【OBS】How to monitor the quality of live streaming?

I.Enable local recording function to back up live streaming content:

Enable recording during the live stream to back up the live content locally, preventing the generated replay from not meeting expectations due to exceptions during the live stream.                

II. Explanation of parameters affecting streaming quality:

Explanation of each parameter in the following figure:

CPU: The CPU usage rate of the machine occupied by OBS. A higher value indicates a higher load, which may lead to abnormal audio - video encoding. During the live stream, the picture may appear frozen, and the audio and video may be out of sync.

Small square: An indicator of the network status. Green represents excellent, yellow represents average, and red represents a poor current network. This may cause the live stream to freeze.

Actual streaming bitrate: The actual network upload during the live stream. When this value is less than the preset streaming bitrate, it may result in insufficient upload frame rate and bitrate. During the live stream, the picture may appear frozen, and the audio and video may be out of sync.

III. How to monitor streaming quality during a live stream:

Click 'View' in the OBS menu and select 'Statistics' to monitor the streaming quality in real - time:

1. High CPU usage:   

Reducethe video bitrate (excessive reduction may affect picture clarity) or switch the encoder to the hardware encoding mode. Refer to the following figure:

Reduce the video resolution (excessive reduction may affect picture clarity) orreduce the frame rate (excessive reduction may affect picture smoothness)                

2. High values of frames missed due to rendering delay and frames missed due to encoding delay               

If the encoder selected in 'Settings' -> 'Output' is software:     

Check if the CPU load of the machine is too high:

Mac (Activity Monitor):

Windows(Task Manager):

Try toreduce the video bitrate, change the encoder to hardware, and reduce the video resolutionand see if it recovers

If the encoder selected in 'Settings' -> 'Output' is hardware:        

Check if the CPU load of the machine is too high:

Mac (Activity Monitor):

Windows(Task Manager):

Try toreduce the video bitrate, change the encoder to hardware, and reduce the video resolutionand see if it recovers

If the encoder was changed from software encoding to hardware encoding due to an exception, it means that neither the CPU nor the GPU of the machine meets the current live - streaming scenario. You can try to further reduce the video bitrate and resolution or use a device with better performance for live streaming.

High value of dropped frames (network)

There is a network problem. Check if the network fluctuates. It is recommended to use a wired Ethernet cable to connect the device for live streaming.

Summary: