Encoder

Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX

4.5(84 ratings)from the retailer listing

Dedicated HDMI-in encoder running the free, open-source belaBOX firmware with SRTLA bonding. The DIY backpack heart.

$150

Estimate. The retailer listing is the price you pay.

Buy links are affiliate links: we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are tracked estimates, not live prices. Full disclosure

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Is the Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX good for streaming?

The Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX is a encoder for streaming builds, estimated at $150, rated 4.5 out of 5 across 84 retailer reviews. On its own it supports up to 1080p60, which needs about 4,200 kbps on the wire. The trade-off: you assemble it: board, fan/heatsink case, and a microSD flashed with belaBOX via Etcher. It is used in 23 build guides on StreamPartPicker. Nothing here is lab-tested by us; that ceiling is a planning budget from our published model.

What it contributes to the stream

Ceiling, this part alone

1080p60

Bitrate at that tier

4,200 kbps

H.265, ~30% cheaper on the wire

This part alone, with every other slot assumed generous and a platform that allows the tier. Your build's real verdict is the lowest ceiling across all its slots, which is what the configurator computes. Conservative planning budgets, not measurements: methodology.

Our take on the Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX

The Orange Pi 5 with belaBOX is a DIY single board computer sold as a hardware encoder for streamers who want to build their own stream box. It is aimed at tinkerers, not plug-in-and-go buyers.

The board runs a Rockchip RK3588S with eight cores and 8 GB of LPDDR4X memory. Ports listed include HDMI, Ethernet, USB and GPIO, which gives an IRL rig several ways to take in a camera feed and send out a stream. The board can play back 8K video at 60fps. The retailer rates it 4.5 across 84 ratings, at a tracked $150.

Pros

Eight core Rockchip RK3588S with 8 GB memory
HDMI, Ethernet, USB and GPIO ports
Open hardware you can adapt to your rig

Cons

Wireless is listed as infrared only, so plan a wired uplink
Only 84 retailer ratings

Where it fits in a build

Turns the feed into a stream and sends it out. App on a phone, DIY board, or hardware. See every encoder pick

Stream contribution	Encodes 1080p60 · H.265
Form	DIY SBC
HDMI in	Yes
Bonding	SRTLA
Codec	H.265

Compared against

Blackmagic ATEM Mini vs Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX FEELWORLD LIVEPRO L1 V1 Video Switcher vs Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX vs Raspberry Pi 5 (DIY SRT sender)Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX vs URayCoder 1080p HEVC Encoder

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Same job, other budgets

Budget

Raspberry Pi 5 (DIY SRT sender)

Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro ISO

$5854.7

Alternatives worth comparing

URayCoder 1080p HEVC Encoder

$1694.5

FEELWORLD LIVEPRO L1 V1 Video Switcher

$245.994.4

Orange Pi 5 + belaBOX

$150Estimate

Buy links are affiliate links: we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are tracked estimates, not live prices. Full disclosure

Buy on Amazon Build around it in the configurator

We do not lab-test hardware. Ratings and review counts come from the retailer listing and are labelled as such; stream-quality figures are conservative planning budgets from our published model. Prices are tracked at build time, not live, and were last refreshed 2026-10-22. How the numbers are derived: methodology. How picks are chosen: editorial policy.