Bug: My OBS is exceeding the bitrate limit I have set

[Daveeboy]

Hi,
the title says it all really. I have used both Twitch and Restream.io and I see this issue occurring. Mostly when this occurs my Kbps might jump a couple of hundred to maybe a 1000 above the 6k limit I have set. But I have seen it jump as high as 17k Kbps

I also stream to the steam when using restream.io.

Attached are my OBS setting for your reference:

 

[Tomasz Góral]

Bitrate is midle value, but in OBS window you see how much data has been send, if network has some problems part of data has been buffered before send and is possible to higher value over few seconds.

 

[FerretBomb]

Yep. 6000kbps is the target video bitrate. If your connection has a problem and can't send 6000kb one second, it will buffer locally, then OBS will send out higher than the target rate to 'catch up' the video stream, instead of just dumping the part your connection to the server could briefly not handle on the ground.

If you want the transmission rate to never go over the set video bitrate, get a better network connection that can reliably send ALL the data each second.

 

[Daveeboy]

Yep. 6000kbps is the target video bitrate. If your connection has a problem and can't send 6000kb one second, it will buffer locally, then OBS will send out higher than the target rate to 'catch up' the video stream, instead of just dumping the part your connection to the server could briefly not handle on the ground.

If you want the transmission rate to never go over the set video bitrate, get a better network connection that can reliably send ALL the data each second.

Many thanks Ferret. When you mention ' a better network connection' are you meaning my ISP or hardware/software settings on my internal network?

For my ISP there is not alot I can control. But speciically is there something on my own netwrok I could improve/tweak re settings or hardware?

 

[Nass86]

Yep. 6000kbps is the target video bitrate. If your connection has a problem and can't send 6000kb one second, it will buffer locally, then OBS will send out higher than the target rate to 'catch up' the video stream, instead of just dumping the part your connection to the server could briefly not handle on the ground.

If you want the transmission rate to never go over the set video bitrate, get a better network connection that can reliably send ALL the data each second.

That's really interesting.

I was streaming earlier today on 4G / LTE mobile and I was getting a lot of spikes from a 5,000kbps connection that meant during the stream I really had to turn it down to 3,500 to get smooth performance. The upload speed test in the area was 17,000kbps and was low population area (very few competing cells) but it really didn't like it when things jumped and ultimately this wasn't a wired landline connection so by what you were saying I was asking for trouble anyway.

 

[FerretBomb]

Many thanks Ferret. When you mention ' a better network connection' are you meaning my ISP or hardware/software settings on my internal network?

For my ISP there is not alot I can control. But speciically is there something on my own netwrok I could improve/tweak re settings or hardware?

Unfortunately, it's your ISP connection that generally is going to be the bottleneck, yes. :/
You can install software like PingPlotter (they have a free version) to help analyze your connection and suggest where the weak point is, to contact your ISP and point at a specific server causing the issue. Some people also set up a (paid) VPN to force a different route if there's a specific problem-node in play and your ISP refuses to fix it.

That's really interesting.

I was streaming earlier today on 4G / LTE mobile and I was getting a lot of spikes from a 5,000kbps connection that meant during the stream I really had to turn it down to 3,500 to get smooth performance. The upload speed test in the area was 17,000kbps and was low population area (very few competing cells) but it really didn't like it when things jumped and ultimately this wasn't a wired landline connection so by what you were saying I was asking for trouble anyway.

Yep, wireless connections, whether via wifi or 4G/LTE, are going to by their inherent nature be unstable and susceptible to interference. It's why one of the first recommendations for any new streamer is to run a cable.
Speedtests (aside from R1ch's Twitch Test tool) generally only measure PEAK speeds, ignore packet loss, and actually discard the worst results... that streaming specifically needs to know about, as streaming relies on minimum constant throughput to deliver a smooth video stream.
Professional iRL/mobile-location backpacks like Thegunrun or Teradek utilize big antennas, multiple SIM cards and clever connection bonding/replication to an intermediary server to help ensure consistent minimum throughput over the wireless link. A 4G modem or tethered cellphone is going to be a lot more shaky, even under optimal conditions.

 

[Nass86]

Unfortunately, it's your ISP connection that generally is going to be the bottleneck, yes. :/
You can install software like PingPlotter (they have a free version) to help analyze your connection and suggest where the weak point is, to contact your ISP and point at a specific server causing the issue. Some people also set up a (paid) VPN to force a different route if there's a specific problem-node in play and your ISP refuses to fix it.

Yep, wireless connections, whether via wifi or 4G/LTE, are going to by their inherent nature be unstable and susceptible to interference. It's why one of the first recommendations for any new streamer is to run a cable.
Speedtests (aside from R1ch's Twitch Test tool) generally only measure PEAK speeds, ignore packet loss, and actually discard the worst results... that streaming specifically needs to know about, as streaming relies on minimum constant throughput to deliver a smooth video stream.
Professional iRL/mobile-location backpacks like Thegunrun or Teradek utilize big antennas, multiple SIM cards and clever connection bonding/replication to an intermediary server to help ensure consistent minimum throughput over the wireless link. A 4G modem or tethered cellphone is going to be a lot more shaky, even under optimal conditions.

Thanks for explaining that mate.

You've just shook up my streaming plans ;)

I've been slowly starting to learn the optical side of performing into a sunset which is hard regarding filters. I literally do these live.

Example 1. Wired at home (8mb upload)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Example 2. On location (LTE - not jittery, but windy)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Example 3. On location (LTE), but bad jitters

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be