Question / Help OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legends.

[infestd]

When I stream league of legends my ping in league of legends spikes up to about 300 ms. Not sure why its doing this but i'm thinking it might be my encoding settings. Any help would be appreciated.

01:52:10: Open Broadcaster Software v0.522b - 32bit (´・ω・｀)
01:52:10: -------------------------------
01:52:10: CPU Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
01:52:10: CPU Speed: 3403MHz
01:52:10: Physical Memory:  4095MB Total, 4095MB Free
01:52:10: stepping id: 9, model 10, family 6, type 0, extmodel 1, extfamily 0, HTT 1, logical cores 4, total cores 4
01:52:10: monitor 1: pos={0, 0}, size={1440, 900}
01:52:10: Windows Version: 6.1 Build 7601 S
01:52:10: Aero is Enabled
01:52:10: -------------------------------
01:52:10: OBS Modules:
01:52:10: Base Address     Module
01:52:10: 01350000         OBS.exe
01:52:10: 68EA0000         OBSApi.dll
01:52:10: 6D4F0000         DShowPlugin.dll
01:52:10: 73900000         GraphicsCapture.dll
01:52:10: 70F00000         NoiseGate.dll
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Adapter 1
01:52:10:   Video Adapter: AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
01:52:10:   Video Adapter Dedicated Video Memory: 1060859904
01:52:10:   Video Adapter Shared System Memory: 3234041856
01:52:10: =====Stream Start: 2013-07-08, 01:52:10===============================================
01:52:10:   Multithreaded optimizations: On
01:52:10:   Base resolution: 1440x900
01:52:10:   Output resolution: 1152x720
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Loading up D3D10...
01:52:10: Playback device {0.0.0.00000000}.{c19d6b34-dbd2-4aa5-ada6-6103c4d8633d}
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Using desktop audio input: Speakers (USB Audio Device)
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Using auxilary audio input: Microphone (USB Audio Device)
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Audio Encoding: AAC
01:52:10:     bitrate: 128
01:52:10: Using Window Capture
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:10: Video Encoding: x264
01:52:10:     fps: 30
01:52:10:     width: 1152, height: 720
01:52:10:     preset: veryfast
01:52:10:     CBR: no
01:52:10:     CFR: no
01:52:10:     max bitrate: 791
01:52:10:     buffer size: 474
01:52:10:     quality: 7
01:52:10: ------------------------------------------
01:52:12: Using Window Capture
01:53:02: Using Window Capture
01:54:09: Using Window Capture
01:54:53: Using Window Capture
01:54:54: Total frames rendered: 4927, number of frames that lagged: 1 (0.02%) (it's okay for some frames to lag)
01:54:54: =====Stream End: 2013-07-08, 01:54:54=================================================
01:55:49: 
01:55:49: Profiler results:
01:55:49: 
01:55:49: ==============================================================
01:55:49: frame - [100%] [avg time: 2.388 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 88%] [unaccounted: 12%]
01:55:49: | scene->Preprocess - [50.4%] [avg time: 1.204 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1]
01:55:49: | video encoding and uploading - [37.6%] [avg time: 0.897 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 37.1%] [unaccounted: 0.461%]
01:55:49: | | CopyResource - [0.335%] [avg time: 0.008 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
01:55:49: | | conversion to 4:2:0 - [0.209%] [avg time: 0.005 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
01:55:49: | | call to encoder - [36.6%] [avg time: 0.873 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
01:55:49: | | sending stuff out - [0%] [avg time: 0 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
01:55:49: ==============================================================
01:55:49:

 

[Kharay]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

With that somewhat limited upload I would suggest lowering the resolution and the quality in which you are capturing. Just to see what happens, try 480p in Quality 0 for a few minutes. See if the ping in LoL still spikes.

 

[flavored]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

The lags in your case come from obs occupying all of your internet upstream.

Honestly though, with less that 1mbit upload rate I don't think you'll be able to get a good streaming experience. The tradeoff for a smooth steam in your case is a huge chunk quality, and there isn't a winning situation here.

 

[infestd]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

How do i go about changing it to 480p?

 

[Kharay]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

How do i go about changing it to 480p?

Go into OBS' settings, go to Video, open the dropdown called Resolution Downscale and select the 480p one there. And just leave the filter at the default for now.

 

[FerretBomb]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

You'll also need to drop your bitrate to allow more room for League's network communications.
I'd also recommend running the 6MB test at http://testmy.net/upload to get a more accurate reading on how much upstream you actually have... speedtest.net rates based on dead-file transfer speeds, and is almost worthless when it comes to streaming.

Don't think I'd even run a 480p stream on ~600kbps though. Maybe a 360p stream.
I also would NOT advise going to Quality 0. It's terrible advice.
Likewise, your Buffer should not be set lower than your bitrate. It will lead to poor results, stuttering, and other problems. Set it to match, or possibly double (or even triple) your bitrate if you have poor line quality. Matching should work for most people though.

 

[Kharay]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

I also would NOT advise going to Quality 0. It's terrible advice.

Not at all terrible advice and the point was to see if there was at least some level at which LoL would not lag. As in, establish a baseline from which to go forward in incremental steps. Not just guess at what settings will work but really solving the issue. Which does involve establishing a baseline.

Just common sense really.

 

[FerretBomb]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

Setting up a proper bitrate to begin with is the better option though. Working from there to get the best quality within that bandwidth budget is the next step. Slapping on quality 0 is more of a band-aid; they would be far better-served just going to CBR at that rate, if staying at/under the defined bitrate is the goal. But establishing that rate comes first.

 

[infestd]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

Hey guys, sorry for the late response, but I tried changing a couple things and it seems my lag spikes have--for the most part-- gone away. I still experience the occasional lag spike up to about 100 ping, but it isn't as bad as when it was over 300. I also used TestMy.net and my upload rate came out to be 847 kb/s. Any more advice on how to completely stop the lag spikes without saccing too much in terms of stream quality? I know there is only so much I can do with my current upload rate, but anything would help. Oh, I also wanted to add that my webcam doesn't seem to show up for some reason even though the light on my webcam turns on when I preview the stream. My webcam worked the first time I previewed the stream and then after I turned it off to change some settings the webcam didn't show up anymore. If anyone could help me figure that out that would be great. Thanks!

05:41:43: Open Broadcaster Software v0.522b - 32bit (´・ω・｀)
05:41:43: -------------------------------
05:41:43: CPU Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
05:41:43: CPU Speed: 3403MHz
05:41:43: Physical Memory:  4095MB Total, 4095MB Free
05:41:43: stepping id: 9, model 10, family 6, type 0, extmodel 1, extfamily 0, HTT 1, logical cores 4, total cores 4
05:41:43: monitor 1: pos={0, 0}, size={1440, 900}
05:41:43: Windows Version: 6.1 Build 7601 S
05:41:43: Aero is Enabled
05:41:43: -------------------------------
05:41:43: OBS Modules:
05:41:43: Base Address     Module
05:41:43: 01350000         OBS.exe
05:41:43: 74800000         OBSApi.dll
05:41:43: 74A40000         DShowPlugin.dll
05:41:43: 74D40000         GraphicsCapture.dll
05:41:43: 74A20000         NoiseGate.dll
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43: Adapter 1
05:41:43:   Video Adapter: AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
05:41:43:   Video Adapter Dedicated Video Memory: 1060859904
05:41:43:   Video Adapter Shared System Memory: 3234041856
05:41:43: =====Stream Start: 2013-07-11, 05:41:43===============================================
05:41:43:   Multithreaded optimizations: On
05:41:43:   Base resolution: 1440x900
05:41:43:   Output resolution: 720x450
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43: Loading up D3D10...
05:41:43: Playback device {0.0.0.00000000}.{c19d6b34-dbd2-4aa5-ada6-6103c4d8633d}
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43: Using desktop audio input: Speakers (USB Audio Device)
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43: Using auxilary audio input: Microphone (USB Audio Device)
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43: Audio Encoding: AAC
05:41:43:     bitrate: 128
05:41:43: ------------------------------------------
05:41:43:     device: Logitech Webcam 200,
05:41:43:     device id \\?\usb#vid_046d&pid_0802&mi_00#7&229b8424&0&0000#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\{bbefb6c7-2fc4-4139-bb8b-a58bba724083},
05:41:43:     chosen type: I420, usingFourCC: false, res: 640x480 - 640x480, frameIntervals: 333333-2000000, fourCC: 'I420'
05:41:43:     audio device: Disable,
05:41:43:     audio device id Disabled,
05:41:43: 
05:41:43: Using directshow input
05:41:44: Using Window Capture
05:41:44: Using graphics capture
05:41:44: Using Window Capture
05:41:44: ------------------------------------------
05:41:44: Video Encoding: x264
05:41:44:     fps: 30
05:41:44:     width: 720, height: 450
05:41:44:     preset: veryfast
05:41:44:     CBR: no
05:41:44:     CFR: no
05:41:44:     max bitrate: 550
05:41:44:     buffer size: 550
05:41:44:     quality: 6
05:41:44: ------------------------------------------
05:41:45: Using RTMP service: Twitch / Justin.tv
05:41:45:   Server selection: rtmp://live.justin.tv/app
05:41:46: SO_SNDBUF was at 8192
05:41:46: SO_SNDBUF is now 65536
05:42:25: Total frames rendered: 1234, number of frames that lagged: 1 (0.08%) (it's okay for some frames to lag)
05:42:25: RTMPPublisher::SocketLoop: Aborting due to bStopping
05:42:25: Number of times waited to send: 0, Waited for a total of 0 bytes
05:42:25: Number of b-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Number of p-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Total 0 (0%)
05:42:25: =====Stream End: 2013-07-11, 05:42:25=================================================
05:42:38: =====Stream Start: 2013-07-11, 05:42:38===============================================
05:42:38:   Multithreaded optimizations: On
05:42:38:   Base resolution: 1440x900
05:42:38:   Output resolution: 960x600
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38: Loading up D3D10...
05:42:38: Playback device {0.0.0.00000000}.{c19d6b34-dbd2-4aa5-ada6-6103c4d8633d}
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38: Using desktop audio input: Speakers (USB Audio Device)
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38: Using auxilary audio input: Microphone (USB Audio Device)
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38: Audio Encoding: AAC
05:42:38:     bitrate: 128
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38:     device: Logitech Webcam 200,
05:42:38:     device id \\?\usb#vid_046d&pid_0802&mi_00#7&229b8424&0&0000#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\{bbefb6c7-2fc4-4139-bb8b-a58bba724083},
05:42:38:     chosen type: I420, usingFourCC: false, res: 640x480 - 640x480, frameIntervals: 333333-2000000, fourCC: 'I420'
05:42:38:     audio device: Disable,
05:42:38:     audio device id Disabled,
05:42:38: 
05:42:38: Using directshow input
05:42:38: Using Window Capture
05:42:38: Using graphics capture
05:42:38: Using Window Capture
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:38: Video Encoding: x264
05:42:38:     fps: 30
05:42:38:     width: 960, height: 600
05:42:38:     preset: veryfast
05:42:38:     CBR: no
05:42:38:     CFR: no
05:42:38:     max bitrate: 550
05:42:38:     buffer size: 550
05:42:38:     quality: 6
05:42:38: ------------------------------------------
05:42:40: Using RTMP service: Twitch / Justin.tv
05:42:40:   Server selection: rtmp://live.justin.tv/app
05:42:41: SO_SNDBUF was at 8192
05:42:41: SO_SNDBUF is now 65536
05:43:40: SharedTexCapture hooked
05:47:50: Total frames rendered: 9348, number of frames that lagged: 0 (0.00%) (it's okay for some frames to lag)
05:47:50: RTMPPublisher::SocketLoop: Aborting due to bStopping
05:47:50: Number of times waited to send: 0, Waited for a total of 0 bytes
05:47:50: Number of b-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Number of p-frames dropped: 0 (0%), Total 0 (0%)
05:47:50: =====Stream End: 2013-07-11, 05:47:50=================================================
05:47:59: 
05:47:59: Profiler results:
05:47:59: 
05:47:59: ==============================================================
05:47:59: frame - [100%] [avg time: 1.718 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 87.8%] [unaccounted: 12.2%]
05:47:59: | scene->Preprocess - [51.2%] [avg time: 0.88 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1]
05:47:59: | video encoding and uploading - [36.6%] [avg time: 0.629 ms] [avg calls per frame: 1] [children: 36%] [unaccounted: 0.582%]
05:47:59: | | CopyResource - [0.407%] [avg time: 0.007 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
05:47:59: | | conversion to 4:2:0 - [0.291%] [avg time: 0.005 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
05:47:59: | | call to encoder - [34.5%] [avg time: 0.593 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
05:47:59: | | sending stuff out - [0.815%] [avg time: 0.014 ms] [avg calls per frame: 0]
05:47:59: ==============================================================
05:47:59:

 

[DryRoastedLemon]

Re: OBS lags my internet when I'm streaming League of Legend

As mentioned before, use TestMy.Net to determine your upload speed using a server nearby and a fairly large upload size. Speedtest.net is incredibly unreliable and for us streamers mostly useless.

Most importantly: lower your bitrate. Changing your resolution or framerate is going to do absolutely nothing if you don't change your bitrate. In general I like multiplying the TestMy.Net result by 0.8 (80% of the result). Finally, multiply the result by 1024 to get the bitrate. You should also leave some headroom for the audio, as this will also eat up precious bandwidth. I usually take the result and subtract the audio bitrate from that, and use that result as my video bitrate.

So let's say your Speedtest.net result is reliable, and that you are also streaming audio in 128kbps. Your upload speed is 0.94Mb/s. So we multiply it by 0.8 (~0.75), multiply it by 1024 (~770) and finally subtract the audio bitrate from that. The end result is a video bitrate of 642kbps.
EDIT: You'll need to experiment a little bit here. With my internet connection multiplying by 0.8 frees up a megabit, which is enough for most things. In your case perhaps a lower number is more appropriate.

That bitrate is not going to deliver you very good visuals, and it is probably only suitable for streaming at fairly low resolutions, but I suppose it's something you could try. You can obviously lower the audio quality to free up some bits.

Honestly, though? The best solution would be to upgrade your internet.