Question / Help Stream Times Out Within Seconds

Hello, I am having some trouble streaming with OBS to twitch. In the past it has worked just fine but somewhere along the line something went wrong. Basically the problem is as follows: I start the stream and when looking at OBS I notice everything is fine up until about 10-20 seconds when the kb/s plummets to 0, goes from green to yellow/red and then I drop from the stream with the reconnect countown. This happens regardless if I'm in game or just on my desktop. I don't know why this is happening because I've not changed any settings from my previous streams and it worked just fine.

Some specs:
3770k
16 gb ram
256gb Samsung 840 pro
GTX 670 x2 SLI
2560x1440 res (stream set to 1920x1080)
Verizon Fios: 42 Mbps down / 30 Mbps upload

Things I've tried so far:
-Changing settings in OBS to ridiculously low quality
-Changing twitch servers
-Resetting stream key
-Running OBS and trying to stream for a different PC
-Uninstalling/reinstalling OBS
-Reinstalling network drivers
-Turning off firewall
-There were "suggested settings for twitch" within OBS settings including settings CBR, keyframe value, bitrate value etc. This just led to dropping an obscene amount of frames and then crapping out from the stream.
-Replacing router
-Checking hardwire connections for damage
-Calling verizon to replace the fios box with a new one

Edit:
Just found this
http://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/a ... r-software

but I still drop frames like no tomorrow and then time out......

try restarting ur computer that worked 4 me when i had this problem

....ha ha ha >_>

Issue same here with beta V0.55B, V0.551B, AND V0.552B. was fine when first used the day before yesterday. Brand new user but was working just fine and then literally overnight and with auto update live stream crashes with "Not Responding" when I select Stop Streaming after having major jumps in frames and lag over 30 seconds long. Functionality should not have changed function with the update. Using for Starcraft 2. Los Angeles Nearest Server and streaming to twitch.

this is my crash log after most recent update:


This crash appears to have occured in the 'c:\windows\system32\kernelbase.dll' module.

**** UNHANDLED EXCEPTION: 80000003
Fault address: 000007FEFD073C72 (c:\windows\system32\kernelbase.dll)
OBS version: Open Broadcaster Software v0.55b
Windows version: 6.1 (Build 7600)
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770K CPU @ 3.50GHz

Crashing thread stack trace:
Stack EIP Arg0 Arg1 Arg2 Arg3 Address
000000000018EC88 000007FEFD073C72 000007FEF7315860 000000000000EA60 000000000018EBE8 000000000018F2F0 kernelbase.dll!0x7fefd073c72
000000000018EC90 000007FEF718D073 00000000005A2200 00000000005A2200 000000000018F2F0 0000000000000000 obsapi.dll!OSTerminateThread+0x33
000000000018ECC0 000000013F9F2F62 000000000041C180 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000001 obs.exe!RTMPPublisher::~RTMPPublisher+0xc2
000000000018F140 000000013F9F2C04 0000000000000000 00000000770A9AA6 000000000018F1B8 0000000200000030 obs.exe!RTMPPublisher::`vector deleting destructor'+0x14
000000000018F170 000000013F9ED402 0000000000001389 000000000018F2F0 0000000000000111 0000000000000000 obs.exe!OBS::Stop+0x112
000000000018F1F0 000000013FA0CF1E 0000000000000070 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF 00000000770A9B43 obs.exe!OBS::OBSProc+0xa8e
000000000018F380 00000000770A9BD1 0000000000BBB020 000000013FA0C490 00000000FFFFFED1 00000000002503EA user32.dll!0x770a9bd1
000000000018F440 00000000770A6AA8 00000000002800CA 0000000000000111 0000000000001389 000007FEFB970A29 user32.dll!0x770a6aa8
000000000018F4D0 00000000770A6BAD 000000000027AFE0 0000000000000001 0000000000000000 0000000000000001 user32.dll!0x770a6bad
000000000018F520 000007FEFB970BBF 00000000002503EA 0000000000000001 000000000027AFE0 000007FEFE041D18 comctl32.dll!0x7fefb970bbf
000000000018F560 000007FEFB9747FE 000000000000FF00 0000000000030000 0000000000000202 0000000000000000 comctl32.dll!0x7fefb9747fe
000000000018F620 00000000770A9BD1 000000000018F8F8 000007FEFB973B20 0000000000BBB020 0000000000BCC970 user32.dll!0x770a9bd1
000000000018F6E0 00000000770A98DA 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 000007FEFB973B20 0000000000000001 user32.dll!0x770a98da
000000000018F760 00000000770A67C2 00000000024604DD 00000000024604DD 000007FEFE042164 0000000000000001 user32.dll!0x770a67c2
000000000018F7F0 000000013F9E1859 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 000000013F9C0000 0000000000000000 obs.exe!WinMain+0x8f9
000000000018FD40 000000013FA565E0 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 obs.exe!strstr+0x1ac
000000000018FDF0 0000000076F8652D 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 kernel32.dll!0x76f8652d
000000000018FE20 00000000771BC541 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 ntdll.dll!0x771bc541

