Question / Help Stream keeps crashing randomly on Facebook Live

[netsmets60]

Hi, I work for a small business. We recently started doing live stream auctions on Facebook. Our demographic is older
and is more predominant on Facebook. I'm using OBS Studio. Every time we go live, we eventually will crash. OBS will
sometimes reconnect us. But, usually we are dead in the water and have to restart the stream completely. In addition,
there seems to be a delay to the user of anywhere from 20 seconds to 60 seconds depending on how I change the OBS settings.
Currently, the longest delay I have experienced while watching from my phone is 40 seconds. But, overall we can live with
a delay. It is the crashes that are really killing us. These crashes seemingly happen at any time. A stream
could be going smoothly for an hour and crash, or it could crash in the first minute.

I've tested using the web camera directly to Facebook without OBS. I've checked the Facebook logs and it says that
the feed will get disconnected, but every time I check the actual stream, it is connected.
So perhaps, without OBS, the stream is able to reconnect every time.

Despite this, there are features that we would like to have from OBS to make our stream look better.

In addition, I have streamed on YouTube as a test. The delay was only 5 to 10 seconds, and it didn't crash. However, I also
did not have anyone actively watching the stream and streamed for about 30 minutes. So, perhaps YouTube would crash as well if given enough time.
The only thing I've experienced is a decrease in stream quality, but that is eventually corrected.

Either way, I'm wondering if there are other solutions to this problem. Any help would be appreciated. I've posted my Desktop computer info,
OBS settings (In text form & pictures), internet speed tests, and the latest log where I had a crash.

Intel Core I5-2400 Sandy Bridge @ 3.10 GHz
16.0 GB of ram
Windows 10 Home
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti

Internet Speed test - My laptop, wireless
Test 1.) Considered very slow
3.15 Mbps download
17.0 Mbps upload
Latency 18 ms

Test 2.) Considered very slow
2.98 Mbps download
8.78 Mbps upload
Latency 27 ms

Internet Speed test - My laptop, wireless, next to the router
Test 1.)
26.9 Mbps download
23.3 Mbps upload
Latency 17 ms

Test 2.)
26.8 Mbps download
30.8 Mbps upload
Latency 17 ms

Internet Speed test - desktop, wired
Test 1.) Considered very fast and should have no issues
227 Mbps download
37 Mbps Upload
Latency 15 ms

Test 2.)
224.4 Mbps download
36.9 Mbps upload
Latency 10 ms

Internet Speed test - desktop, wireless, but right next to router
Test 1.)
37.3 Mbps download
29.4 Mbps upload
Latency 15 ms

Test 2.)
52.7 Mbps download
34.9 Mbps upload
Latency 17 ms
Router information

simultaneously in the office

3 - laptops connected and being used wirelessly
5 - smart phones connected and potentially being used wirelessly
1 - TV connected to streaming service and potentially being used.
1 - music player connected over network
1 - printer connected over network

Using OBS Studio settings
Current Settings:
Resolution — 1280x720
Frame Rate — 30 FPS (At one point was 60 FPS, lowered thinking it would prevent crashes and reduce latency)
Frame Type — ??
Keyframe Interval — 2 seconds
Pixel Aspect Ratio — ??
Video Bitrate — 1500 kbps (Was originally 4000 kbps, but I've lowered it thinking it would prevent crashes and reduce latency)
Video Codec — x264 (CPU), Used to use Graphics card H.264 Main Profile (MP 77), H.264 High Profile (HiP 100)
Rate control - CBR
Downscale Filter - Bilinear (Fastest, but blurry if scaling)
auto reconnect was off
Audio Settings
Audio Codec — ??
Sample Rate — 44.1 khz
Audio Bitrate — 160 khz
Channel Layout — Stereo

Facebook stream settings:
Publish this as a continuous live video - No
Allow embedding - No
Unpublish after live video ends - No
Allow viewers to rewind - No
End broadcast when stream ends - Yes
Turn off commentary - No

Facebook server:
I've tried the default server and also the ingest server
I'm not sure what the default server stats are.
Ingest Server:
RTT (MS) - 10 INGEST (MBPS) - 35.4

Obviously, these numbers change. But regardless, I have crashed on both the RTMPS ingest and default server.
I understand that these server settings can change. So one day might be better than the other. However, I'd like
to have the settings on my end as solid as possible to prevent future crashes.

Log file for most recent crash on Facebook Live:

https://obsproject.com/logs/VtKocr0yVps3sJWK

 

[R1CH]

Your log doesn't show any disconnections, only starting a stream and closing OBS a minute later. Perhaps you uploaded the wrong one.

