Live streaming: multiple issues or are they the same?

[Udda_Odd]

Yesterday I was live streaming a match in a little known sport. Unfortunately there were MANY issues with the broadcast and many variables had changed recently, so my expectations for figuring this out - especially by myself - are low.

Recent changes to my system from when everything was working right:
Upgraded computer to Windows 11
Upgraded OBS to version 32.0.1 from 30 or 31 something
Platform to which I send the built-in stream have changed things (do not think this is related to the issues I had though)
Added LUT
Have tried to run 3 separate cameras (one connected through video capture card, had the same one for years) to computer and two using vdo.ninja connections), with three separate replay buffers running (using source record plugin filters for the vdo.ninja cameras).
I'm sure there is other changes done as well...

I am using Aitum Multistream to stream to two platforms at once, but that was working well before this issue occured.

The issues:
OBS could not get the existing main camera connection going, so I had create a new source.
OBS started complaining that the GPU (GTX 1660ti) was overloaded and skipped a lot of frames due to encoding lag. - I changed the preset for the encoder to medium from slow (slow always worked before) and got rid of that error message.
The sound from the main camera appeared to reach the computer through the capture card (looking att the audiomixer) - but the output was low or non-existent
The video countinously had "glitches", the main picture was showing but every few seconds a lower part or up to half of the picture chopped and showed something previously filmed.

I switched cables, tried a different video capture card (which I did not get to function at all) during the broadcast.

Any thoughts would be welcome, I have attached the log file (highly modified, was full of error lines and 44 MB in original) there are obvious issues, even to me...

 

[koala]

16:28:12.348: warning: Found EOI before any SOF, ignoring
16:28:12.349: fatal:   No JPEG data found in image
16:28:12.349: Sony a6400b: Error decoding video
16:28:12.355: warning: mjpeg_decode_dc: bad vlc: 0:0 (0000020154A7E2C8)

These messages indicate USB data stream errors. Usually USB bandwidth overload. You seem to have one USB camera connected that claims to be USB 3.0. Make sure it's really connected with USB 3.0 (check cable and plug). It's running with 1920x1080 @60Hz, this is too much for a fallback USB 2 connection and could result in broken video and audio stream from that camera. Don't use hubs, connect directly.

 

[Udda_Odd]

16:28:12.348: warning: Found EOI before any SOF, ignoring
16:28:12.349: fatal:   No JPEG data found in image
16:28:12.349: Sony a6400b: Error decoding video
16:28:12.355: warning: mjpeg_decode_dc: bad vlc: 0:0 (0000020154A7E2C8)

These messages indicate USB data stream errors. Usually USB bandwidth overload. You seem to have one USB camera connected that claims to be USB 3.0. Make sure it's really connected with USB 3.0 (check cable and plug). It's running with 1920x1080 @60Hz, this is too much for a fallback USB 2 connection and could result in broken video and audio stream from that camera. Don't use hubs, connect directly.

Thanks for your suggestions, both plug and adapter are blue... So assuming 3.0 (Chinese crap from Amazon). None of these parts are new and have worked without problems for the past 3 years.

 

[koala]

The log says there are issues, so you need to track these down. Whatever worked for the past 3 years doesn't seem to work any more. If you don't know what changed and cannot revert any change, check the speed of your USB devices with usbtreeview: https://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html

Or may be your cables became defective, or your USB ports, or your device.

By the way, this is a hardware issue. Any update of OBS or Windows isn't a reason for these issues.

 

[Udda_Odd]

The log says there are issues, so you need to track these down. Whatever worked for the past 3 years doesn't seem to work any more. If you don't know what changed and cannot revert any change, check the speed of your USB devices with usbtreeview: https://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html

Or may be your cables became defective, or your USB ports, or your device.

By the way, this is a hardware issue. Any update of OBS or Windows isn't a reason for these issues.

OK, have downloaded and opened the executable, only to get thoroughly confused by the USB Device Tree Viewer (consider me a complete newbie with regards to USB-analysis). My computer has one USB-C port and 3 rectangular ones. In the screendump I have only the USB-C one connected to anything (a HP docking station in this case) - it is the USB-C port that I have used for my video capture card in the past. I also checked the other 3 physical ports with an old pen drive and Ports 1, 3 and 5 nearest the USB Root Hub were active for those.
So how do I check the speed for the USB devices? Just the Letter?

