Overview
Low bitrate and buffering affect stream quality and your viewers' experience. This article covers how to spot feed problems in the Stream Monitor, check that your internet connection is fast enough, lower your stream quality settings when bandwidth is limited, and use the HLS player to see what your audience sees.
Check the Stream Monitor for Drops
The Stream Monitor is where you start, watch and control the stream for a match. Each match's stream has its own Stream Monitor page.
Use these parts of the page to check your feed:
Input card: shows whether the camera feed is coming in. Click Details to see the address and stream key the feed is sent to (RTMP or SRT), plus the frame rate, resolution and region.
Destinations: shows where the stream is going. Check that each destination you need is switched on.
Timeline: runs along the bottom and shows when the stream and the input were live.
Keep an eye on these during your broadcast. If the Input card shows the feed isn't coming in, or the timeline shows gaps in the input, your connection is dropping.
Verify Internet Upload Speed
Not enough upload speed is the most common cause of low bitrate and buffering. Your internet connection must support the bitrate set in your stream settings.
Check your current upload speed with an internet speed test. Then compare it with the Video Bitrate in the Output section of your stream settings, which is shown in Mbps. Your upload speed should be higher than your stream bitrate, with some headroom for stability.
If your upload speed is close to or below your video bitrate, your connection can't reliably support the stream quality you've set.
Reduce Stream Quality Settings
When bandwidth is limited, you can lower your stream quality settings to match your available upload speed. First stop your stream with Stop Stream, since you can't change these settings while live. Then open the three-dot menu on the Stream Monitor and click Stream Settings. This opens the UPDATE STREAM SETTINGS window.
Click Output in the section list on the left. You can adjust these settings to reduce the bandwidth you need:
Resolution: choose a lower resolution than 1080 (1920x1080).
Frames Per Second: lower the frame rate, for example from 60, if needed.
Video Bitrate: lower the bitrate (in Mbps) so it sits comfortably below your upload speed.
Click Update to save. Then click Start Stream on the Stream Monitor. It takes about two and a half minutes to start up. Once it's live, watch the Input card and timeline to check the feed stays stable.
Switch to HLS View
The player on the Stream Monitor shows the program output. You can switch it between WebRTC and HLS.
WebRTC gives a fast preview and is better for real-time monitoring. HLS gives a stable preview that reflects your stream as it's delivered to viewers, including any buffering or drop in quality.
Switch to HLS now and then during broadcasts to check what your audience is seeing, especially when the Input card or timeline shows the feed dropping in and out.
Review the Stream Timeline
For a look back over your broadcast, use the timeline along the bottom of the Stream Monitor. It shows when the stream was live and when the input was live.
If the input wasn't live for periods while the stream was running, the camera feed was dropping out. Use this to spot patterns in your connection and track down issues that keep happening.