Question / Help OBS Studio - Pixelated Image Quality

[Ion]

Hello,

Im having a stream and local recording problem with OBS Studio. I get a pixelated image quality and I'm unable to solve the issue. This pixelated image becomes even more noticeable on movement sequences (Like riding a horse for example). Here is all info I guess its relevant:

PC Specs:
CPU: i7-4790 (Not getting 100% usage while streaming or local recording)
MOBO: Asus Z97 Pro-Gamer
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
GPU: EVGA GTX1080 FTW (No overheat)
Internet Connection: 50MBs Download - 50MBs Upload

OBS Studio Settings:
Codification: NVENC
Resolution: 1920x1080
Rescale: 1280x720
FPS: 60
Rate control: CBR
Bitrate: 3500
Preset: Default
Two-Pass Encoding: Enabled
GPU: 0
B-frames: 2
Advanced Video Options: All as Default (Direct3D 11, NV12, 601, Partial)

Streaming
1080p 60fps, 2000-10000 Bitrate: Pixelated
720p 60fps, 2000-10000 Bitrate: Pixelated
720p 30fps, 2000-10000 Bitrate: Pixelated

Local Recording (Always on .mp4 output)
720p 60fps, 2000-10000 Bitrate: Pixelated
720p 60fps, 12000 Bitrate: Perfect, image looks as ingame.
720p 30fps, 2000-10000 Bitrate: Pixelated
720p 30fps, 12000 Bitrate: Perfect, image looks as ingame.

I've just been able to get perfect recording on local, never on stream. As I put more Bitrate I get better image quality and Pixels start to disappear. But as twitch has 3500 Bitrate limit, this is not a fix.
I tried all kind of settings but I cant get to record at nice quality without placing extreme bitrate. What am I missing?

Note: Ingame image and fps are flawlessly perfect, game is 60fps constant always. Also the stream/recording is 60fps always, so smooth, is just the image quality looking pixelated.

Stuff I've done already:
Reinstall OBS Studio
Uninstall and clean install updated NVIDIA drivers
Open OBS 64bit version on Administrator mode ALWAYS (Computer is 64bit)
Im using a Scene with just a Game Capture layer, no mics, cameras, text or web sources, nothing.
V-SYNC is always ON on NVIDIA settings. Monitor Hz rate is 60 and game V-SYNC is ON too.

I've read this guide (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-3263104/encoding-g...) and watched some bunch of videos but I cant find whats happening.

 

[Dilaz]

Don't use CBR when recording. For high-quality, no fuss recordings, use the recording quality presets under Settings > Output when in Simple output mode. In the recording section, change the Recording Quality to Indistinguishable Quality.

NVENC is not really suitable for streaming due to high bitrate requirement for high quality but if you really want to do it, you can expect more pixelation than with x264. Twitch' new bitrate limit is 6000kbps so you can increase the bitrate quite a bit.

Also you should never record directly to mp4 since they are really keen to corrupt. Use flv or mkv instead.

 

[Ion]

Don't use CBR when recording. For high-quality, no fuss recordings, use the recording quality presets under Settings > Output when in Simple output mode. In the recording section, change the Recording Quality to Indistinguishable Quality.

NVENC is not really suitable for streaming due to high bitrate requirement for high quality but if you really want to do it, you can expect more pixelation than with x264. Twitch' new bitrate limit is 6000kbps so you can increase the bitrate quite a bit.

Also you should never record directly to mp4 since they are really keen to corrupt. Use flv or mkv instead.

Thanks for your reply.

I found that local recording with Simple output mode works great as u mentioned.

For streaming, I'll try x264 again this afternoon, but it uses too much CPU and i was reaching high % usage (75-95)

 

[BK-Morpheus]

For 1080p the twitch compatible bitrates like 3500kbit/s are already too low (at least in games with high details and a lot of motion).
What will make the problem worse is a high framerate (60fps in your case) and an encoder that is not able to utilize the encoding efficient features of x264 (in your case NVENC).

So you will improve picture quality (especially in situations with high details and fast motions) with:
- 720p
- 30fps
- efficient encoder (x264)

Of course, the x264 will need some CPU power, but it can compress the video much better than the GPU based encoders like NVENC.
For local recordings NVENC is fine, as you are not restricted to a certain bitrate, so you can simply swtich to NVENC, Quality Rate Factor 23.

 

[Ion]

NVENC is not really suitable for streaming due to high bitrate requirement for high quality but if you really want to do it, you can expect more pixelation than with x264. Twitch' new bitrate limit is 6000kbps so you can increase the bitrate quite a bit.

For 1080p the twitch compatible bitrates like 3500kbit/s are already too low (at least in games with high details and a lot of motion).
What will make the problem worse is a high framerate (60fps in your case) and an encoder that is not able to utilize the encoding efficient features of x264 (in your case NVENC).

So you will improve picture quality (especially in situations with high details and fast motions) with:
- 720p
- 30fps
- efficient encoder (x264)

Of course, the x264 will need some CPU power, but it can compress the video much better than the GPU based encoders like NVENC.
For local recordings NVENC is fine, as you are not restricted to a certain bitrate, so you can simply swtich to NVENC, Quality Rate Factor 23.

I just tested on x264 and Im getting +90% CPU usage and still image pixeled. At 5900 Bitrate and 720p60fps on "faster" profile.

If I go with veryfast CPU usage is lower but pixels are more visible.

 

[BK-Morpheus]

depending on the game, it's normal to get some pixelation in movement, even with x264 "faster, but at 5900kbit/s it should be pretty good looking. So maybe there is something wrong with your OBS settings (log file?).
It should get much better when dropping the recorded fps to 30.
Maybe you can upload your logfile and link some testfootage, as i can get "okay" footage with 4000kbit/s 720p 60fps on x264 (faster) in Rocket League. Of course it's still a little blurry/pixelated, but decent enough for streaming.

 

[Ion]

Okay definetly I'm leaving this on NVENC encoder again.

I'm using 6000 Bitrate with "High Quality Low Latency" on 720p60fps and looks a little better. I already have some pixels but I think it's not that bad looking at all.

 

[BK-Morpheus]

As long as you are a Twitch partner, that's definitely an option. If not, you could loose some viewers, as they might not be able to watch your stream with a slow DSL6000 provider.
Btw. the CPU usage on x264 will improve, once you set your stream to 30fps, and the image quality will improve as well.
For local recordings just go with NVENC, 60fps, 15000kbit/s or higher.