Stream quality is severely poor.
Stream quality is severely poor.
I don't own a gaming PC capable of streaming. My internet connection provides 113 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds. I’m utilizing Streamlabs OBS for my streams. My computer hardware consists of an i7-4790 processor and an RTX 2060 graphics card.
I’m experiencing a persistent problem: the stream consistently appears increasingly pixelated as movement occurs on screen, regardless of the video quality I select (ranging from 360p to 1080p at 60 frames per second). Despite adjusting OBS settings extensively, the stream remains remarkably pixelated. It seems a specific configuration option within OBS is being overlooked. Here are my current settings:
NVIDIA NVENC H.264 encoder
Output Rescale: 1280x720
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) control
Bitrate: 4000
Preset: Maximum Quality
High Profile
My CPU usage during streaming typically remains between 10% and 15%. I’m uncertain about the root cause of this issue, as I don't observe any lag on my end while playing Fortnite. Increasing the bitrate has proven ineffective, and modifying most OBS settings has had little to no impact on the pixelation. Could you please offer assistance? Thank you in advance.
Avoid altering the image size to fit your capture settings; maintaining your original resolution is crucial, as resizing can create visual flaws. Refrain from utilizing Constant Bitrate (CBR) encoding—this method forces a fixed bitrate regardless of content complexity, potentially wasting bandwidth on static scenes and insufficient it for intense action. Employ Variable Bitrate (VBR) encoding instead, which dynamically allocates bandwidth based on scene content—conserving resources during calmer moments and utilizing excess for dynamic scenes. Maximize the bitrate available, with 4000 being a minimum; if YouTube permits higher values, utilize the maximum allowed.
EDIT:
Furthermore, when assessing streaming quality by watching your stream concurrently via the same connection, you'll artificially restrict your internet bandwidth, leading to a distorted perception of performance; the stream itself may appear satisfactory, but you’ll experience it similarly to any other streaming session due to a significant bottleneck.
Using both the x264 and NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codecs, I found that pixelation was significantly more pronounced with x264, while my gameplay experienced smoother performance with H.264. Regarding my streaming setup, I’m experiencing an issue where OBS Studio doesn't offer location options, and I am streaming to YouTube.
Avoid altering the image’s size to fit your capture settings; maintaining the original resolution is essential. Avoid utilizing Constant Bitrate (CBR); instead, use Variable Bitrate (VBR) to efficiently allocate bandwidth – conserving resources in static scenes and boosting it for action-packed moments. Allocate the highest possible bitrate, aiming for the maximum YouTube permits if available.
EDIT:
Furthermore, testing your streaming quality by watching it simultaneously while recording will artificially limit your internet speed. You may perceive excellent visuals, but you’ll be experiencing it similarly to a standard stream while simultaneously downloading large files—resulting in significantly reduced bandwidth.
Upload your broadcast to YouTube and then view it directly afterward.
You are correct; the test streams I uploaded to my channel and just viewed revealed that there’s significantly less blurring than when I was observing my own broadcast.