Question / Help Camera feed freezes permanently in OBS Studio at random times

[Max Xevious]

I have been fighting this issue forever, I was not sure if it was a hardware issue (CamLink 4k) or software but seeing so many other people having the same issue I am leaning towards software.

Been switching my Camlink around to different USB 3 ports with no luck, I have to deactivate/reactivate to get the video up and running again, I am running the latest 26.1.1 as well.

 

[LePierre1000]

I have been fighting this issue forever, I was not sure if it was a hardware issue (CamLink 4k) or software but seeing so many other people having the same issue I am leaning towards software.

Been switching my Camlink around to different USB 3 ports with no luck, I have to deactivate/reactivate to get the video up and running again, I am running the latest 26.1.1 as well.

Same here. Did you tried the 4k capture Utility software from elgato? I have the same issues using the software so it may not be an OBS Problem!?

 

[Max Xevious]

I've never had it running for streaming since I use OBS but I have seen it freeze but I mostly chalked that up to me trying to open up OBS Studio and the 4k capture utility at the same time.

 

[Unnecessarilyepic]

I have been experiencing the same issue with the computer at our church. I wanted to share a work-around that I have discovered for me which seems to work consistently. A little history before I continue... We were using a laptop that was newer for streaming, but it was just barely enough to keep up. We ended up purchasing a very solid gaming platform quite capable of streaming alone. After getting everything set up and having no issues, about a two weeks ago the camera image started randomly freezing or even before we started the stream. I could not find the problem.
SOLUTIONS:
1. I found that if I opened Youtube and Facbook (the two site I stream to with OBS) first and get them ready before opening OBS, the camera works flawlessly.
2. The other work-around is to open the properties on the camera source. Simply opening the Properties will unfreeze the camera image for me. You may need to toggle the camera input.
Hope this helps.

That sounds exactly like what we've been dealing with. I have 2 questions though:

#1: When you say get YouTube ready, you mean ready up to the point where it says connect streaming software to continue, then turn on the obs software to connect?
#2 to confirm this was the same issue, the video feed would just freeze but the audio would continue to come through correct?
Thanks for your info!

 

[FaithLutheran]

Hi everyone!
I joined the forum today to chime in on this very frustrating problem. We have the same issue of video freezing during streams. We can do the workaround of "deactivate" "activate", but that's just not the way to do church.
Our setup isn't too fancy: HDMI video capture card from camera (Sony NXCAM), USB 3.0 to Dell Latitude 7480, 16 Gigs ram; Windows 10-current build. It handles our simple load very well.

So the only thing I'm currently testing is changing from 60 fps on the camera to 24 fps (only lower option available). However, I see that the capture device is sending 60fps to OBS regardless, so not sure what to do about that or if it will help at all. I might try contacting the vendor to see if they can offer any advice if this is the issue.

No real clue from the log unless this is a clue and I don't know. Get a consistent: No JPEG data found in image. I believe that's because the firmware on the capture device is sending a blank frame every other frame to mimic 60Hz. Of course, not much can be done about that at this point except find a true 60Hz capture device. Again, not sure if that's part of the issue.

Does anyone on the development side know if OBS can be more resilient to data interruptions? Someone mentioned earlier that USB connections can cause problems.

 

[triumphtriple90]

I have also been having the issue of freezing randomly. Generally clicking deactivate/active on the video capture device fixes the issue temporarily. Sometimes it's back within seconds, other times it can go 10-30min with no issues.
I've tried changing so many different settings and plugging into every USB port I have. Nothing seems to make a difference. I've lowered the resolution and the frame rate, unchecked Enable Browser Source. I've also updated all drivers. USB drivers, webcam drivers, graphics card drivers etc. It happens on multiple computers with the same webcam.

The most frustrating part is that this seems to be an OBS issue only. Using the built in windows camera, I can leave the webcam on for hours and it never freezes.

 

[Nitzz97]

Same issue here. I'm doing something a little different as I'm presenting in WebEx/Zoom. I don't use virtual webcam, however, as this doesn't work well with text in the video conference. Instead, I use a 2nd monitor to project the output from OBS to and then share that screen. Text and picture in picture is perfectly clear. Our classes are long as well (8 hours). Video input from ATEM Mini Pro freezes in OBS but audio from same device continues. Since it's frozen in OBS, the screen share is, of course, also frozen. I've had it freeze when making a 10 minute recording as well. Connection from ATEM Mini is USB-C to high powered PC. Would really love to find the answer to this one. Thanks all.

 

[Nitzz97]

Today's note: I had the issue yesterday so bad that no matter what I did, I couldn't get OBS to recognize the ATEM Mini PRO through USB-C even after reboot. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

Here's what I did....so far. I tried going back to OBS 25.0.8 with no luck. Same results. Then, I went and found Release Candidate 2 of OBS 27.0 and installed it. I made a mistake by changing two things at once, however. The second thing I did was I took a Thunderbolt 3 cable and used it as a replacement USB-C cable. I did buy a high quality cable but thought I'd try something as I was desperate to get this working. After rebuilding all of my settings last night in OBS, I walked in this morning and started a normal "class" with WebEX as noted above and I've let it run 8 hours straight doing what I'd normally do and no crashes yet. I'm not saying the issue is resolved but results are promising.

FWIW, I also called Blackmagic Design and told them what I was doing and what was happening. The suggestion was to try a Ultrastudio 3G recorder connected to a ATEM Bridge via SDI. The bridge and the ATEM Mini PRO are connected via ethernet. Ultrastudio 3G recorder connects to PC via an actual Thunderbolt 3 port thus bypassing the dreaded USB issue. It's a fairly inexpensive alternative compared to what we've dropped into it (<$500) and I'll do that if it winds up still crashing with my "fix" above. If it crashes and I try that, I'll keep y'all updated with my lame a$$ diary of Nitzz's Trials & Tribulations.

