Chubrub's Guide to Streaming
Chubrub's Streaming Guide (I'm in no way claiming to be an expert)
This is just so I stop getting pm's from people.
DISCLAIMER: I TYPED THIS UP IN ONE GO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD SO CORRECTING MY GRAMMAR WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN *******.
Well since everyone and their mothers seem to have started streaming, I suppose I can share my settings and my current understanding of these settings. I feel as though the quality of my stream is pretty good, and even if my understanding of the settings is incorrect, it still seems to work.
I'll start off with saying that I am playing on a very new computer that is operating on windows 7 64-bit. You have to realize that streaming will not only have an effect on your ping, but your fps as well. With my new computer I feel absolutely no fps loss when streaming, but with my old computer I would get mouse lag and it was nearly unplayable. Basically, if your computer is not good enough, don't bother streaming...
I use Open Broadcast Software (OBS) to stream. (Download link: http://obsproject.com/) The only reason I chose this over Xsplit is because the full version of Xsplit is not free, although its easily torrented. OBS seemed to work better with windows 7 than it does with windows xp, this is just what I have noticed.
My OBS settings:
***These settings are specific to my computer and internet speeds***
As any competent human being is capable of figure out the "General" tab, I'm just going to skip that one.
ENCODING:
This is probably the most important tab. First thing you should do is find out your upload speed if you do not already know it. (http://www.speedtest.net/) My upload speed is about 4.5 mbps. This isn't an extremely fast upload speed, but it is good enough for a decent stream. I have found that checking the "CBR" box seems to set the "Quality Balance" to the best number for your settings. You should also have "Use Custom Buffer Size" checked. This is where your upload speed comes into play. Since mine is 4.5 mbps (4500 kb/s) I have both my "Max Bitrate" and "Buffer Size" set to 3500 kb/s. The general rule of thumb seems to be to set your Max Bitrate and Buffer Size to about 80% of your upload speed. It is important to keep both of these numbers the same (the Max Bitrate and Buffer Size) even though the OBS site would suggest otherwise. I didn't mess with the Audio Encoding at all, and I'm not sure why you would need to.
BROADCAST SETTINGS:
This is where you will tie your twitch account to the program. This is something you should be able to figure out on your own. The only notes I will make are that you should check the box next to "Minimize Network Impact." This is also where you would set your stream delay should you so choose to. There is already a delay of about 5 seconds on your stream (I think that number depends on your internet speeds, but I'm not sure.) I also have the box next to "Auto-Reconnect" checked.
VIDEO:
This tab is also extremely important.
Unless your DESKTOP RESOLUTION MATCHES YOUR IN-GAME CROSSFIRE RESOLUTION you should choose the "Custom" option for "Base Resolution." Once choosing custom, you will then set the resolution to your exact in-game resolution. If you do not do this, your stream will not the fit the screen in one way or another. The resolution downscale is not necessary but can be used to help your viewers with crappy internet. Basically what I've noticed is that the "quality" of your video on stream is directly related to the second number in your resolution. For example: If you were streaming at a resolution of 1920x1080, your stream would have a video quality of 1080p, 800x600, 600p. So if you play crossfire on a higher resolution, your viewers may have a hard time watching the stream. You also have to realize that unless your twitch account becomes partnered, your viewers cannot adjust the stream quality. It is very hard to get partnered. If you use the downscale however, it will basically stream at a lower resolution, which would set your video quality and bit lower. The FPS at which you stream at is very important. You should be streaming at the highest FPS that you can without it hindering your actual gameplay. That being said, I don't think its necessary to stream at a higher FPS than 60, and I also feel like streaming would be a waste at anything lower than 30. The FPS setting is solely based on what your computer can handle, and you will have to figure that out like everyone else, with trial and error. The final setting in this tab is the "Disable Aero at Startup" box, which I have checked. I haven't the slightest clue what this does, but its checked.
AUDIO:
This is where you will setup what sounds will be heard on your stream. You were able to setup mumble or whatever comm program you use, so you can figure this out too.
ADVANCED:
This is the tab that I probably know the least about, but allowed me to tweak my stream the most giving it the best quality I could get. I will go through each sub-section of this tab and try to explain my understand of the tabs.
General:
"Use Multithreaded Optimizations" - checked
Process Priority Class - Normal
Scene Buffering Time (milliseconds) - 400
I have absolutlety no idea what any of this means. I haven't adjusted any of it.
Video:
The x264 CPU Preset is how I was able to get the best quality for my stream. From absolutely no research, I believe that this is basically the speed at which information is sent to twitch (could be horribly wrong). I think the default for this is either superfast of veryfast. This I believe is related to your upload speed. The slower the speed at which you send the info to twitch, the better/smoother your stream will look. When I stream at 1024x768 I'm able to have my preset at "Fast." If I go any slower than that my stream will run at low fps and basically start to get very glitchy. It won't effect my fps or ping in anyway, but it will effect how your stream is being viewed. So its very important to either watch your stream on another computer, or have a friend do it. This is another setting that is important to test different combinations with trial and error. Under the video section I also have "Use CFR" checked. I have all other boxes unchecked and the rest of the settings at their defaults.
SCENES/SOURCES:
First setup a scene for crossifre, could be named anything. Next you'll need to add a source so that all the settings you just setup will actually do something. Although "Game Capture" is ideal for streaming games, for whatever reason it will not work with crossfire, or at least won't work for me. I use monitor capture (I know of people using window capture, but I don't know the settings for that). Once you have chosen monitor capture, you can click "Preview Stream" and see what your stream will look like. You can also click "Edit Scene" to crop everyting and make it fit the way you would like.
