Question / Help Significant Dropped Frames, not sure what else to try

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TheWolff

New Member
I have been testing OBS streaming to Twitch for the past week or so with mixed results (usually poor). The best performance I have gotten is about 10% dropped frames, but it's typically between 30 and 50%. I've tested different games and different settings based on what I've found in similar posts with no luck. I don't know what else to try, hoping someone can help.

Here's a summary of what I think will be helpful:
  • I'm on a fiber connection that should be largely unaffected by network congestion. However...
  • I'm quoted at 5 MB upload (15 down), but I've been testing 6MB uploads at http://testmy.net/upload and getting 2.5 to 3.5 MB up.
  • I'm using JTVPing to ensure I'm on the lowest latency server.
  • The only applications I have open while streaming are OBS, Spotify and the game I'm streaming. I am using game capture for the game scene. I'm using Snip to capture my "Now Playing" from Spotify.
  • Using the Estimator on this site, I've been instructed to use anywhere from 2500 to 3500 bitrate. I've gone as low as 1500 bitrate with no improvement in dropped frames.
  • I've tried turning on/off the "Minimize Network Impact" option. My best results came last night when it was on, but I've gotten horrible results with it today, all other things being equal (>50% dropped frames).
  • I am streaming over a wireless connection, but this connection is very strong (no obstructions between receiver and modem ~ 15 ft away. I tried using a wired connection and actually got a weaker signal.
  • I have run tests online for traffic shaping, and have not had any indication that I am being throttled and/or shaped by my ISP.

Any other information can probably be found in the attached logs. Hopefully someone has some advice I haven't tried yet. Thanks in advance!

Logs:
http://pastebin.com/Pby3nNU3
http://pastebin.com/yPzX2Y7X
http://pastebin.com/5K1Li6AF
http://pastebin.com/eAmkLGTQ

"Successful" log (<10% dropped frames):
http://pastebin.com/8Qb6tPVd
 
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Lain

Forum Admin
Lain
Forum Moderator
Developer
Avoid minimize network impact if you're dropping frames, as it can actually cause more dropped frames. Use it if only you're trying to reduce impact of the stream upon your multiplayer game ping. It segments packets and sends them more evenly to make the system schedule network data better, and more packets mean increased TCP acknowledgements, which can increase the likelyhood of lost packets if you have an unstable connection.

Weaker signal on wired feels odd to me. Very odd. If you're getting a weak signal on wired then I'd probably be a bit concerned at that point and would recommend some extensive tests of the network itself.

And what did the packet shaping results say? I would like to see them if possible. Also, lowest ping server may not necessarily mean best server, because ping is just ping. It's not really indicative of a stable connection, just how fast it responded to the ping signal.
 
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TheWolff

New Member
Sorry, misinformation on the wired connection. I thought I had turned off the wireless connection, but I just turned off the signal amplifier, so I was still getting a wireless signal (albeit a weak one).

I retested a wired connection, but got very odd results this time in the upload test. When connected through wired, I can only get ~400Kbps. Switch back to wireless and got 3.3 Mbps. Why would that be?

I didn't save the results of my traffic shaping test, but I used the Flash Video test here: http://broadband.mpi-sws.org/transparency/glasnost.php. I'm not sure if that's a valid test...I can re-run it and post the results.
 
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Lain

Forum Admin
Lain
Forum Moderator
Developer
Not sure about the wired connection. Again that seems unusual and wrong to me. It should be at least the same as your wireless, so there had to be something wrong with either it or the configuration. Anyway, not too big of a deal, I just would rather see testing with wired because wired would guarantee at least more consistent results typically.

Those results from the shaping seem about the same as what you report. the fact that you can only get about 3.3ish average feels consistent with what you get out of streaming, considering that the bandwidth you set for your stream is your required *stable* bandwidth.
 
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