Question / Help Webcam makes all USB devices disconnect and reconnect (only in OBS)

[KungFooZombie]

Hey all,

Somehow my Logitech cam HD Pro C920 is making all my USB devices disconnect and reconnect when used in OBS. Or, that's what seems to be happening. When I open my cam in Xsplit or in the Logitech software it's all fine. But as soon as I open OBS the webcam freezes and ALL of my USB devices go out and come back online.

My technical knowledge about PCs is extremely limited. Just by reading online I've tried to come up with an explanation (and a solution), but no luck so far. I read that webcams can take up a big chunk of USB bandwith. Is there a way to reduce that in OBS? I have lowered the resolution of the cam, but it didn't help. The problem also seemed to have occurred pretty sudden.

I hope there's something I can do.

Thanks!

Link to the logfile: https://gist.github.com/bd92e69d85692a7408ca38b3cedfbe56

 

[R1CH]

Sounds like USB overload. See https://r1ch.net/blog/managing-usb-bandwidth-with-usbview

 

[KungFooZombie]

Hi, Rich. Thanks for your reply. I've read the article, downloaded the utility and this is what comes up. From the outside of my PC there are now ways to access other controllers than the one they all seem to be connected to (USB xHCI-compatible hostcontroller). The USB ports on the back panel and the two on the front of the PC case all seem to connect to the same controller.

It's really strange that no hardware changes happened before the problems started and using the cam in Xsplit doesn't cause any hickups. I suspect there's something in OBS that makes the cam claim more (too much) bandwith. Does FPS and resolution influence the bandwith taken by the cam?

 

[R1CH]

Resolution, FPS and output mode (MJPEG, H264, etc) all greatly influence bandwidth used by the cam. Resolution is the highest factor, so for example if your cam is running at 1080p but only sized to 480p in your scene you can save a lot by reducing that.

 

[KungFooZombie]

Ok, thanks! I have set the properties to, what I think, pretty low, but the problems still occur. Is there anything else in these settings that I have to change? Or maybe there is something else that has a huge effect on the webcam USB bandwith?

 

[KungFooZombie]

Bump!

 

[sam686]

You have all your USB devices plugged into a single USB controller.
Try plugging in your webcam to a different USB controller. You may have to try multiple USB ports until you find the one that is in a different USB controller.

You can also try windows device manager, view by connection, to see which one is plugged into which controller. Can also try driver update from device manager.

 

[KungFooZombie]

Hey Sam686, thanks for your reply. I have no way to access another USB controller. I have tried all USB ports (frontside panel and backside panel), but they all stay on the same controller.
Also, the problem doesn't arise when I use Xsplit. If the webcam somehow demands too much bandwith, why wouldn't it do that in Xsplit? What could be the different in Xsplit and OBS webcam-wise (or what changed, because OBS used to work fine with this current setup).

 

[sam686]

It might not be the webcam itself, but rather the problem might be trying to use USB microphone, USB headset, and USB camera all at the same time and all on the same USB controller.

What is your motherboard model?

You can get a USB PCI-E card which for sure have their own USB controller, and use that for some of your USB devices.

 

[KungFooZombie]

I haven't added an extra USB device before the trouble started. And even with unplugigng my stream deck and headphone, the problems persists.

I have an Asus X99-E motherboard.
I've read about extra hardware I can buy to add more USB devices, but I hope to find another solution first (mainly because it happened without any hardware changes, that I can think of). And for this also goes: for Xsplit it apparenly doesn't matter that all those USB devices are hooked up. So it has to be an OBS issue.

 

[sam686]

Try different colorspace like YUY2 / UYVY / I420 / YV12 at 640x480 or lower, as this colorspaces have constant bandwidth.

The problem might be a faulty or defective webcam.
If possible, try your webcam on a different computer. If the problem happens on a different computer, it might be faulty webcam.

 

[Suslik V]

...
I have an Asus X99-E motherboard.
...

Obs Suddenly Shut Down All Usb Ports
Maybe you are not the only one...

 

[KungFooZombie]

Thanks, @sam686. I have tried to use different settings, but to no avail, I'm afraid.
Another factor did pop up. On sunday I tried streaming several PC games, wich worked perfectly! Then, today I streamed from my Xbox One with a capture card. And the problems returned. I decided to change to a PC game mid-stream (without turning of the stream), and again it worked perfectly! So somehow the capture card has become a factor in the USB devices disconnecting.

Thank you too, @Suslik V! This opens up a whole new view of the situation. If the mobo turns out to be the problem I can communicate this to the company that built the PC for me. I still have warranty, and with the thread you mentioned I can maybe help them pinpoint the problem. They already told me they've had to help someone who had a similar problem when streaming with OBS.

Could OBS somehow disturb the power distribution with the Asus X99-E mobos?
(Plz keep in mind I'm a noob when it comes to computer technology :) )