Question / Help Best Minecraft Settings for me?

[iikaty]

I was just wondering what the best possible settings for me to stream Minecraft are? The settings I am currently using still give me pixelation and I feel they could improve.

Log:
11:56:23: Open Broadcaster Software v0.542b - 32bit (´・ω・｀)
11:56:23: -------------------------------
11:56:23: CPU Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2700K CPU @ 3.50GHz
11:56:23: CPU Speed: 3605MHz
11:56:23: Physical Memory: 4095MB Total, 4095MB Free
11:56:23: stepping id: 7, model 10, family 6, type 0, extmodel 1, extfamily 0, HTT 1, logical cores 8, total cores 4
11:56:23: monitor 1: pos={0, 0}, size={1920, 1080}
11:56:23: monitor 2: pos={1920, 0}, size={1920, 1080}
11:56:23: Windows Version: 6.1 Build 7601 S
11:56:23: Aero is Disabled
11:56:23: -------------------------------
11:56:23: OBS Modules:
11:56:23: Base Address Module
11:56:23: 011D0000 OBS.exe
11:56:23: 62620000 OBSApi.dll
11:56:23: 69AE0000 DShowPlugin.dll
11:56:23: 6CA60000 GraphicsCapture.dll
11:56:23: 63940000 NoiseGate.dll
11:56:23: 63920000 PSVPlugin.dll
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Adapter 1
11:56:23: Video Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
11:56:23: Video Adapter Dedicated Video Memory: 2096562176
11:56:23: Video Adapter Shared System Memory: 2147037184
11:56:23: =====Stream Start: 2013-07-26, 11:56:23===============================================
11:56:23: Multithreaded optimizations: On
11:56:23: Base resolution: 1280x720
11:56:23: Output resolution: 1280x720
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Loading up D3D10...
11:56:23: Playback device Default
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Using desktop audio input: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
11:56:23: Using 7.1 surround speaker setup
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Using auxilary audio input: Microphone (Realtek High Definition Audio)
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Audio Encoding: AAC
11:56:23: bitrate: 128
11:56:23: Using bitmap image
11:56:23: Using graphics capture
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: Video Encoding: x264
11:56:23: fps: 30
11:56:23: width: 1280, height: 720
11:56:23: preset: veryfast
11:56:23: CBR: yes
11:56:23: CFR: no
11:56:23: max bitrate: 3000
11:56:23: ------------------------------------------
11:56:23: SharedTexCapture hooked
11:57:11: Capture window 0x001004EA invalid or changing, terminating capture
11:58:31: SharedTexCapture hooked
11:59:11: Total frames rendered: 5006, number of frames that lagged: 4 (0.08%) (it's okay for some frames to lag)
11:59:11: =====Stream End: 2013-07-26, 11:59:11=================================================
11:59:11: =====Stream Start: 2013-07-26, 11:59:11===============================================
11:59:11: Multithreaded optimizations: On
11:59:11: Base resolution: 1280x720
11:59:11: Output resolution: 1280x720
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: Loading up D3D10...
11:59:11: Playback device Default
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: Using desktop audio input: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
11:59:11: Using 7.1 surround speaker setup
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: Using auxilary audio input: Microphone (Realtek High Definition Audio)
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: Audio Encoding: AAC
11:59:11: bitrate: 128
11:59:11: Using bitmap image
11:59:11: Using graphics capture
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: Video Encoding: x264
11:59:11: fps: 30
11:59:11: width: 1280, height: 720
11:59:11: preset: veryfast
11:59:11: CBR: yes
11:59:11: CFR: no
11:59:11: max bitrate: 3000
11:59:11: ------------------------------------------
11:59:11: SharedTexCapture hooked
11:59:13: Using RTMP service: Twitch / Justin.tv
11:59:13: Server selection: rtmp://live-iad-backup.justin.tv/app
11:59:14: SO_SNDBUF was at 8192
11:59:14: SO_SNDBUF is now 65536
12:19:07: Total frames rendered: 35864, number of frames that lagged: 1 (0.00%) (it's okay for some frames to lag)
12:19:07: RTMPPublisher::SocketLoop: Aborting due to bStopping
12:19:07: Number of times waited to send: 0, Waited for a total of 0 bytes
12:19:07: Number of b-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Number of p-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Total 0 (0%)
12:19:07: =====Stream End: 2013-07-26, 12:19:07=================================================
12:19:13:
12:19:13: Profiler results:
12:19:13:
12:19:13: ==============================================================
12:19:13: frame - [100%] [avg time: 1.649 ms (cpu time: avg 1.333 ms, total 54491.1 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 99.6%] [unaccounted: 0.364%]
12:19:13: | frame preprocessing and rendering - [11.9%] [avg time: 0.197 ms (cpu time: avg 0.182 ms, total 7456.85 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 0.0606%] [unaccounted: 11.9%]
12:19:13: | | scene->Preprocess - [0.0606%] [avg time: 0.001 ms (cpu time: avg 0.002 ms, total 93.601 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1]
12:19:13: | video encoding and uploading - [87.7%] [avg time: 1.446 ms (cpu time: avg 1.15 ms, total 47018.7 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 85.9%] [unaccounted: 1.76%]
12:19:13: | | flush - [9.28%] [avg time: 0.153 ms (cpu time: avg 0.075 ms, total 3073.22 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1]
12:19:13: | | CopyResource - [0.667%] [avg time: 0.011 ms (cpu time: avg 0.008 ms, total 343.201 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 0]
12:19:13: | | conversion to 4:2:0 - [1.94%] [avg time: 0.032 ms (cpu time: avg 0.006 ms, total 280.806 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 0]
12:19:13: | | call to encoder - [72.4%] [avg time: 1.194 ms (cpu time: avg 1.035 ms, total 42338.7 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 0]
12:19:13: | | sending stuff out - [1.64%] [avg time: 0.027 ms (cpu time: avg 0.014 ms, total 608.402 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 0]
12:19:13: | Convert444Threads - [4.04e+003%] [avg time: 66.633 ms (cpu time: avg 1.104 ms, total 45146.7 ms)] [avg calls per frame: 1]
12:19:13: ==============================================================
12:19:13:

