How to Record Disney Plus with OBS: Expert Tips to Bypass Black Screen

Disney+ offers a treasure trove of exclusive content, but its strict DRM protections often lead to frustrating black screens or silent recordings when using OBS Studio. This guide unlocks proven methods to seamlessly record Disney+ videos with OBS—even on macOS and Windows. Whether to disable hardware acceleration for flawless visuals, configure audio settings to bypass system limitations, or explore a powerful alternative for pristine 1080p/4K downloads, we've got the best solution for you. Ready to unlock the secrets of smooth recording? Let's get started!

Preparation of Recording Disney Plus With OBS

Disable Browser Hardware Acceleration

Due to Disney+ 's strict content protection, black screen often occurs when recording with OBS. The solution is to disable hardware acceleration (Chrome only, can effectively avoid black screen phenomenon) :

Steps:

1.  Open Chrome, tap "⋮" in the upper right corner, and select "Settings" from the drop-down list box. The global configuration page is displayed
2.  In the left menu bar, swipe to the bottom and click the "System" button. This section contains the core functionality Settings for the browser to interact with the operating system.
3. On the "System" page, find the "Use Graphics Acceleration when available" option and click the switch button on the right to turn it off. At this point, the browser will prompt "relaunch" to apply the changes, and Chrome will automatically restart when clicked.

Install OBS and Audio Capture Tools

• OBS Studio: Make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest version of OBS.
• Audio Capture Software: OBS may not capture Disney+ system audio by default, and macOS users may need to install an additional audio capture plugin. So if the system version is earlier than macOS 10.13, you need to use a third-party plug-in to achieve audio capture. Detailed tutorials can be found at: macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide.

Notice: Since the video needs to be played in real time during recording, ensure that the network connection is stable, so as not to affect the recording quality.

How to Record Disney Plus with OBS

Before diving into OBS recording methods, you might want to explore our guide on screen recording Disney+ for additional tips. Here are two primary approaches for OBS to record Disney+ videos: "Window Capture" and "Display Capture".

Window Capture

1. Launch OBS

• Open the OBS software.

2. Set Up Sources

• Click the “+” button in the “Sources” area and select “Window Capture.”

• In the pop-up window, choose the Chrome browser window that is playing the Disney+ video.
• If needed, you can adjust the capture area (for example, crop out the browser toolbar) to ensure only the video portion is recorded.

3. Configure Recording Parameters

• Click the “Settings” button in the lower right corner to access the recording settings page.
• Select the appropriate video file format, storage path, recording quality, and video encoder.

4. Start Recording

• Open the Disney+ website and log in, then play the video you want to record.
• In OBS, click the “Start Recording” button. After finishing, click the “Stop Recording” button, and the recording file will be saved in the previously set directory.

Display Capture

1. Launch OBS

• Open the OBS software.

2. Set Up Sources

• Click the “+” button in the “Sources” area and select “Display Capture”.

• In the Create/Select Source window that pops up, name the new source and confirm.

• Select the appropriate capture method and display device (select the Disney+ screen for multiple screens).

3. Start Recording

• After playing the Disney+ video, click "Start Recording" under OBS.
• After recording, choose File > Show Recordings to view the saved video.

4. Restore the Settings After Recording

• To prevent hardware acceleration from being disabled on the browser for a long time, you are advised to enable hardware acceleration after the recording is complete.

Best Alternative to Recording Disney Plus with OBS

While OBS Studio offers a flexible solution to record Disney, its technical complexity and results with DRM-protected content like Disney + that can result in black screens are a big deal for users. For those seeking to bypass technical hurdles and download Disney+ videos as MP4 in original quality, StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader offers a seamless solution.

We recommend a dedicated download solution like StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader.

StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader

With this excellent downloader, you can effortlessly download videos from Disney+.

Win Download

100% safe&clean

Mac Download

100% safe&clean

It is a third-party video downloader, which can simplify a lot of operations, and only need this software to easily download Disney movies and TV shows, while maintaining audiovisual quality.

Comparison of StreamFab and OBS

Comparison Table: StreamFab vs OBS

Ease of Operation

• As an open source recording tool, OBS Studio requires users to manually configure the video source (such as window capture or display capture), adjust the resolution, set the audio input (additional plug-ins are required to solve the system sound capture problem), and even turn off browser hardware acceleration to avoid black screen problems. This series of operations is extremely unfriendly to non-technical users, especially when it comes to DRM-protected content, and the success rate fluctuates greatly.
• In contrast, StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader is designed for Disney+, allowing users to simply log in and select a video and download it locally with one click, without having to interfere with coding parameters or deal with compatibility issues.

DRM Compatibility and Stability

• Disney+ uses strict digital rights management (DRM), OBS often fails to bypass the protection mechanism during recording resulting in a black screen or silence, even with temporary solutions such as disabling hardware acceleration, there is still a risk of failure after the update.
• StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader has advanced decryption technology built in, which can legally bypass DRM restrictions (based on the user's personal use authorization), and guarantee a download success rate of nearly 100%.

Video Quality and Integrity

• The recording quality of OBS is limited by the screen resolution and real-time compression algorithm, even when recorded at 1080p, the actual output picture quality may be blurred or color blocked due to dynamic bitrate adjustment, and the audio may lose 5.1 surround sound effects due to system mixing.
• StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader parsed Disney+ streaming source files directly to download raw 1080p video and Dolby Atmos (including multilingual options), ensuring full preservation of every frame and cinema-quality sound.

Download/Record Speed

• OBS Studio is limited by computer configuration and network bandwidth, and high resolution recording may cause delays, requiring a lower bit rate (e.g. 4500-6000kbps for 1080p Settings) to balance speed and quality.
• StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader supports multi-threading technology, takes full advantage of bandwidth resources, and optimizes coding efficiency through hardware acceleration (GPU). download streaming videos at superfast speed, within 15 minutes per title.

In addition, StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader has a number of features:

1. Support batch download of whole season episodes. You can choose multiple episodes or full season content at one time and watch disney plus offline.
2. Provide queue management, allow to pause/resume tasks, flexible control of the download process.
3. Unique ad removal function, so that you are free from ads.
4. Support multi-language subtitle embedding, which can be saved separately as SRT files or embedded in videos.

How to Download Disney Plus Videos with StreamFab

Step 1: Install and launch the software from the official.

Step 2: Go for the VIP Services on the left panel and select the Disney+ site.

Step 3: Sign in to the Disney+ streaming site and then search for a video you want to keep offline. When you begin playing it, StreamFab will automatically start analyzing the content.

Step 4: After you customize your video, add it to the downloading queue.

Conclusion

While OBS Studio provides a flexible (albeit complex) solution for recording Disney, its limitations with DRM-protected content like Disney+ can be a hurdle. For users prioritizing simplicity and guaranteed quality, tools like StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader offer a one-click solution to download videos in original resolution, retain surround sound, and even batch-save entire seasons. Whether you choose OBS’s customizable approach or StreamFab’s streamlined efficiency, you’re now equipped to preserve your Disney+ favorites effortlessly.