Question / Help Stream Specs

[Slez]

Hey, I've just found out about this program and will give it a try.
I have tried streaming with x-split and some other similar programs before.
I wanted to ask you what would be my optimal settings for the stream. I would stream mostly world of warcraft ( and maybe some sc2 also ).
I know quality differs from game to game and my upload connection isn't that good.
Here are my computer specs:
Processor: i5 2500k 3.3 ghz
RAM: 4 gig
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6800
Resolution: 1920x1080

My internet connection is around 12 Mbps download and 1.25 Mbps upload.

I'm not too experienced in the streaming business so any help with setting this up would be appreciated.
Thx in advance!

 

[Muf]

Try these settings:

Bitrate: 800kb/s
Buffer: 512kb/s
Audio btirate: 96kb/s
Base resolution: 1920x1080
Downscale: 2.00 (960x540)
FPS: 30
x264 CPU Preset: medium

 

[Slez]

Try these settings:

Bitrate: 800kb/s
Buffer: 512kb/s
Audio btirate: 96kb/s
Base resolution: 1920x1080
Downscale: 2.00 (960x540)
FPS: 30
x264 CPU Preset: medium

Thx for the fast reply. I've tested these settings and the game is running smooth. 100+ FPS in game with only 60 ping so that's great. But the stream quality is very bad as you can see in the test video http://www.twitch.tv/slezyo/b/339544753 ( not sure if I'm allowed to post stream links if not sry ).
But I'm guessing it can't get much better than that with my crappy upload speed?
Thx again for the help

 

[Muf]

You can try cautiously raising your buffer size to about 600~700 ish. But stop as soon as you start dropping frames. Your upload is indeed the limiting factor here.

 

[Slez]

You can try cautiously raising your buffer size to about 600~700 ish. But stop as soon as you start dropping frames. Your upload is indeed the limiting factor here.

Alright I'll try experimenting with that a bit.
Thx for your help!

 

[OdieHerpaderp]

If quality is a concern, maybe lowering the stream FPS to 25 or 20 is worth the slight increase in quality.
also, you could try putting your x264 CPU Preset to slow and see if your FPS doesn't suffer too much.

 

[Muf]

If quality is a concern, maybe lowering the stream FPS to 25 or 20 is worth the slight increase in quality.

Rule of thumb: only use framerates that are integer divisions of your monitor framerate. Never use 25fps or 45fps when your monitor is set at 60Hz. Only use 60, 30, or 15. There also isn't any quality gain to be had from reducing the framerate, because the difference between frames is going to be bigger, resulting in more bits being needed per frame.

 

[OdieHerpaderp]

...only use framerates that are integer divisions of your monitor framerate...

woulden't 20, being 60 divided by 3, fall under this rule? Also, could you elaborate as to why one should enforce this?

...There also isn't any quality gain to be had from reducing the framerate, because the difference between frames is going to be bigger, resulting in more bits being needed per frame.

Woulden't mean having more bits allocated per frame mean each individual frame would look better in the end?

EDIT: my apologies for derailing this thread.

 

[Muf]

woulden't 20, being 60 divided by 3, fall under this rule? Also, could you elaborate as to why one should enforce this?

You're entirely correct. The reasoning behind it is integer divisions cause an equal selection of frames from the source footage, e.g. 1 frame every 2 frames, 1 frame every 3 frames, etc. Converting 60fps to 25fps requires dropping 7 frames every 12 frames, resulting in a visible stutter.

Woulden't mean having more bits allocated per frame mean each individual frame would look better in the end?

You're confusing needed bits with allocated bits. I'm saying that for the difference between adjacent frames, you need more bits to code the same quality. You also get slightly more bits, but not enough to eke out a higher quality than you were getting at the higher framerate. As the frame rate becomes higher and frame differences become smaller, overhead starts playing an increasingly important role. There is a fixed amount of data that you have to write per frame, and if you go from 30fps to 60fps, that overhead starts becoming an important factor in why you need a higher bitrate for the same quality.

 

[OdieHerpaderp]

You're confusing needed bits with allocated bits. I'm saying that for the difference between adjacent frames, you need more bits to code the same quality. You also get slightly more bits, but not enough to eke out a higher quality than you were getting at the higher framerate. As the frame rate becomes higher and frame differences become smaller, overhead starts playing an increasingly important role. There is a fixed amount of data that you have to write per frame, and if you go from 30fps to 60fps, that overhead starts becoming an important factor in why you need a higher bitrate for the same quality.

This is actually the first time i've heard all this. i would normally just use the power of maths ( i stream in 1mbps, 1024/20=51.2 which sounds better than 1024/30=34.133~. Thanks for the information. I'll be sure to work this into the advices i normally give.

EDIT: to re-rail this thread. Would it be worthwhile looking into streaming in 20fps for any improvements in picture at all?

 

[R4_F]

hello i have some lag issues with OBS. im recording Titanfall 2 and have a intel core i5-6600, AMD radeon r9 380. what settings do you recommend?