 

[Kharay]

Could you show us a VOD of this pixelation? Personally I've tried dozens if not hundreds of permutations of settings for Minecraft and ultimately arrived at the conclusion that some degree of pixelation is inevitable in that title. In particular large grassy areas are nigh impossible to get looking game-like. I suspect it's x264 itself that is somehow unable to do it.

Quite frankly, your settings are just fine. Again, I'd love to see a VOD/past broadcast to see what you've arrived at for Minecraft.

 

[iikaty]

This is the latest video with those settings. I could just be being a perfectionist about it

http://www.twitch.tv/iikaty/b/436221179

 

[Kharay]

That more or less looks like how I've been able to get it to look; the sole difference being that I was mostly working with 60 FPS as opposed to 30. But, as I suspected, you're having the same issue with mostly mono-colored, large surfaces. My grass example. Or in your case, well, any of a number of examples. Sad to say but I've been completely unable to get rid of the pixelation in those.

Certain games are just nigh impossible to get to look game-like, on-stream. For some reason or another. As I said, I suspect it's something about their exact visuals in conjunction x264 somehow choking on it. I don't know, I tried everything I could think of that fell within the boundary of having to do it real-time (streaming).

So, are you being a perfectionist? Maybe. But then again, other titles can be made to look 99% game-like on-stream.

 

[iikaty]

I see very few Minecraft streams that actually nail crystal clear quality. Even when I used my avermedia to capture it, i still had the same quality. I guess it's just bugging me that I try every thin I can think of and still not get the correct quality,

 

[Kharay]

I just tried a local recording instead at 50,000 Kbps... that worked. But, well, that's not realistic for streaming purposes. As Twitch.TV frowns upon anyone consistently going over 3500 Kbps and I've gone so far as to stream at that bit rate applying some custom settings to force the bitrate to within a variance of less than 5% and still... pixelation in the large, flat surfaces.

 

[iikaty]

I, too, have used 3500, even 4000 for tests. Wish there was a fix around it. Until then, I'll stick to the settings I have.