How to Use Countdown Timers in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a great video communication tool that can be enhanced with all kinds of video elements by using OBS. OBS stands for Open Broadcaster Software, and it is a video production software that supports a virtual webcam output. By using OBS with its virtual webcam output feature in Teams, you can overlay graphics and countdown timers in Teams. This is a great way to show meeting countdown timers, lower thirds graphics and much more. 

Here are the various ways you can display countdown timers in your Teams Meetings:

1. Share a video with the share feature of a countdown timer. These videos will be available in the download below.
2.  Use OBS with a countdown timer video file. These can be overlaid on top of a webcam source and used with a chroma key in order to display transparent over video.
3. Use a countdown timer plugin script for OBS to manage countdown timers text files inside of OBS. These are then of course, sent via the virtual webcam output into Teams.

Note: Other software such as vMix, Wirecast and xSplit also support virtual webcam output functionality. 

The easy way to add a meeting countdown timer

The easiest way is to use the share feature. This way, you don’t even need OBS. You can simply play the meeting countdown video file and share it with your attendees as everyone joins the meeting. You can download a variety of free video countdown timers files in the form below. The next more advanced steps include using OBS. 

Teams Meeting Countdown Timers

How to use OBS with countdown timers with Microsoft Teams

In this way, you can power Microsoft Teams with OBS’s virtual webcam. You can choose to either use one of our free meeting countdown timer video files, OR use a countdown timer plugin with OBS. If you choose to use the video files, we have created them with green or blue backgrounds which are easy to use with a chroma key filter. Once you bring the video files into OBS you can use the color key filter option to remove the background color. This will allow you to overlay the video countdown timer on top of your other video sources. 

The next way, which is more flexible, involves an OBS script. The OBS Lua Advanced Timer 5.0, available here, is a great way to manage countdown timers. This script does require OBS 26 or great in order to work. Once you download this script you can put it into the scripts folder in your OBS installation. It will then show up inside of OBS under the Tools dropdown menu. From here you can select “Scripts” and operate the countdown timer manager. Essentially, you are able to create and transform any text file inside of OBS to be your countdown timer. So create a text file if you have not already. Then, you can select that text file inside of OBS to be your countdown timer. 

workflow adding meeting timers to teams

Conclusion

Meeting countdown or count-up timers are a great way to keep meetings organized. Understanding how to connect OBS with Teams is a great way to start increasing your meetings production value. You can even increase meeting productivity by displaying countdown timers to keep everyone on time and on the same page. This becomes even more important the more people that are attending your meetings. 

You can download the OBS and Teams Guide along with the video files mentioned above here.

Check out our other articles about Open Broadcaster Software below:

• Updated - How to connect OBS and Zoom with VoiceMeeter and Headphone Monitoring - here.
• How to connect OBS with Zoom, here.
• What's new with OBS 26, here.
• OBS vs vMix a complete review here.
• How to use Zoom for Church Meetings and Worship here.
• Here are the top 10 OBS features you need to know about
• Getting dropped frames in OBS. Here are some new feature to help with that. 
• Take a look at OBS 24 and all the new feature here. 
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• Learn how to setup animated stinger transitions in OBS here
• Learn how to install the NDI plugin for OBS (and why you should) here
• Learn more about the latest OBS user interface (UPDATED for 2019) here
• Make your audio in OBS sound great with these VST 2 plugins here
• Learn how to fix the most common OBS issues! Audio and Video Sync! here
• Learn how to use OBS 20+ here
• Learn how to use NDI Cameras with OBS here
• Learn how to use the OBS Multiview here
• Learn OBS quickly with our ZERO to SIXTY tutorial video here
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• Learn how to record videos using OBS here
• New OBS 24 feature allows broadcasters the ability to pause and restart video recordings. Learn more here.
• Learn how to add live annotations over your OBS productions here
• Learn how to add a webcam and set up a picture in picture scene inside OBS here
• Learn how to crop and rotate inputs inside OBS here
• Learn how to use color correction tools and LUTs here
• Learn the best way to connect OBS and Zoom here
• Learn how to connect OBS and Teams here
• Learn how to use countdown timers in Teams here
• Learn where OBS recordings are saved here
• Learn how to live stream to YouTube and Facebook with OBS for free here
• Learn about OBS 27's new features here