Question / Help How to improve 720p, 30fps, 2000kbps quality

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DemonWell

New Member
Hi

I'm new to streaming and I need help improving the quality of my stream. But before, here's my rig:

i7 3770k
GTX 980
8GB RAM
2TB HDD
125GB SSD

And here's my internet speed after doing a speed test:

Download: 32.34Mb/s
Upload: 11.31Mb/s

Since I am new to streaming, I am non-partnered and I am trying to follow the "Golden Settings" for unpartnered streamers, which I read is 720p, 30 fps and 2000kbps bitrate. However, I am unsatisfied with the result of the quality of the videos.

Here's a preview with the logfile:

Video: https://www.twitch.tv/demonwelltest/v/84639145
LogFile: https://gist.github.com/anonymous/807e58680989c4159ab6566fec9b0ac2

I am mostly playing Rocket League, so I suffer a lot of pixelation. However, I saw another streamer playing this game with 2000Kbps at 720p and 30fps also and he had a 10x better quality than mine. I am not sur how he attained such good quality with the same settings than me, but I would like to find out.

However... I don't know how. Here's my OBS settings:

Encoder: x264
Rate Control: CBR
Bitrate: 2000kbps
Keyframe: 2
CPU preset: Veryfast
Profile: Main
x264 Options: threads=10
Audio= 128 bitrate
Base resolution: 1080p
Output Resolution: 720p
Filter: Lanczos
FPS: 30

Could anyone help me? Thanks!
 
Adrian Schofield

Adrian Schofield

Member
Also you could go up to 2500 bitrate. Most viewers now can stream at that speed so it's worth testing to see how it goes down with your viewers.
 
D

DemonWell

New Member
Alright so after testing a lot of the presets and x264 options,

I figured I could do the Faster cpu preset with rc-lookahead=40 if it would be another game than Rocket League. Since I'm playing Rocket League, I can only do Faster. Otherwise my game performance is reduced.

And is it true I can go 2500? If so, I will do it. Not even a question!

But... Maybe it's just me. But for some reason it feels "choppy". Like if I'm losing frames from time to time. But I'm not. Here's a vod to my last test:

Video: https://www.twitch.tv/demonwelltest/v/84650969
Logfile: https://gist.github.com/4676120816ab306363bae6e69a93cfbc

Same settings, except 2500kbps bitrate and using faster cpu preset with rc-lookahead=40.

Am I wrong? If not, what can I do to fix this?
 
A

Anvie

New Member
Have a look at the information here https://www.reddit.com/r/Twitch/comments/2dz7ru/bitrates_resolutions_and_quality/

As far as I understand, it feels choppy because it's at 30fps, and it looks pixelated at times because the bitrate isn't high enough.

To get rid of the pixelation try out these settings 720p, 30fps, 2800kbps.

To get rid of the choppiness, try out these settings 540p, 60fps, 3200kbps.

What you'll notice is that with the first settings, there won't be pixelation but it will feel choppy. With the second settings, it will look smooth but pixelated depending on the size you view it at. View it fullscreen on a 1080p monitor, and it doesn't look great. View it on a cellphone, however, and the image looks crystal clear.

I use the following settings: 616p, 48fps, 3500kbps. It doesn't achieve the 0.1 bpp that the reddit thread recommends, but it's pretty damn close at .097. Here's how these settings look.

Video: https://www.twitch.tv/anvie_/v/84753748

As far as I know, to get a non-pixelated smooth image at 720 or 1080p, your options are lowering your CPU Usage Preset or getting a capture card or using a dedicated pc to stream.

Good luck!
 
J

jds4578

Member
i think the bitrate limit for non-twitch partnered streamers, is at least 3500(i should know i am also one), for partnered its a 5000 bitrate, but most of them keep at 3500, i have read. Anything higher than 3500 and twitch will worry about it. stop me if i am wrong.

My output settings:

1080p, re-scaled to 720p, 2500 bitrate, 2 second keyframe, lossless rate control, High performance preset, High profile, auto levels. 2-pass encoding, GPU = 0

Video settings: base resolution 1080p, Output(scaled) resolution 720p, Bicubic(sharpened scaling, 16 samples), 30 fps.
 
Last edited:
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DemonWell

New Member
Yes. Every streamers can do 3500 bitrate. But it is not recommended for the non partnered streamers, because a lot of viewers buffers on that bitrate. And most of the time, instead of telling the streamer "Hey, I'm buffering", they just instantly leave. Which is why I want to stick to 2000 bitrate.

I guess I could do 2500 bitrate. But there are lot of streamers who actually said their viewers were buffering at 2500 bitrate.
 
J

jds4578

Member
whenever viewers complain, they are buffering, and you see you are having no problems, your end(no framerate drops, OBS/OBS studio will tell you if you are), it is their internet from them to the twitch servers, and if twitch is having problems at the same time, or their isp is, thats what is causing the buffering, not you. if they are also using slower internet, mobile/data coinnections, that can also cause it.
 
H

Honorius69

New Member
Sometime you have to lose some viewers to get the rest of them to stay.
And keep in mind, medium on encoder presents is only standard and yes 2800kbit on medium and 720/30 is perfect in all circumstances

Regards
 
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