Question / Help What's a good Bitrate for Viewers

S

Smoshi

Member
Another thread I just read is having a similar problem I'm having. My connection and hardware supports 3500 bitrate no problem, but my viewers are constantly having problems watching my stream.

A suggestion in the other thread was to lower the bitrate to 2000. I want the stream to run smooth for the viewers, without losing too much quality.

Also, if I lower the bitrate to 2000 will I be able to achieve 60fps with minimum lag? (fps lag)
I've streamed 60fps in the past and the lag was only noticeable in big team fights. (smite)

Would it also be a good idea to stream at 60fps with quick sync on? Or is 30fps just fine.

Here's a log;
 

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dodgepong

dodgepong

Administrator
Community Helper
You're already streaming at 3500kbps, so lowering the bit rate, if nothing else, will reduce ping issues. However, in my experience, it's best used with 720p30. It's actually a really good middle-of-the-road bit rate and quality, but if you want more fancy stuff like 60fps, then you'll need to use a higher bit rate to continue making it look good. But that increases the demand on viewers, of course. You'll just have to decide what's important to you: a "prettier" stream, or a more watchable stream.
 
S

Smoshi

Member
Definitely a more watchable stream. I feel like that is the reason I've lost a ton of viewers over the past month.

So if I am going to keep my current resolution and fps, what is a good bitrate? With 2000 bitrate, R1ch's twitch analyzer says;

Your stream does not appear to have sufficient bitrate for your desired resolution and FPS to maintain good quality. Consider raising your bitrate or lowering your resolution / FPS (qval: 0.036).
 
dodgepong

dodgepong

Administrator
Community Helper
If you're going for a highly watchable stream, and want to keep 2000kbps, then downscale to 720p and change FPS to 30.
 
S

Smoshi

Member
Well, I don't want to keep 2000. I just want a stream that almost everyone can watch and looks decent. Doesn't have to be most pretty, but compatibility/accessibility (is that the right word?) is a must.

I'm going to give 720p@30fps / 2500 bitrate a try
 
FerretBomb

FerretBomb

Active Member
I'll echo what everyone above is saying. Go to 720p@30fps at 2000kbps. You'll have fewer people complaining of buffering, and 2000 is enough for fairly good quality.
 
dodgepong

dodgepong

Administrator
Community Helper
All I hear you saying is "I want my stream to be accessible, but I don't want to change the main setting that will make it more accessible."

A higher bit rate stream will look better, sure. But the higher you make your bit rate, the less accessible it is. 2000kbps is a very accessible bit rate. Raising the bit rate will make it less accessible. If you want to make the stream better without raising the bit rate, you can lower your x264 preset to faster or fast, but that will put a lot more load on your CPU.

You don't have to do 2000kbps, you can do whatever you want. 2500kbps for a 720p stream will look great. But if accessibility is a higher priority than appearance, then you'll want to have a lower bit rate if you can get away with it.
 
V

vbdkv

Member
I usually keep it around 2500-2800 for most games. In some games however, I bump it up to 3300 which leaves room for the audio as well.
 
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