You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Question / Help Stream keeps crashing randomly on Facebook Live
- Thread starter netsmets60
- Start date
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
For months, I'd lose the connection (drop to 0 frames / RED indicator on stream health) for a few seconds, then auto-reconnect, usually on first try. This time frame varied per broadcast. We finally got a new PC, with Win10 v2004 and no other security s/w. Wired connection, etc. On new PC, no problems. So did FB change something??? maybe, but I'm inclined to think it was one or more the security s/w tools on engineering class workstation used previously.... just food for thought
I am having nearly the exact same issue except when streaming to YouTube. I have done a lot of research as to what are the ideal settings for streaming and I'll list them below. I stream for a church on Sunday morning, and just like you said, I'll have a flawless stream for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and then suddenly in the stats window in OBS, I see and increasing number of dropped frames due to network, and the bitrate in the bottom right corner is low to 0kbps. On the YouTube end, it just shows no data, and is indefinitely loading for the viewers. This problem is really frustrating me, as there will sometimes be weeks where this will go well, and other times when it will disconnect and never reconnect.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
View attachment 50355View attachment 50356View attachment 50357View attachment 50358View attachment 50359View attachment 50360View attachment 50361View attachment 50362
Just as you tested streaming from Facebook without OBS, I have tried streaming directly on YouTube on Chrome, and things are smooth. (This is my main backup at the moment for when the stream from OBS crashes, then I direct the viewers to the new stream). But this is far from a good live-streaming experience, and I would like to use the many features OBS has to offer.
Here are the important computer specs:
- Intel i7-1065g7
- 16 gb of ram
- I don't use the graphics card because its a basic one that comes with the laptop.
Internet speed test after many tests:
- consistently 11.7 mbps upload speed
- around 90 mbps download speed
Important OBS settings:
- Resolution 1080p 30fps
- Video bitrate: 4500kbps
- Keyframe interval: 2 sec
- Video codec: x264 (using the CPU)
- Rate control: CBR
- Audio bitrate: 128kbps
- 44.1 kHz sample rate
Keep in mind that OBS is the only program running on the laptop at the time of streaming, and windows defender automatic full scan is disabled so it won't eat up the CPU processing power.
Also keep in mind that I have done many tests during the weekdays, and they all turn out perfect, sometimes without a single dropped frame. I've even bumped the bitrate up to 8000kbps for a test and things went perfect, but for weekly use I still use 4500kbps. (I know my limit for this internet would theoretically be 11000kbps, but I'm not going there). Also note that there are no other devices using the internet except for on some weeks, a YouTube video played from a TV in another room, and occasionally some light smartphone internet browsing.
What I strongly suspect is that on Sunday morning when many churches are streaming to YouTube, the primary ingest server is overloaded, and connection is lost. I know that router has no problems (it is a TP-link Archer A7, a recommended router for live-streaming), because I know I can stream directly on YouTube from Chrome for a backup, and it is smooth. The thing is, I don't know what to do about this. I would try Facebook, but reading the above post, it seems like I might just have the same problem there.
So, my main questions are,
- Is there anything at all that I need to change about my settings that would fix this problem? (Keep in mind I have never had a dropped frame due to encoding lag, so I know the CPU is not struggling to encode video)
- How can I ensure a good connection to a YouTube server on Sunday morning? Should I use the backup server that is that other option in OBS? Does that work the same as the primary ingest server.
- Would a different streaming software work better? If it's the connection to the server that's the issue, I would think another software wouldn't do much better than OBS.
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
What I strongly suspect is that on Sunday morning when many churches are streaming to YouTube, the primary ingest server is overloaded, and connection is lost. I know that router has no problems (it is a TP-link Archer A7, a recommended router for live-streaming), because I know I can stream directly on YouTube from Chrome for a backup, and it is smooth.
For new users, your settings make sense, in part for a non-GPU based system, However, that isn't a recommended setup (can work, but not ideal), so beware using same settings, especially encoder, on better PC
As for audio rate, as mentioned by others often, check your log and make sure you don't have a mismatch of both 44.1 KHz and 48.0. Pick one, and make the rest the same
Sorry, TP product recommended for anything seems like a stretch. Have they significantly improved code quality and doing better (or even any meaningful) firmware updates? If so, that is news to me.
Have you used Windows Task Manager (Performance Tab) and/or Resource Monitor to keep an eye on hardware resource utilization? Your description of having an issue using OBS, but not when only using simple browser makes me think your computer is under-powered, and getting overwhelmed. That CPU appears to be a low-power CPU used in ultrabooks, not something meant for demanding video encoding (ie OBS). For you, focusing on optimizing OBS for low hardware demands is likely to be necessary
The fact that things were ok, and now aren't, doesn't mean its an OBS issue. You have Windows Updates, antivirus and/or other security software, other background software which auto-starts and you haven't disabled, etc. As well as unannounced settings changes on streaming provider environments....
