Question / Help Can't Stream at 60 FPS Anymore

[Neurodilation]

I've had this problem for a bit now ever since the 0.13.4 update came out. On previous versions I had no problems at all streaming at 60 fps. Now it seems I rarely ever hit 60 fps. When I play my videos back on Twitch, I notice that the framerates are all over the place, varying between 30-60 and constantly jumping around. I do have CBR checked and have made sure to have Variable Framerate unchecked. Is anyone else experiencing this issue, or is there something I can do to remedy it?

For some reason my log won't upload here. So here is a link to it instead:
https://gist.github.com/d3aabee47fb9f3f447d22e413e5661e6

 

[Harold]

It's your internet connection.

 

[Neurodilation]

My Internet connection hasn't changed at all since this started happening. In speed tests, I get 20Mbps upload. So I don't see how that's the culprit. I've also used Twitch tests to test my speeds to the server I'm using, and I get at 3k bitrate.

 

[Harold]

So you get a 3000kbit bitrate in the test
And yet you're trying to squeeeze 3300kbit of video plus another 128-160kbit of audio into it.

Post a screenshot of your twitchtest results please.

 

[Neurodilation]

Let me re-state again that nothing with my net connection has changed. This varying fps issue has been taking place since the 0.13.4 update to OBS Studio. I can't do a Twitchtest right now because my connection is currently under heavy use with Netflix and other things, but I'll do one as soon as I can. Needless to say, there is no other network activity going on when I'm streaming. So once again, before the latest update with this Internet connection, I got 60 fps everywhere and all the time with any game. Since the latest update with the very same Internet connection, I almost never get 60 fps. I will post some Twitchtest results as soon as I can when no one else is hogging my bandwidth just for the sake of cooperation.

 

[Harold]

From your log:

18:46:16.874: Output 'adv_stream': Number of dropped frames due to insufficient bandwidth/connection stalls: 59273 (23.3%)

Which tells me there IS something with your net connection.

 

[Neurodilation]

Hmm...well I just ran a TwitchTest even with 8+ Internet connected devices running and an active Netflix stream going, and I still get 3142kbps (http://i.imgur.com/DOUbylC.png). But, if I'm dropping that many frames, I guess something must be happening that isn't making itself terribly evident each time I try to test. Maybe my ISP is having issues. I don't know. Sucks that I used to be able to stream at 60fps before but now suddenly can't. I guess I'll tone it down to the old golden 720p, 30fps, 2000kbps then.

 

[Harold]

You're not even going to be able to do that with the quality numbers being 0.

 

[Neurodilation]

So you're saying that my highest tier Internet service that gets over 3000kbps and a 21ms ping to the Dallas Twitch server isn't suitable for even a modest OBS setup of 720p/30fps/2000kbps just because the quality numbers are zero? I would think that the quality numbers just aren't working in TwitchTest before I believed that a potato would be a better way to connect to the net. I mean let's be real. How can 3000+kbps and 21ms latency really be a ZERO on quality?

 

[sam686]

What speed does speedtest.net shows for upload and download? Upload speed important for streaming.

Your TwitchTest appears to show very unstable speed?

There is an option to download older version of OBS-studio and not update. Older version lacks detecting poor connection and may cause more "Buffering" and more delay to all of your live stream viewers. Buffering problems does not show up on Twitch past broadcast video on demand.

 

[Harold]

I would think that the quality numbers just aren't working in TwitchTest before I believed that a potato would be a better way to connect to the net.

This screenshot right here says that the quality numbers not only ARE working in TwitchTest, but that they're actually accurate: https://www.dropbox.com/s/up0detbhnsezva4/Screenshot 2016-03-30 00.39.16.png?dl=0

How can 3000+kbps and 21ms latency really be a ZERO on quality?

Connection jitter and packet loss. That's how.

Who is your internet provider?

 

[Neurodilation]

This screenshot right here says that the quality numbers not only ARE working in TwitchTest, but that they're actually accurate: https://www.dropbox.com/s/up0detbhnsezva4/Screenshot 2016-03-30 00.39.16.png?dl=0

So unless speeds are more than double the 3000kbps speeds I'm getting, that warrants a connection quality of zero? And that's supposed to mean that even if I try to stream at 1000kbps less than the 3000 I'm getting, I won't be able to at all? Seems a bit extreme to me. Cox Communications is my provider. I'm out of New Orleans, LA; so I'm not that far away from the Dallas server. Would be a shame to think that my route to the Dallas server is suddenly a problem when I get anywhere from 150-200Mbps down and 20 Mbps up on speed tests.

What speed does speedtest.net shows for upload and download? Upload speed important for streaming.

There is an option to download older version of OBS-studio and not update. Older version lacks detecting poor connection and may cause more "Buffering" and more delay to all of your live stream viewers. Buffering problems does not show up on Twitch past broadcast video on demand.

So are you saying that older versions of OBS Studio prior to 0.13.4 didn't detect the quality of the connection but 0.13.4 does? I understand that buffering problems may not show up in VoD's, but in the past my VoD's were always at 60fps when watching them. Now they fluctuate from 30 to 60, spending more time in the neighborhood of 30 really.

I'm off to work now, but I'll dig more when I get home tonight if I can. I may even test from work to see what the TwitchTests look like from there.

 

[Neurodilation]

Welp...

Did a speedtest from my workplace. They also use Cox Communications as their Internet provider. The only difference is the connection here is over fiber instead of coax. Even still, the speedtest results for upload are almost the same as what I get from home.



However...when I do a TwitchTest from here, I suddenly look like I'm on the best network ever.

I don't even know.. At home, I can have movies streaming, 8+ devices online simultaneously, and be gaming without feeling any network impact or degradation at all. And by the numbers from my home speed test, I would think that my connection is more than enough to handle a 2000-3000kbps stream. And I always USED to be able to stream without any issues. And yet at home my TwitchTest results are abysmal. Here at work, through the same ISP (and maybe even the same route), it's a whole different story on the TwitchTests.

*sigh* Might be time to call up customer service.

 

[Harold]

Cox Communications is my provider.

And we've been getting a disproportionate number of people with problems.
Plus threads like https://www.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/4cmxau/cox_is_throttling_customers_who_stream_on_twitch/ on reddit.

 

[Neurodilation]

Hmm...well that's disappointing. Makes sense though and aligns with what I'm seeing here at work. Since I'm on a Cox Business connection here, upload speeds aren't throttled. But at home on my residential account, I am. They leave the download speeds alone to make it seem like the connection is robust and stable as ever. I wasn't aware of those other speed testing sites mentioned in the reddit post. I've never had any reason to suspect Ookla as reporting false speeds and being in bed with cable companies who keep throttling disabled for their connections to speedtest.net servers. But now that I know, I'll be checking the other sites when I get home. Not that I don't already know what I'm going to find, but just to verify and get links that I can tweet at @CoxHelp.

In any case, thanks for the help on this. Cox pulled a sneaky move on more than just me it seems.

 

[Harold]

It's more of a fact that cox and other internet providers have incentive to favor ookla test servers over other tests.