Question / Help It seems I am unable to stream without constant freezes?

RiotNOR

New Member
Hello.

I've been wanting to try streaming for a long time, and recently I was linked to OBS. So I've tried it out, followed the Twitch settings, and finally started streaming... for like a minute.

No matter what settings I choose, I can't get a stable stream at all. Whether I choose the recommended 3500kb for Twitch or 25000, the stream stalls in random intervals. Hell, even if I select 1000.

My specs:
2x 780 GTX in SLI
3930k at 4.7GHz
16GB ram
25/25 Fiber in Norway, connecting to Sweden/Amsterdam (no difference in stability with either).

I get no framedrops or anything. The stream just stalls. The same thing happens with XSplit. No difference in using veryfast, faster, fast, or normal/medium or whatever its called.

Is there some kind of hidden settings I'm not finding? I've read several threads on the subject to no avail. :/
 

FerretBomb

Active Member
Post a logfile from a live streaming session. There's a stickied thread at the top of the forum explaining how to do so. Also, if you have broadcast recording enabled, please post a link to a VOD.

3500kbps is the MAXIMUM that the ingests can handle without potential issues, overall.
For non-partnered streamers, 2000 is the recommended maximum, with lower providing better results for many viewers (1500 will provide a decent quality 720p@30fps stream).
 

RiotNOR

New Member
Here's my logfile: http://pastebin.com/8sGYTM5j

Regarding your post, I even get stutters at lower kbits. And that speedtest site you guys recommend compared to speedtest.net is not really a good measure either. I get 519 from my stationary(ethernet) while I get 8900 from my cellphone with 2 bars on the wifi... I'm pretty sure that's not right. :)
 

Sapiens

Forum Moderator
I don't see anything bad in the log file other than a few dropped frames, so it's possible this is a playback issue, i.e. you aren't able to get the video from Twitch fast enough/Twitch isn't able to send the data to you fast enough. If you record the stream locally or simply do a local recording instead, do you see the same problem? Could you link to a VOD that exhibits the issue?
 

FerretBomb

Active Member
Again. Speedtest.net gives results which are worthless in relation to livestreaming. Livestreaming relies on a constant, uninterrupted level of throughput on a single TCP link connection. Which is what testmy.net tests for. Make sure you are using a testmy server located near your chosen Twitch ingest server for most accurate results.

Speedtest checks 'dead file' overall transfer speeds via multi-link TCP connections. Which is, again, worthless in relation to livestreaming. And should be disregarded, even if it gives you bigger numbers.

Given that you are dropping frames at 1000kbps though, it does indeed appear that the testmy result of 519kbps may in fact be roughly accurate. Dropped frames indicate a network issue, after all. You may have a problem with your local network when it comes to single-link connection throughput, if your phone on wifi (over the same WAN uplink) is returning that significantly higher of a return.
 

Sapiens

Forum Moderator
If you check his log files you'll see he doesn't have enough dropped frames to result in a "constantly freezing" video. Crusading against Speedtest isn't going to resolve the issue.
 

FerretBomb

Active Member
True, it's more likely to be the 3500kbps rate I'd mentioned above. In the first response. Which is why the second was primarily aimed toward the concept of speedtest.net being useful for livestreamers aside from as an 'am I online' check.
Far from a crusade, more that I'm quite used to seeing people insist that if speedtest tells them X, that it must be so... and there are some very thick skulls out there. So in the interest of cutting down on the 'yes he did, no she didn't' aspect, it can save time to be overly clear, even if it may not be entirely warranted.
 
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