 

[netsmets60]

Perhaps I did. I went to AppData/Roaming/obs-studio/logs
Technically, OBS doesn't crash, Facebook says that it stops receiving video, and OBS studio says it is still streaming but with a huge increase in dropped frames. So, maybe that is why it doesn't show here? Here is the log I receive from Facebook:

Live Service received the video signal Wed Dec 11 2019 3:35:14 PM
Video status changed from PREVIEW to LIVE Wed Dec 11 2019 3:36:01 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:43:52 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:45:12 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:45:15 PM
Video status changed from LIVE to LIVE_STOPPED Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:14 PM
The live video ended because no video data has been received for several minutes Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:14 PM
Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:18 PM
Video status changed from SEAL_STARTED to VOD_READY Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:28 PM

 

[R1CH]

Check out the guide at https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/dropped-frames-disconnecting-lag-read-this-first.8870/ for network issues, unfortunately this can be hard to diagnose as most ISPs and speed tests etc are not designed for long-lived connections.

 

[John6155]

Perhaps I did. I went to AppData/Roaming/obs-studio/logs
Technically, OBS doesn't crash, Facebook says that it stops receiving video, and OBS studio says it is still streaming but with a huge increase in dropped frames. So, maybe that is why it doesn't show here? Here is the log I receive from Facebook:

Live Service received the video signal Wed Dec 11 2019 3:35:14 PM
Video status changed from PREVIEW to LIVE Wed Dec 11 2019 3:36:01 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:43:52 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:45:12 PM
Facebook has not received video signal from the video source for some time. Check that the connectivity between the video source and Facebook is sufficient for the source resolution and bitrate. Check your video encoder logs for details. If problems persist, consider improving connection quality or reducing the bitrate of your video source. Wed Dec 11 2019 3:45:15 PM
Video status changed from LIVE to LIVE_STOPPED Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:14 PM
The live video ended because no video data has been received for several minutes Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:14 PM
Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:18 PM
Video status changed from SEAL_STARTED to VOD_READY Wed Dec 11 2019 3:48:28 PM

I am having the same issue, were you able to resolve it?


I get this message "Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED" after 35 min of streaming.

it is driving me crazy

 

[netsmets60]

I am having the same issue, were you able to resolve it?


I get this message "Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED" after 35 min of streaming.

it is driving me crazy

No, I wasn't. But, I also haven't tried to set up a stream in a while. The only thing I can say is that it definitely has something to do with Facebook. On YouTube, the stream may of decreased in quality at times, but it never crashed. For Facebook, it seems like one day it will be fine, and the next it crashes. I could do test streams for a whole day, and then go live and then it will crash.

When I have to try it again, I will try to get a better modem/router, even though I am connected via ethernet cable. I may even try a VPN for faster speeds. Not sure if that will help it. It is all trial and error at this point for me. Let me know if you can think of anything, and good luck.

 

[nikasio14]

Hi there!
Have you tried lowering resolution when streaming via facebook? Did that change anything?
Is your desktop connected via cable or wireless?
Check if your computer has some kind of power saving enabled in network card.
And it seems like your desktop is slightly out of age as well: small processor, graphics card is age-old, DDR3 memory. Maybe facebook demands a more stable stream?

 

[John6155]

No, I wasn't. But, I also haven't tried to set up a stream in a while. The only thing I can say is that it definitely has something to do with Facebook. On YouTube, the stream may of decreased in quality at times, but it never crashed. For Facebook, it seems like one day it will be fine, and the next it crashes. I could do test streams for a whole day, and then go live and then it will crash.

When I have to try it again, I will try to get a better modem/router, even though I am connected via ethernet cable. I may even try a VPN for faster speeds. Not sure if that will help it. It is all trial and error at this point for me. Let me know if you can think of anything, and good luck.

I am having your same experience as well. Everything works perfectly with any other platforms expect facebook. My streams don't go longer than 36 min. Always drop with the same message "Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED". I need to find a solution. please, let me know if you try any other solution.

 

[thomasoc2012]

I am having your same experience as well. Everything works perfectly with any other platforms expect facebook. My streams don't go longer than 36 min. Always drop with the same message "Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED". I need to find a solution. please, let me know if you try any other solution.

Yep, 36 mins for me too. I thought it was something to do with Copywrite but then I presumed they would have blocked it altogether. Need a solution for this also, infuriating.

