Frame Pacing issues (In Recording and Preview both)...

[GamingCanBeFunYT]

Ok, so my computer is VERY powerful and actually overkill for this type of recording (I should be able to record uncompressed 4K and 8K all day with proper storage). Anyways, I'm tryna record 4K 29.97 video with lossless PCM audio from my PS5. The issue is that every thing I try always gives me frame pacing issues with the preview and recording both. Like, the video and preview will skip/freeze at random spots. Could be 10 seconds in n 3 skips, 2 seconds in then 5 skips, or even a whole 2 minutes in then just 2 skips/freezes, then continues to record completely fine following more skips/freezes randomly during the same recording. It's really weird and nerve racking!

I can record in 4K and 8K 29.97 without any issues when using VBR and NVENC only. However, for 1, I like using CBR or lossless for my video output cuz these recordings r pre-production (they will be put into other enhancement software before ultimately be put into the video editing program). For 2... VBR, CBR and Lossless options r only available with 320 Kbps audio only unless I use the Custom Output setting. Not only do I hardly ever use this (I have to for lossless PCM audio), but the frame pacing issue as described above in 1st paragraph is in the preview and the recordings both when using any option under the Custom Output settings. Also, I could just use the Simple Output "Mode" instead of the Advanced n just use "lossless quality", but there's 2 things wrong with that too. 1, the frame pacing issue is still there in the preview and recording both. 2, I use Davinci Resolve since it's way faster (like 6 to 8x faster) at exporting videos than Adobe Premiere Pro in 4K with my rig and Davinci Resolve does not accept the lossless format OBS outputs which is weird since it does support uncompressed AVI with 24 bit PCM audio. I think it's the codec OBS uses and Davinci doesn't like that specific codec (MediaInfo says it's ULH4).

So what settings in the advanced mode custom output (ffmpeg) should I use to get lossless PCM audio and fantastic 4K 29.97 NVENC quality without frame pacing issues on my rig? Because I'll tell you right now, recording 4K and 8K with VBR under standard output doesn't have any issues at all, including no frame pacing in the preview or recorded video file (besides the fact that it's limited to 320Kbps, which I don't want. I want 24 bit PCM). It's like I have to resort to amazing video quality and no frame pacing issues (the freezing/skipping in the preview and video file both) but 320 Kbps audio limit...Or, amazing audio quality and uncompressed PCM, but the video will have frame pacing issues in the preview and video file both. I don't want to sacrifice 1 over the other.

P.S. don't tell me it's cuz Game Mode is on, cuz I've turned it off n OBS still gives me the frame pacing issues. I've also put my capture device to buffering "off" and "auto" both for testing and it still gives me frame pacing issues as well. I'm at my wits end!

Log file attached

 

[GamingCanBeFunYT]

Updated log file of attempt to record 4K 29.97 NVENC with lossless PCM audio and has frame pacing (skips/freezes) in random spots in both preview and recordings:

 

[koala]

From your log:

19:53:13.235:       output 0: pos={0, 0}, size={2194, 1234}, attached=true, refresh=120, name=Acer XB273K

It seems you configured your 4k monitor in Windows not with its native resolution of 3840x2160 but instead with {2194, 1234}. I don't know if this contributes to your issue, but for a 4k monitor I expect you configure it to its native resolution. I'm speaking of Windows settings, not of OBS settings.

 

[GamingCanBeFunYT]

From your log:

19:53:13.235:       output 0: pos={0, 0}, size={2194, 1234}, attached=true, refresh=120, name=Acer XB273K

It seems you configured your 4k monitor in Windows not with its native resolution of 3840x2160 but instead with {2194, 1234}. I don't know if this contributes to your issue, but for a 4k monitor I expect you configure it to its native resolution. I'm speaking of Windows settings, not of OBS settings.

That's weird, considering under Windows 10, it shows that my display IS at 3840x2160. On both Windows 10 display settings and under Nvidia Control Panel. N when I record in 8K when my computer is connected to my 8K TV as a monitor source, I make absolutely sure it is displaying at 7860x4320 at 60hz n it does under Windows 10 display settings and Nvidia Control Panel respectively with that too. This issue happens on both my 4K and 8K displays. I'm wondering if there is a magic setting in OBS that stops this frame pacing issue. And it ONLY happens on my rig when tryna record PCM audio. It might be I just don't know what settings, video encoder or what video encoder commands I should use. I just did more testing and my logs now show 3840x2160 under where ur talking about, but it didn't solve the issue...

