi capture mode and Single capture mode. It should be common sense to the average streamer but Single mode clearly will only capture what is visibly shown via the capture device. Multi allows not only the capture device to be selected, but other features as well including your profile camera, an image, a video, text input, and web sources from URL links like StreamLabs, Muxy, etc.

Once you select this mode, it creates a Scene for you that contains other sources you can later add before you initially begin streaming. So you can create an Opening, BRB, Closing scenes for your stream to look and feel professional. As far as how many Scenes you can create, there is no limit but, of course, when creating too many scenes you’ll have a hard time navigating with the scroll function as the window for it is not adjustable like it is on OBS.

From there, you can add as many sources to your Scene for the ultimate setup which can include your alert bot system (StreamLabs, Muxy, etc.), your camera, images/video overlaying, web browser URLs, etc. The cool thing is you can do live editing if needed on the fly.

Media Sharing is basically your upload and download center for already created videos you may want to use in your stream, to downloading your most recent stream upon pressing the Record button before actually streaming. Of course, you can record at any point during your stream so there should be no limitation on creating highlights or clips for your viewers later on via the RECentral 4 streaming program. The choice is yours but everything is easily accessible from the Media Sharing mode.

One last thing to mention is the fact that the Media Sharing mode has an easy setup for immediately sharing your vids or streams directly to your social media account(s). RECentral 4 also allows you to rename, create tags, or delete any video before finalizing and sharing, right from the program itself. Sharing platforms available are YouTube and Facebook via the SNS Share button.

For the settings, it’s pretty simple and clear. You have General to choose your language for the program, Save Path for downloading location of your content, and there is display performance enabling which improves video movement and eliminates any choppy framerates that might occur while streaming.

There are also Shortcut keys for you to utilize while streaming before and after like a Start/Stop and Recording/Streaming key, a microphone on/off key, a Take Snapshots key, an add Time Markers in Live Editing, a Press to Talk function key and finally, assigning a microphone to a specific key.

Next, you have your social media account linking which Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are your only options but still, the necessary SNS platforms for live streaming. And if you have any files that are compatible with the RECentral 4 program, Export and Import capabilities are available.

Lastly, you have the About and Capture Device sections where you can look up info and check for updates regarding the streaming device and program. For the Capture Device section, you can toggle between HDCP so that iOS devices can be readable via the RECentral 4 and a Performance Test program is built-in and available so you can make sure you have the right bandwidth and if your PC is powerful enough to handle the workload.

The first thing to talk about is the Recording feature. It’s basically simple and you can’t go wrong when using it unless you forget to press the record button… That will then be on you…

You have the ability to change the quality of the recording to that which best suits your program settings and internet speed: Optimal, Good, Normal, Default Profile. In addition, you’re able to rename/set the category of the recording and you can also enable the hardware acceleration (DXVA) function for reduced CPU when Live editing. Perfect for those who like to edit on the go.

Next up, we have the streaming part of the program. For streaming to a platform, your options are Twitch, UStream, YouTube, NicoNico, SmashCast, Facebook, Mixer, and Douyu.Com. There is also the option to use a custom RTMP if you have one set up. And there really isn’t a limit to how many accounts to you link to RECentral 4 program.

Under the stream setting which you can access via the scene overlay on your video screen, you can adjust the details of the device by adjusting the Source settings, the Positioning of the video, Images if any, and you can add Filters and Backgrounds to your live broadcast including Chroma Key options.

After your streaming account setup, you just need to select which account you want to stream to, choose your video quality setting—same options as the Recording section minus the Default Profile option—and you’re pretty much set. You also have the ability to choose Enable Streaming Backup which automatically saves your stream, plus, you can choose the video quality from there as well. And as an added bonus, you can add the custom created End Screen which is built-in to the program to professionally fade out of your stream to conclude the broadcast. Pretty cool!

The last thing we want to mention regarding the streaming part of RECentral 4, is the program allows you to multistream to other platforms simultaneously! Of course, if you are an affiliate on Twitch, better make sure to read the guidelines and regulations as this will not benefit you at all...Heads Up!

For the audio, it is very sensitive but allows you to adjust your settings manually for optimized sound during your recording or broadcast. We had a little trouble adjusting things at first, but then once the settings were fixed, everything was smooth sailing after that. Not much detail we can go into this as it is what it is.

As for bonuses that came with the device, there was the gifting of the CyberLink PowerDirect 15 program that comes FREE with the AVerMedia product purchase via key code inside each product boxing. So, if live editing isn’t enough for you within the device itself, you have this editing program ready for your imagination and use provided by AVerMedia. Super Cool! We didn’t delve into this as it would merit its own review. Just know, you’re getting a great deal here from AVerMedia.