Question / Help Question relating to OBS options and bandwith

[Krxz]

Hello,

This question might sound stupid, but I need to get things straight before streaming.

I have a pretty good internet connection, but lets say my upload is sometimes unstable. That being said, I want to understand the option "Use Custom Buffer Size". I'm running a 2000 bitrate stream, and I have that option unchecked. What does checking it and keeping the value at 2000 change? Simply put, should I leave it unchecked or checked(2000value) with a "dodgy" upload? By dodgy I mean, it can sometimes drop at certain moments of the day for unknown reasons that i'm still working to resolve.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Lain]

Checking it sets it to the same value as your bitrate, that's all. Unchecking it allows you to type in a custom value. The only real thing you should modify if you have a dodgy upload is your bitrate -- if your connection is unstable, you have to keep lowering the bitrate until it is running stable.

 

[Krxz]

Oh thanks for the quick answer Jim.

I understand, let me ask this then. In the case where I don't have dodgy upload, what is best for me and for the viewers. Leaving that custom value, or set it the same value as my bitrate?

Also another question I was meaning to ask. "Minimize network impact" option, is one I have always used since the beginning, out of precaution. So I have never really tested streaming without it, until recently. I read somewhere on the internet it was recommended to keep it disabled, unless needed. From what I noticed, disabling it, makes me gain +25-30ms average. Now for what I do, that is not a problem, however seeing as i'm not alone at home, the lower ms I had with it disabled seemed better. How does it actually work? And how does it affect me? Can I leave it enabled like always?

Edit: Oh and I noticed I don't use the advance Network feature. So the setup I have always used was Minimize network impact enabled, and Advance network option disabled.

 

[Lain]

75% to 100% of your bitrate is the advisable streaming setting for buffer size, pretty much always.

Minimize network impact is used to reduce the network impact of your stream upon other applications on your computer (QoS), it's used for reducing ping in multiplayer games simply because keyframes and things can be so spiky (that and without it OBS admittedly doesn't particular send it out in the most fluid manner by default as it is). It splits up packets into even segments and sends them out within even intervals to give breathing room for other packets being transmitted on the system. Don't worry about the option in advanced, it's almost never needed (and r1ch would probably be able to explain that one better than I, probably more info in the guides forum)

 

[Krxz]

Thanks again Jim. Yeah I surfed the guides sections, also great work by R1CH. Anyways I got everything I needed, finally found my stable bitrate, called ISP and stabilized my upload, I have a stable stream a 720p@60fps.

Thanks OBS team. You have been mentioned in my twitch channel description. Keep the community growing!