I guess it would help if I said this:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
GeForce GTX 650Ti Graphics Card Driver version 320.49 (says its most recent update)
I7-3770k Processor @3.50Ghz
Current Resolution for graphics is 1920x1080 (60Hz)
16GB DDR3 RAM

Resolution Settings in OBS does NOT permit 720 unless manual override. when it was working on 8/15/2013 after first download ever it was at 4000 Max Bitrate, Buffer SAME FPS 30 had no issues with stream. with most recent updates, RED BARS appear at the bottom right and shows ZERO shows over 1000 frames sent and over 200 dropped and crashes with "Not Responding" Try to exit and OBS crashes freezing computer. If you attempt to stream Starcraft 2 HoTs and attempt to stop stream, then crashes the same way.
3 TB HD

bleh, still no luck?

Er, couple things.

Don't stream 1080p60fps, for a number of reasons. System strain is generally not worth it, Flash player has issues decoding it properly, bitrate requirements go through the roof, etc etc. I personally recommend 864p60fps (1080p with 1.25 downscale). This provides a really nice balance between image clarity and performance/bitrate requirements. The number of lagged frames you have is a result of your system unable to keep up with capturing and encoding at that high of a resolution/FPS. Do note that removing the Monitor Capture source from your scene will alleviate this, but I imagine you will still have lagged frames even without it.

Your bitrate is absolutely too high. 11,000 bitrate is insanity, and very few people will ever be able to watch at that speed. You really shouldn't need to go much over 3500, with 4000 being the absolute top end of what I would ever recommend. Depending on your game, you can get away with much lower. Check out my twitch channel for some SC2 recordings at 864p60fps with 3500 bitrate CBR. (note that I do have many custom x264 settings for added clarity, but it will give you a good idea of what is possible)

@drhino
I'm confused what you mean as to "OBS does NOT permit 720 unless manual override". Could you elaborate on this? Will want to see a log file from you as well, but your issue is separate from the OP's issue, and I would advise you to open your own thread.

Thanks for the reply....I appreciate the tip about the 1.25 downscale and what not, but I edited my first post after finding twitch's guide for their new stream requirements with OBS. One of which required max bitrate of 4k. So I still don't understand the issue or why I drop connection.

Here's a new log both with the new twitch requirements and the downscale that you suggested. Both still drop connection/frames/time out.....

Thanks

If you are still dropping frames, you need to try other servers. Failing that, you need to keep lowering bitrate until the frame drops stop.

Also, you really need to get rid of that Monitor Capture source, or put it in a separate scene and use the scene switcher plugin (found in the Plugins section of the forum)

when u try lowering bitrate in ranges all the way down to 500 ....and still no change...its not the user Krazy. It's the software. Its not the resolution here because I can show videos where the settings were the same from Wednesday to today and lowered everything as some others have suggested on forums and not a single change. Changing servers didn't help either. So sorry, but that is an incorrect assumption also. Maybe not everyone has a good computer but I built mine to tolerate everything I could possibly do to it. lol user error huh?

drhino, the new version attempts to finish the stream completely before stopping, old versions did not. Something with your setup is obviously causing a problem here. If you want to make your own thread with a crash report, OBS log and dump file I can take a look.

drhino said:

when u try lowering bitrate in ranges all the way down to 500 ....and still no change...its not the user Krazy. It's the software. Its not the resolution here because I can show videos where the settings were the same from Wednesday to today and lowered everything as some others have suggested on forums and not a single change. Changing servers didn't help either. So sorry, but that is an incorrect assumption also. Maybe not everyone has a good computer but I built mine to tolerate everything I could possibly do to it. lol user error huh?

Click to expand...

Looking at your specs, your computer is definitely good enough to stream. If you are having issues, then its either user error OR a problem with your network connection. There is nothing wrong with OBS, as thousands of people use it every day for streaming.

Well, I personally wouldn't go as far as saying there's nothing wrong with OBS. I mean, that obviously is the ultimate and final goal -- for OBS to be perfect for everyone.

But yeah, generally speaking it's netcode has seen quite a lot of bughunting, debugging and optimization already. There is very little wrong with it. Nothing that by itself could explain this phenomenon.

drhino said:

when u try lowering bitrate in ranges all the way down to 500 ....and still no change...its not the user Krazy. It's the software. Its not the resolution here because I can show videos where the settings were the same from Wednesday to today and lowered everything as some others have suggested on forums and not a single change. Changing servers didn't help either. So sorry, but that is an incorrect assumption also. Maybe not everyone has a good computer but I built mine to tolerate everything I could possibly do to it. lol user error huh?

Click to expand...

I agree....sorry Krazy but even though you said that 11000 kbs was "instane" I usually streamed at that bitrate with 0 problems. Yes not everyone could see it, but the majority of the people I streamed for had enough bandwidth to enjoy me playing even at my native res 2560x1440. Hell I even stream movies from my HTPC to my sister's apartment 30 miles away and those have bitrates of 15 Mbps+++
..... dropped frames and such that I am experiencing now is not due to the inadequacies of my bandwidth nor my system. It's either twitch or OBS. It doesn't just "break" when I didn't even change anything. Going to 1080p @ 4k is a HUGE cut from my norm and there is no reason for it not to work for the aforementioned reasons.

