Whether it’s chatting on Zoom, streaming a screen on YouTube or starting a race on sports streaming on Twitch, you know how annoying a slow live stream can be.
All video transmitters have to deal with that. To smooth, speed up, and minimize your video streaming issues, here are some tips. (Note: I stream from a Mac, but I also added some tips for Windows users).
This may seem like the most obvious one, but we have a lot of new livestreamers out there. And honestly, even grizzled livestream vets such as myself forget to plug in directly to the modem sometimes.
Delayed live streams are regularly due to one of two things: you have a problem with your Internet connection or overload your computer. Whenever possible, it deserves to transmit a stressed connection. Connect this Ethernet cable directly from your modem to your computer. It will speed up your live video stream and is more reliable than a WiFi connection.
What if you don’t have an ethernet port on, say, your new MacBook? Don’t worry. You have options. You can buy a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter for less than $30.
If your challenge is that your connection is interrupted because it is too far from your modem and router, you can purchase a mesh WiFi system. These devices will give your WiFi signal a special touch and increase its range. However, they can be a bit expensive, starting at $200.
Another option is to buy a larger wireless router. These can also range from less than $100 to more than $350.
Google Nest WiFi ($349)
TP-Link Deco M9 Plus ($300)
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 ($350)
Netgear Nighthawk X10 AD7200 Smart WiFi Router ($250)
There’s not much you can do on your own if your Internet service provider is causing your live streaming issues. You will want download speeds of at least four Mbps if you want to stream live video in HD. (You can consult with a service like Speedtest, which, full disclosure, belongs to the parent company Mashable J2). If you don’t get it from your ISP, you can upgrade your plan or opt for a service provider.
If this is an option, you can help convert some of the app settings you use to stream live videos. Now, not all streaming software will allow you to do so, however, for this example, let’s move on to the most popular (and free) option: OBS.
If you find your video stream to be delayed, replace the output setting in OBS at 720p (resolution: 12880×720). I know, I know, your favorite YouTubers are downloading 4K photos now, at least you can stream live videos on 1080p, right? I promise you that most of your audience will not notice the difference in outputArray… especially in a live stream. If your possible options are 720p or an uneven output, I make sure you prefer the first one.
Now you can also slow down the bit rate of your video. Bit rates are necessarily the number of bits of knowledge you send and the rate at which they are sent. The more consistent with the quality image, the more consistent with your binary will need to be for a smooth image. With the quality of your video stream set to 720p, adjusting the binary performance of your video to approximately 35,000 ko consistently with the moment deserves to give you a perfect image.
These adjustments will not only cause your delayed live stream to occur if your disorders are web-related, but will also be a condiment if your disorders also come from processor performance.
OBS is a wonderful choice for live, new and old stations. First of all, it’s absolutely loose. Secondly, it’s incredibly powerful. You can run quite extensive video streams using this flexible software. It is also available for Windows and Mac. However, there is a learning curve. And, as you saw earlier when I introduced some, there are some quite complex parameter options. It’s wonderful if you need everything and you know how to use it. This can be exaggerated if you’re just looking to stream an undeniable high-quality video stream.
As a Mac user, I started a new live streaming app with the logo: Ecamm Live. This $15-a-month software was released in 2017 and was obviously designed to be the ultimate local live streaming solution available for MacOS. I’ve seen my Macbook Pro run faster and produce a smoother live stream when Ecamm Live compared to other apps.
Ecamm Live is also incredibly simple and easy to use. For example, all those OBS configurations I discussed earlier for optimal? Ecamm Live will automatically adjust your binary while streaming.
Yes, some complex users may want to play with binary configurations. But Ecamm Live is much more intuitive. PC users deserve not to be discouraged by the fact that it is not available for Windows. OBS can do whatever it wants and more. It simply has a steeper learning curve.
One tip that was recently recommended to me by a fellow streamer was to run apps and processes from an external drive.
I had to check that out. First, which external disk would be most productive to solve the situation? After some studies and even a call with the Western Digital product team, I decided on G-Technology’s EXTERNAL USB-C G-Drive drive. These drives are commonly used for video production and backup storage, as they are known to be fast, reliable drives with maximum functionality. You can buy one from about $150.
If you have a limited budget, a Western Digital MyPassport portable hard drive costs a little over $50. If you’re looking for a faster budget option, I’ve only heard smart things about the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, which starts at about $75.
Now, when I bought my MacBook Pro years ago, I bought it with video streaming and editing in mind, so I have a pretty fast PC. But I can perfectly see how fast it would be to run a stream from a fast SSD than to do it on an older PC with a slow internal hard drive.
In one try, I replaced him. I ran the live stream from the internal player and other apps I use, such as Google Chrome, from G-Drive. Chrome is known for monopolizing the disk area. When downloading the external disk from my MacBook, I saw that the internal fan hum, which can generate a rather loud video stream, was much lower. Recording my live recordings on the external disc also released the disc area and faced a rare slowdown on my macBook Pro live.
And this is a wonderful thing if you’re a Mac user. If you only want to run applications from your external disk, you don’t want to install an operational formula on it and make it bootable. Literally, I just slide and drop programs from my internal SSD to the G-Drive. Mac programs, which use the Arrayapp registry extension, are necessarily folders. Everything you want to run the app is packaged inside, which simplifies movement.
If you can’t go out and buy a completely new computer with maxed out specs for streaming, an external drive could be an affordable solution.
G-Technology G-Drive USB-C ($149)
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD ($79)
Western Digital MyPassport HD ($65)
Let’s say you have a PC that is about ten years old and is able to invest in a new one. What do you buy for live streaming?
That depends. If you’re looking to spend live, just by talking to you through a webcam, almost every trendy computer can take care of that. I mean, your iPhone or Android device can accomplish that. But, if you’re looking for something more complex for a full live stream with guests, screen sharing, graphics layers or even streaming games, there are secure specifications you should be careful with.
My MacBook Pro has an Intel Core i7 quadcore processor with 16GB of RAM. It easily does everything I need it to do, but often the fan will whir at audible levels.
You will see guides that say you deserve to have a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and offer 8 GB. Honestly, don’t pay any attention to that. Go with 16 GB of RAM. In fact, this will help reduce jolts and slowdowns, especially in multitasking. If you use other systems with your live stream, you want a minimum of 16 GB. If you’re playing Twitch, you probably want even more.
If you want to build a reasonable PC, the AMD Ryzen five 2600 processor is a reasonable processor for around $1.50. However, I see that the AMD Ryzen five 3600 costs only about $40 more and has much better reviews.
I bet you’d be quite surprised if you knew how many apps are open and running in the background right now on your computer. An apparent position to look at if on a Mac is there in the menu bar. How many menu bar programs are open?
You have to close all those background processes that aren’t needed. The only things that take up memory, processor, and valuable disk area are the things you want to run on your stream. You can even have apps like Google Backup and Sync that move giant files through your Internet connection, slowing down the download speed without even knowing it.
And that’s it. Here are some undeniable tips for your live streaming experience. If you follow those tips, they deserve to be helped to get rid of the latent currents… or at least to make the challenge bearable.