Local recording, h264 bitrate issue?

_Zo

_Zo

Member
Hey, before I start, I'd like to inform you that I have literally no experience with forums, thusly if there are any issues with this post, I'm really sorry. Also, my English isn't the greatest.

Anyways, I've been trying to figure this out for quite some time.
Trying to do local recording. Settings in the first screenshot, work the best for me.
The issue is, my HDD is very slow and the bitrates are very inconsistent, which causes taken footage to stutter, sometimes quite a lot.
I would definitely be using Advanced settings, but here's the main issue. You can't set the "h264 low CPU usage" preset in there. Or at least it's not listed in available encoders there. (second screenshot)

My CPU isn't the greatest and normal h264 encoding takes up to like 50% at 1080@60fps, opposed to around 20-30% on low usage preset.

So, my questions are.
Can you somehow limit "Simple output mode" settings' bitrate while keeping the encoder?
Can you use any "x264 options" parameters in Advanced settings to "emulate" the "low CPU usage preset" there?

Thank you in advance.

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Boildown

Boildown

Active Member
@dping OBS Studio question.

CPU usage is determined by the preset, video dimensions, and framerate. It hardly depends on bitrate at all. Generally just follow a setup guide and if you run into trouble, post an OBS log file for help.
 
_Zo

_Zo

Member
There might be a misunderstanding. I'm not trying to lower the CPU usage. I just want to limit the bitrate so my HDD can keep up.
 
_Zo

_Zo

Member
I'm using an external USB 3.0 HDD, but I have no USB 3 ports so it's in a USB 2.0 port, therefore only around 21MB/s average. "High quality" preset is very inconsistent, one file can have 20000kbps, other one can have 80000kbps. I'm also running games from that HDD.

The issue is. When there are a lot of things on the screen (almost always 3D games), it means higher bitrate, which means more writing speed.
OBS doesn't notify me of high encoding, nor does it lag my game. But the preview is sometimes kind of choppy and the video footage is as well.

I would post my OBS log, but from what I've tried, it only shows past broadcasts, not recordings.
Anyways, thank you for getting back with me. I really appreciate your help.
 
FerretBomb

FerretBomb

Active Member
USB devices tend to have other iops overhead due to having to go through the USB bus. Even with an extremely fast external drive, USB will cause significant issues when recording, or for small file access (including incremental writes).
It's very strongly recommended to record to an internal drive, and move the recording to the external device after it has completed for storage or if space is an issue.
 
_Zo

_Zo

Member
Alright, thanks a bunch to both of you. I'll be buying a new HDD as soon as possible, just kinda short on money.
Consider this post solved. No idea if I can flair it somehow.
 
Boildown

Boildown

Active Member
OBS logs show recordings too. But you may have to close out OBS to get the file to update.

Best bet is to follow the recording guide here: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-classic-how-to-make-high-quality-local-recordings.16 Edit: Just saw that the thread was moved to the Studio forum which reminded me that I posted the wrong guide. Use this one instead: https://obsproject.com/forum/resour...ality-recording-and-multiple-audio-tracks.221

Record for at least five minutes of high action content and post that log file.
 
Last edited:
B

Beardedbob

Member
in Simple you can set the bitrate to what works or in advance set it from CRF to CBR and set the bitrate. Failing that post some logs from your OBS to help show where the bottle neck is + the pc spec.

You could move the CPU preset from Very Fast to Ultra Fast.
 
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