I also tried to broadcast another game, new video capture card, and with 720p30 setting last weekend. The video became choppy again... Find shortened log attached (original more than 4MB - too big to upload again).

 

[koala]

Your screenshot doesn't show the camera from your OBS log. It's probably behind the "HP USB-C Hub ..." entry. You need to find the usb camera from your OBS log in the usbtreeview tree.
There is a small letter at the port icons: F, H, S and optionally more. F means "full speed" and is USB 1 speed (12 mbit/s). H means "High speed" and means USB 2 speed (480 mbit/s). S means "Super speed" and is USB 3 speed (5000 mbit/s [which is 5 gbit/s], or 10 gbit/s, or 20 gbit/s for USB 3.0, USB 3.1 and USB 3.2, respectively).
If you click on a device, you get verbose device info. Look at the speed entries, for example this:

You see this camera device of mine is doing high speed on a high speed capable port, so this is USB 2 speed. The maximum camera resolution 1920x1080 with 30 fps supports this: this is a camera designed for USB 2, since this is the maximum resolution and fps a USB 2 connection is able to handle in terms of USB bandwidth.

Now find your camera in the tree and inspect these speed entries. If it is a USB 3 capable device, it must be "Super-Speed" on a "Super-Speed" capable port. If it is not, check cabling from the camera to the dock and from the dock to the PC.

 

[Udda_Odd]

Your screenshot doesn't show the camera from your OBS log. It's probably behind the "HP USB-C Hub ..." entry. You need to find the usb camera from your OBS log in the usbtreeview tree.
There is a small letter at the port icons: F, H, S and optionally more. F means "full speed" and is USB 1 speed. H means "High speed" and means USB 2 speed. S means "Super speed" and is USB 3 speed.
If you click on a device, you get verbose device info. Look at the speed entries, for example this:

View attachment 116153
You see this camera device of mine is doing high speed on a high speed capable port, so this is USB 2 speed. The maximum camera resolution 1920x1080 with 30 fps supports this: this is a camera designed for USB 2, since this is the maximum resolution and fps a USB 2 connection is able to handle in terms of USB bandwidth.

Now find your camera in the tree and inspect these speed entries. If it is a USB 3 capable device, it must be "Super-Speed" on a "Super-Speed" capable port. If it is not, check cabling from the camera to the dock and from the dock to the PC.

Thanks for responding. Correct, my camera was not connected while I did the screen capture. Unfortunately, I am on my way out for the weekend and will not be able to test this until Monday. I'll return with any findings then.

 

[Udda_Odd]

Your screenshot doesn't show the camera from your OBS log. It's probably behind the "HP USB-C Hub ..." entry. You need to find the usb camera from your OBS log in the usbtreeview tree.
There is a small letter at the port icons: F, H, S and optionally more. F means "full speed" and is USB 1 speed (12 mbit/s). H means "High speed" and means USB 2 speed (480 mbit/s). S means "Super speed" and is USB 3 speed (5000 mbit/s [which is 5 gbit/s], or 10 gbit/s, or 20 gbit/s for USB 3.0, USB 3.1 and USB 3.2, respectively).
If you click on a device, you get verbose device info. Look at the speed entries, for example this:

View attachment 116153
You see this camera device of mine is doing high speed on a high speed capable port, so this is USB 2 speed. The maximum camera resolution 1920x1080 with 30 fps supports this: this is a camera designed for USB 2, since this is the maximum resolution and fps a USB 2 connection is able to handle in terms of USB bandwidth.

Now find your camera in the tree and inspect these speed entries. If it is a USB 3 capable device, it must be "Super-Speed" on a "Super-Speed" capable port. If it is not, check cabling from the camera to the dock and from the dock to the PC.

So I attached all hardware components the way they were connected when everything, at least as far as I know, was fully functional (ie no changes to hardware at all). There were no choppy video or audio at that point at least, and I never bothered checking the logs... And below you find what my tree looks like - no usage of super-speed ports apparently. I ran OBS and camera at 1080p60 at that point.

FYI my hardware-chain/wiring goes like this (do not know whether info is helpful or not):
Sony a6400 camera -> Smallrig micro-HDMI to female HDMI adapter -> HDMI cable 4K@Hz capable -> Feelworld T7 plus field monitor -> HDMI cable 4K@60Hz capable ->Video capture card with attached USB-cable -> USB to USB-C-adapter. This is all powered by a powerbank.