 

[calidosisimo]

Hey There!
I've been having the same issue ... if you guys find a solution please share the info . / had a very stable stream for 52 minutes and then a get these errors.
Also I've been trying to aim for a 8 hours max live hrs.
any help will be greatly appreciated .. thanks!

event log:

Video status changed from SEAL_STARTED to VOD_READY
Video status changed from SEAL_STARTED to VOD_READY
3 minutes ago

Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED
Video status changed from LIVE_STOPPED to SEAL_STARTED
3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

Video status changed from LIVE to LIVE_STOPPED
Video status changed from LIVE to LIVE_STOPPED
3 minutes ago

Video status changed from PRE_LIVE to LIVE
Video status changed from PRE_LIVE to LIVE
52 minutes ago

Video status changed from PREVIEW to PRE_LIVE
Video status changed from PREVIEW to PRE_LIVE
52 minutes ago

Live Service received the video signal
Live Service received the video signal
53 minutes ago

 

[Reflex AG]

Yep, 36 mins for me too. I thought it was something to do with Copywrite but then I presumed they would have blocked it altogether. Need a solution for this also, infuriating.

 

[jaydeman]

I am experiencing the same crash streaming to Facebook Live Producer, with a very similar FB stream event log as posted by calidosisimo on 4/1/2020. It happens at roughly 36 minutes, but is more random for me; typically somewhere between 30 and 50 minutes into the stream.

I've changed my screen resolution up and down and have tried streaming bitrates, CBR, of 2.5 Mbps and 5 Mbps. Everything appears very nominal; I have a max network upload speed of 20 Mbps (and using ethernet cable, not WiFi), and the Mac is using < 10% CPU. None of these changes appear to have any impact -- still get random crashes, and I don't see any evidence of an error.

 

[lukbam]

Hello same here facebook live cut off randomly usually around 36 min, my internet is very fast and am plugged with ethernet cable on a new mac book pro, the prob for sure is coming from facebook as i had the same issue before to use OBS... if you HAVE any solution...THANK YOU

 

[Anseric]

Same problem here!
Any help appreciated :)

 

[netsmets60]

It stinks that there doesn't seem to be a solution. As Jaydeman said, any change made seems nominal. If you don't use OBS, the stream won't crash from what I've experienced. But, not using it defeats the purpose of what most of us are trying to do.

 

[AV-FUMC]

EXACTLY the same issue for me, it's been happening consistently at the (near) 36 minute mark of the live stream. The OBS-to-Facebook connection drops suddenly. Up to that point, it has been running error-free. No packet drops, very little demand on the CPU - typically less than 4%. Within approximately 20-30 seconds or so, it will reconnect and resume streaming but with a gap in the resulting content. Within another 10 minutes, it will drop again, same scenario, and then again within another 10 minutes. We stream a Sunday morning worship service that last ~ 60-65 minutes in total, and I have come to expect about 3 drops in the connection each time. I have to this point presumed that it is the Facebook side of the connection that is the issue and most likely related to our unreliable rural Internet service provider (a currently infamous telecom & DSL provider) and the limited upload bandwidth (~7Mbps), but have no idea how to determine the exact cause. If anyone finds resolution to this issue, I think many of us would be relieved.

 

[psnorton23]

Out of curiosity ... Are you guys using the new "Live Producer" or the original Live interface. We have recently noticed that since we swapped to the new "Live Producer" something happens and one of our camera sources or mic crashes, every time. We've had to implement a very careful step by step process to actually go live with all our camera sources not crashing. It's like Apollo 13 in here before we broadcast.

So maybe something about how they implemented it is the issue. Perhaps you guys would find success using the old interface. Check the image it you don't know how to access that.

 

[AV-FUMC]

The Live Producer interface is the one invoked when we click the "Live" button below our page's cover photo in the Create section.

There are so many threads on this forum that are in this same vein and the commonality is too eerie to ignore - the disconnect happens like clockwork at the 35 (+-) minute mark of the live stream. But one thread offered something noticeable that I'll be trying tomorrow - the URL for the Facebook server using the default "Facebook" setting in OBS is different that the URL presented on the LIve page in Facebook itself. It may be some simple/specific DNS naming resolution that takes you to the same place, but it looks mighty suspicious and could be part of the issue. I've changed our stream settings to "Custom" and used the specific URL from the Facebook settings page for tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

If nothing improves, then next week I'll try the switch back to the legacy Live page instead of Live Producer to see what happens.

 

[Bc7]

¿Lo arreglaron?

 

[Mohammad Hassan]

Any success