And also in my original post I said I tried switching servers but unfortunately that did not help either.

Thanks.

11000 Kbps is insanity, even if you could do it for a while. Not only because it is in fact far more than most of the average viewer will actually be able to watch but also because it is triple of what Twitch's unofficial maximum is (3500 Kbps). There is a reason why Twitch has gone with these new stricter requirements. Part of it is to be more compatible with mobile devices but another part of it really is to compensate for people like yourself, abusing the system.

Seriously, do not even consider 11000 Kbps anymore for live streaming. It's unrealistic. There is a very hard limit on what quality you can stream at, given the fact streaming is a 1-pass encode. Going absolutely berserk on the bitrate will do nothing to counter this fact. Beyond that 3500 Kbps you're really looking at very strong diminishing returns on additional bitrate and 11000 Kbps really does not look all that much better than a properly configured 3500 Kbps.

There were no capped settings listed on twitch when I started streaming, and some guides even suggested higher bitrates from 8-12k. If it was that abusive why would ObS even give the ability to go that high? The point is, the moment I saw these new streaming guidelines, I immediately changed my settings to accommodate them so it doesn't explain why I'm dropping . I've set it to 3.5k, 4k, and even 1k with the same results...... So do you have anymore tips?
Thanks.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1059&p=6409&hilit=abuse+of+the+system#p6409 -- Note the date, note the person (Twitch.TV staff).

The reason why OBS lets you select higher? Simple -- OBS isn't Twitch, Twitch isn't OBS. OBS is a general broadcasting ánd recording software. And for local recordings people may in fact have a very good reason to use extremely high bitrates.

Anyhow, if your stream times out in seconds it typically is not an issue with the bitrate. Something else is going on. So, because I am being lazy today and can't be bothered reading all the previous posts, I am just going to list some general things to check/do:

• Reset your Twitch.TV stream key.
• Confirm your Twitch.TV timezone, make sure it actually is your real timezone and make sure to stream to a server within that timezone, if at all possible.
• Reinstall your network drviers.
• Reboot your modem and router.
• Try streaming without the router, just to ensure the problem isn't there.
• Update Windows.
• Try streaming without your software firewall, if you have one installed. Again, just to confirm the problem isn't there.

Ah, well I was misinformed in my previous streaming sessions. But again, I made the appropriate changes the moment I saw these new twitch requirements.

Anyways I have actually performed all of your tips already but to no avail. Aside from updating windows because I'm not sure what you mean by that. Win7 with latest updates atm...

delipastrami said:

Things I've tried so far:
-Changing settings in OBS to ridiculously low quality
-Changing twitch servers
-Resetting stream key
-Running OBS and trying to stream for a different PC
-Uninstalling/reinstalling OBS
-Reinstalling network drivers
-Turning off firewall
-There were "suggested settings for twitch" within OBS settings including settings CBR, keyframe value, bitrate value etc. This just led to dropping an obscene amount of frames and then crapping out from the stream.
-Replacing router
-Checking hardwire connections for damage
-Calling verizon to replace the fios box with a new one

Edit:
Just found this
http://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/a ... r-software

but I still drop frames like no tomorrow and then time out......

Click to expand...

Well, process of elimination:

• Could it be on your end? Well, probably not, given what you've been asked to try already. None of which worked.
• Could it be Twitch? Could be but given the fact you tried different servers that seems unlikely as well.
• Could it be OBS? Possibly but unlikely. Its netcode is not this flawed. Sure, some room for improvement still exists but the same applies to any piece of software.
• Could it be your ISP? Well, it's possible. Although I'd have to say somewhat unlikely as well. Not entirely impossible though. May have to keep this one in your mind.
• Could it be an issue at some random point in between you and Twitch. Most decidedly possible, very hard to track down and basically impossible to fix.

If you have someone you trust, could you try something that may seem very random? Could you try having someone you trust completely use your Twitch.TV account to stream? Preferably someone nowhere near yourself, to rule out location being the issue. And, have you been asked yet to run Shaper Probe ( http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffpr ... probe.html )?

well well well....what do we have here.....

Estimating capacity:
Upstream: 4429 Kbps.
Downstream: 43862 Kbps.

The measurement will take upto 2.5 minutes. Please wait.

Checking for traffic shapers:

Upstream: Measurement aborted due to high packet loss rate.

Downstream: Measurement aborted due to high packet loss rate.

For more information, visit: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe

Click to expand...

Test 2

Estimating capacity:
Upstream: 10266 Kbps.
Downstream: 43159 Kbps.

The measurement will take upto 2.5 minutes. Please wait.

Checking for traffic shapers:

Upstream: Measurement aborted due to high packet loss rate.

Downstream: No shaper detected.
Median received rate: 42336 Kbps.

For more information, visit: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe

Click to expand...

I don't understand because most other standard speed testing sites give results like this