I'm new to streaming for HoW in March. My Facebook issue appears to have been corporate security s/w, as once I got a new PC my issues stopped (then again, it was a few months, ISP bandwidth had improved, etc)... but being an IT Professional, and reading these forums, the vast majority of the connection problems are NOT OBS, and not on the streaming platform side (ie YouTube, Facebook). Most of the issues are PEBKAC related. Now Facebook has been changing /Live/Producer a lot, and it is a free service, but I have no connection issues at all (trouble with FB interface and scheduled Live events is new, but strictly a website / FB code issue). I often see folks using really poor OBS settings, or poor computer and/or LAN/WAN issues (like using WiFI or cellular links).
So for everyone
- follow the pined directions in this forum https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/please-post-a-log-with-your-issue-heres-how.23074/
- create a new thread (don't hijack someone else's thread.. bad etiquette)
for simple troubleshooting:
- try streaming with ALL other devices turned off/removed from local area network (LAN). Have the streaming PC be the ONLY device using a strictly wired Ethernet/Internet connection (and by all, I mean ALL, not most.. this includes all 'smart' devices/speakers, eReaders, etc).
- Make sure ALL unnecessary software on streaming PC is turned off (not running, not just not open). If I ask, what auto-starts on your PC? and you don't know what that means or how to answer the question, then you can't have completed this step above
- if you still have issues, and I know this isn't easy... but before blaming software, etc... try a fresh OS install, cleanly configured with excess background stuff disabled (this means changing MS defaults on a few things), on a computer powerful enough to not work hard when streaming.... if that works well, then you know it isn't the streaming platform, LAN, settings, etc
- side note: Certain ISP connections are worse than others, and come countries even worse. Video streaming takes a low jitter network (ie consistent latency) with is NOT what the Internet was designed for.. this video streaming is technically hard stuff
I do keep my eye on Windows Task Manager during a stream with OBS, and the usage stays at about 60% give or take 5%. I know the computer is not specifically designed or built for livestreaming, but from what I see in the task manager leads me to believe that the computer is having no problems encoding video just on the CPU. Also, in the stats window of OBS, I never see dropped frames due to encoding lag, only dropped frames due to network.Have you used Windows Task Manager (Performance Tab) and/or Resource Monitor to keep an eye on hardware resource utilization? Your description of having an issue using OBS, but not when only using simple browser makes me think your computer is under-powered, and getting overwhelmed. That CPU appears to be a low-power CPU used in ultrabooks, not something meant for demanding video encoding (ie OBS). For you, focusing on optimizing OBS for low hardware demands is likely to be necessary
The fact that things were ok, and now aren't, doesn't mean its an OBS issue. You have Windows Updates, antivirus and/or other security software, other background software which auto-starts and you haven't disabled, etc. As well as unannounced settings changes on streaming provider environments....
I have in fact already disabled windows updates and automatic virus scans.
Believe it or not, I used to use a 2017 MacBook Air with a dual core i5 processor and 8gb of ram to stream. I got OK results, as I was forced to lower the bitrate to 1500kbps and the resolution to 720p, BUT, note that the livestream didn't crash and there weren't any significant dropped frames due to network then. This was all on the same router as mentioned in the first post.
Having said that, does that mean its a problem with connecting to the server?
I also want to specifically ask does lowering bitrate make it easier on the data transfer from the computer to YouTube's primary ingest server, therefore making the livestream more reliable than if I used a higher bitrate.
You say the vast majority of connection problems are PEBKAC related and using poor settings.
Knowing my computer specs and current OBS settings, what would I change to make things better?
I am relatively new to streaming with OBS (since September), and am trying to do everything right. I would like to think OBS is a good encoder, if I need to fix anything on my end for it all to work out smoothly, I would surely like to know what.
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
Having said that, does that mean its a problem with connecting to the server?
I also want to specifically ask does lowering bitrate make it easier on the data transfer from the computer to YouTube's primary ingest server, therefore making the livestream more reliable than if I used a higher bitrate.
Yes, lower bitrate means less data being streamed. So if network bandwidth is the issue, then yes, lower bitrate = lower bandwidth usage. I don't stream to YouTube, so can't comment specifically on them, but they should be able to handle a 4K stream at much higher bitrates just fine.... so it is far more likely to be a connection issue between OBS and the ingest server (ie, it could be something on your PC, or in the network path). So the general recommendation would be to fix your connection issue, then use higher bitrate/bandwidth as appropriate for a decent image (assuming you aren't concerned about an ISP data cap)
This will be my last reply to you on this thread, Please follow prior guidance to start by creating a new thread, and post your OBS stream log per forum guidance (I provided a direct link above)You say the vast majority of connection problems are PEBKAC related and using poor settings. Knowing my computer specs and current OBS settings, what would I change to make things better?
ishansardar
New Member
I'm having same issue for a week or so. Facebook and youtube both disconnects at random times, yesterday it was 1 hour today it was 42 mins. I regularly stream with my viewers and this is harming me a lot. Any solutions yet?
Were you ever able to resolve this issue? I'm having the problem where the facebook stream/video ends prematurely (i.e. after about 5 secs.).Any help on this. I am experiencing the same problem. Only with Facebook Live!