 

[churchmouse]

I have been having the same issue when using the Mevo Start camera with OBS. I'm using OBS to stream church services. The feed from the camera will randomly freeze in OBS. I've had it freeze immediately and I've had it freeze after an hour or so. There really doesn't seem to be a pattern to it. I've tried a few things such as switching cables, setting to 30fps, and trying different Windows 10 desktop pcs (intel and amd processors, nvidia and amd gpus). I haven't found any real fix yet, I thought maybe it was an issue with the camera at first, but I've verified that the camera is still streaming through the Mevo app. It has to be an OBS issue, since people here in the forum are using various camera models.

 

[Nitzz97]

Nitzz's diary update:

I've now run this new configuration for literally 24 hours over 3 days. There have been zero crashes. Again, my changes that have addressed the issue are I'm using a Thunderbolt 3 cable to USB C port instead of a standard USB C cable and I've upgraded to OBS 27.0.0 R2. While not specifically addressed in the release notes, one must wonder if this was it or using the Thunderbolt 3 cable (again, it's still using standard USB C ports on both ends, I've only used a Thunderbolt 3 cable). If it starts freezing again (especially since it's so random), I'll let y'all know and we'll try something else. For me, problem (potentially) resolved!

 

[Filgaja]

I had the Problem with my Sony Alpha since i changed my graphic card. And i Finaly Know why.

Cam Link 4K — Troubleshooting Frozen Video

These steps can be tried when Elgato Cam Link 4K video freezes in Elgato 4K Capture Utility, OBS Studio, or other software. Troubleshooting steps: Double Check The Port USB cable USB Controlle...

help.elgato.com

Scroll down to " Advanced troubleshooting - Set PCIe to Gen3 "

Since i have the newGPU 3070 my Motherboard sets it Gen to Gen4 in Bios.
This is because the newgraphiccard run on this Gen. But it also could run smoothly on Gen3 so yeah after i changed the Bios from automatic to Gen3 i never had any freezing issues again.

I Think it also could be a Problem without elgaot cam link where you try to send a lot of video data through your USB and it is overloading.

What is your Motherboard / GPU setup from all of you who experiance this Problem?
Let me know if this hint could lead to an fix for you :)

Greetings

 

[churchmouse]

I gave up on trying to use the Mevo Start wired webcam function with OBS. Since the Mevo has an NDI function, I decided to use that with OBS. It is working like a champ, but I would have preferred to use the Mevo as a webcam because it is just an easier setup.

 

[LabPadre]

I've had this issues for more than a year now. I've tried everything. The best solution is to toss OBS. I now use Xsplit and have ZERO problems. The price is well worth not having it feeeze on you at the worst possible time.

 

[Dukefrukem]

This issue just recently started up with me too. Using a basic Logitech C90 webcam. Has there been any successful workarounds?

 

[KenO]

We have a system with 8 cameras, most are Logitech BRIOs running 4k over USB 3.0 that now runs without hanging. We were having problems because the initial install had no name USB 3.0 cables and some cables would only run at USB 2.0. We replaced with all Tripp-Lite cables and it runs cleanly. Definitely using high quality USB cables is a way to avoid this problem. Also, keep the cable runs short and use only high quality extenders. If you are using a USB 3.0 port PCIe card in a tower PC, choose one with a separate controller for each USB port and provide the separate power connection.

 

[dmemphis]

FYI, freezing happens on 27.1.3 with SDI cameras connecting to BM DUO 2 inputs. I did one shoot for hours with no problem, then did another shoot for 45 minutes and had camera loss issues. I was thinking it was a BM problem, but now I see it happening here with various connections, I have to assume its always been an OBS problem.
Should be quite easy for developers to reproduce and fix. Will it?

 

[Suicufnoc]

FYI, freezing happens on 27.1.3 with SDI cameras connecting to BM DUO 2 inputs. I did one shoot for hours with no problem, then did another shoot for 45 minutes and had camera loss issues. I was thinking it was a BM problem, but now I see it happening here with various connections, I have to assume its always been an OBS problem.
Should be quite easy for developers to reproduce and fix. Will it?

Idk if its the exact same cause, but if you have a USB webcam connected, and it either has a USB instability issue or you unplug it and plug it back in again, the video freezes and never unfreezes until you reset the source. It does seem like it would be fairly easy to detect when connection has been lost to the webcam, and restart the source when it connects again. X-Split does this, but costs $200 per license. If somebody implements this I'll buy them a beer...

 

[planetz]

Jeez this is frustrating. I face this problem at least once a day.

Definitely an OBS problem, because if I open Zoom, I can see the USB webcam without issue, even though in OBS it is frozen.

 

[Filgaja]

Jeez this is frustrating. I face this problem at least once a day.

Definitely an OBS problem, because if I open Zoom, I can see the USB webcam without issue, even though in OBS it is frozen.

have you tried my solution? A Motherboard Update could help if you have a new motherboard x570 and similar :)

 

[Tao Denkyem]

Only consistent camera feed in my testing is via an HDMI-to-USB capture device--in my case the Magewell.
I have found NDI, VDO.Ninja, Camo, Epoccam and OBS iOS Camera all to be inconsistent--either in getting them connected or keeping them connected.

I've used various generations of iPhones and iPads in my testing either connected one at a time or all at the same time. Inconsistent connections. Oddly enough, I've had NDI connect instantly and stay connected half a day only to setup OBS the next day and not even get them to connect.