What I did is just put OBS to Simple Mode, record something with the Indistinguishable quality setting (frame pacing doesn't happen with this, but I'm wanting PCM audio, so it's useless and Lossless under Simple Mode is terrible at frame pacing. Even worse). Then right click n select MediaInfo on the outputted video file (I have the K-Lite codec pack for this), see the settings OBS used, then copy n paste THOSE settings from MediaInfo into the Video Encoder settings under Custom Output (ffmpeg), put everything to "0" so OBS will choose automatically the best bitrates, then put PCM to 1,024 S24be. N it seems like the frame pacing is gone for now. I even installed different graphics driver versions (like from newer to previous version) to see if that was the cause, but it just might be that I wasn't using the correct settings tryna record with PCM audio. Cuz doing the steps I mentioned in this paragraph fixed the issue for now n been great with recording all day. Idk if I fixed it permanently tho. I just know I wanted to start recording in lossless PCM audio n was quite difficult to find the correct video encoder to use and the correct bitrate settings without running into this weird frame pacing issue I was running into. Recording with the advanced video recording regular settings and with VBR never gives this problem. Only when I'm tryna record in PCM audio which is obviously only available in Custom Output mode...

 

[GamingCanBeFunYT]

UPDATE:
So I fixed my issue for anyone that is tryna preview and record console footage, as well as recording PC footage. I guess my monitor and RTX 3090 defaults to displaying RGB 4:4:4 color mode. Well, as u know, this uses more bandwidth when doing anything (fps in games, recording, displaying anything, etc.), therefore messing with the preview. How? Well, you'd think having everything in OBS set to NV12 (4:2:0), that it would display/preview footage and record just fine in the higher displayed color mode (RGB 4:4:4 that my display is set to), but I guess not. Having the display at a higher chroma than what ur previewing or recording in causes issues in OBS n i don't understand why. It had nothing to do with my PCM audio recording as thought earlier n I thought the problem wasn't there at first when just using the simple mode n indistinguishable quality setting as mentioned earlier but after recording with those again and also with just the high quality setting in simple mode, it STILL had frame pacing issues.

Anyway, what I did is I had to change OBS's color mode in advanced settings from NV12 to I444 (since my display n RTX 3090 GPU defaults to RGB/4:4:4 anyway). Why? Well this completely fixed the weird frame pacing issues in the preview and in the recordings. I'm assuming it's cuz since the preview and recordings were being done in 4:2:0, that there wasn't enough color information to show on my display when my display is tryna show RGB/4:4:4. This is somewhat weird considering you'd think a display having more color data (4:4:4) to fill doesn't mean the color data has to be filled all the way to display properly but I guess it does. So note to self, if display is 4:4:4, the recordings and OBS preview must also be in 4:4:4. Having it any lower causes this issue. Most consumers I don't think have my setup (4:4:4 display and a GPU that defaults to displaying 4:4:4) so maybe my OP was never asked before.

My issue is completely fixed now after almost 2 days of messing with everything :)

P.S., if u run into this same issue, do NOT use RGB under OBS's advanced settings, All ur videos will have a pink foreground that's impossible to fix. Use I444. It's literally the same thing. I444 and RGB are the same thing so I don't even know why RGB is even an option in OBS's advanced settings. lol. Also this is ONLY for recording footage, not for streaming. Streaming must be using NV12 (4:2:0). You'll just have to deal with the preview having frame pacing issues while u stream, but ur stream won't be affected. N I think this is cuz the streaming services (youtube, twitch, etc.) converts ur video on the fly anyway with their encoding system (to VP9 or AV1) thus reducing the frame pacing issue from being noticed. So you see, ur not truly "decoding" the video being played back while streaming. The streaming services r decoding it for you eliminating the frame pacing issue.

 

[GamingCanBeFunYT]

1 more thing, the reason I had to change OBS's color mode output to I444 was cuz my monitor and nvidia control panel with my RTX 3090 will not let me change to 4:2:0. I can only change to 4:2:2 YCbCr, 4:4:4 YCbCr or the full 4:4:4 RGB. So this is definitely a problem with newer displays and graphics cards, not OBS itself. OBS just couldn't preview or record videos properly (with the frame pacing issue) since it couldn't show anything more than 4:2:0. That's all it was. Setting OBS to I444 and keeping my monitor at RGB (I could use YCbCr 4:4:4 n still be ok, cuz both use 4:4:4) solved my problem and hope it helps others reading this and my last reply above