OTHER NOTES/SUGGESTIONS:
If you're playing on a low resolution in crossfire, and using windowed menu mode in crossfire, then hiding the password to a room is not to difficult. Since your desktop resolution would most likely be significantly larger than your in game resolution, you can just drag the window menu off of the part of your desktop that is being streamed. (You will understand what I'm talking about once you preview your stream). If you happen to play on a high in game resolution, this isn't so simple, and I suggest you make an overlay in photoshop. They are very simple to make, but this is something you will have to figure out on your own. I am considering making them for people for a small fee, but understand my photoshop skills are very limitted.
This is my overlay that I made, just posting for an example.
http://i.imgur.com/Tms7e3l.jpg
You can also add a webcam to your stream but adding another source to your scene, but choosing "Video Capture Device" for your source. You can also add text and many other add-ons to your stream if you feel like making it look better. These are things you should explore on your own.
I think it is important for people to realize that they should not be posting on the forums asking for people to let them know how their stream looks when it is extremely easy to watch it yourself. You are all more than capable of realizing whether or not your stream looks good, and should not advertise it until its at a quality that you would want other people to see. Streaming is not something for lazy people as you actually have to work and test out different options to make your stream the best.
I hope this helps everyone, and they have a better handle on what some of the settings do. SO STOP PMING ME.
*****Thanks to Mav for constant testing of random settings with me*****
This is just so I stop getting pm's from people.
DISCLAIMER: I TYPED THIS UP IN ONE GO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD SO CORRECTING MY GRAMMAR WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE AN *******.
Well since everyone and their mothers seem to have started streaming, I suppose I can share my settings and my current understanding of these settings. I feel as though the quality of my stream is pretty good, and even if my understanding of the settings is incorrect, it still seems to work.
I'll start off with saying that I am playing on a very new computer that is operating on windows 7 64-bit. You have to realize that streaming will not only have an effect on your ping, but your fps as well. With my new computer I feel absolutely no fps loss when streaming, but with my old computer I would get mouse lag and it was nearly unplayable. Basically, if your computer is not good enough, don't bother streaming...
I use Open Broadcast Software (OBS) to stream. (Download link: http://obsproject.com/) The only reason I chose this over Xsplit is because the full version of Xsplit is not free, although its easily torrented. OBS seemed to work better with windows 7 than it does with windows xp, this is just what I have noticed.
My OBS settings:
***These settings are specific to my computer and internet speeds***
As any competent human being is capable of figure out the "General" tab, I'm just going to skip that one.
ENCODING:
This is probably the most important tab. First thing you should do is find out your upload speed if you do not already know it. (http://www.speedtest.net/) My upload speed is about 4.5 mbps. This isn't an extremely fast upload speed, but it is good enough for a decent stream. I have found that checking the "CBR" box seems to set the "Quality Balance" to the best number for your settings. You should also have "Use Custom Buffer Size" checked. This is where your upload speed comes into play. Since mine is 4.5 mbps (4500 kb/s) I have both my "Max Bitrate" and "Buffer Size" set to 3500 kb/s. The general rule of thumb seems to be to set your Max Bitrate and Buffer Size to about 80% of your upload speed. It is important to keep both of these numbers the same (the Max Bitrate and Buffer Size) even though the OBS site would suggest otherwise. I didn't mess with the Audio Encoding at all, and I'm not sure why you would need to.
BROADCAST SETTINGS:
This is where you will tie your twitch account to the program. This is something you should be able to figure out on your own. The only notes I will make are that you should check the box next to "Minimize Network Impact." This is also where you would set your stream delay should you so choose to. There is already a delay of about 5 seconds on your stream (I think that number depends on your internet speeds, but I'm not sure.) I also have the box next to "Auto-Reconnect" checked.
VIDEO:
This tab is also extremely important.
Unless your DESKTOP RESOLUTION MATCHES YOUR IN-GAME CROSSFIRE RESOLUTION you should choose the "Custom" option for "Base Resolution." Once choosing custom, you will then set the resolution to your exact in-game resolution. If you do not do this, your stream will not the fit the screen in one way or another. The resolution downscale is not necessary but can be used to help your viewers with crappy internet. Basically what I've noticed is that the "quality" of your video on stream is directly related to the second number in your resolution. For example: If you were streaming at a resolution of 1920x1080, your stream would have a video quality of 1080p, 800x600, 600p. So if you play crossfire on a higher resolution, your viewers may have a hard time watching the stream. You also have to realize that unless your twitch account becomes partnered, your viewers cannot adjust the stream quality. It is very hard to get partnered. If you use the downscale however, it will basically stream at a lower resolution, which would set your video quality and bit lower. The FPS at which you stream at is very important. You should be streaming at the highest FPS that you can without it hindering your actual gameplay. That being said, I don't think its necessary to stream at a higher FPS than 60, and I also feel like streaming would be a waste at anything lower than 30. The FPS setting is solely based on what your computer can handle, and you will have to figure that out like everyone else, with trial and error. The final setting in this tab is the "Disable Aero at Startup" box, which I have checked. I haven't the slightest clue what this does, but its checked.
AUDIO:
This is where you will setup what sounds will be heard on your stream. You were able to setup mumble or whatever comm program you use, so you can figure this out too.
ADVANCED:
This is the tab that I probably know the least about, but allowed me to tweak my stream the most giving it the best quality I could get. I will go through each sub-section of this tab and try to explain my understand of the tabs.
General:
"Use Multithreaded Optimizations" - checked
Process Priority Class - Normal
Scene Buffering Time (milliseconds) - 400
I have absolutlety no idea what any of this means. I haven't adjusted any of it.
Video:
The x264 CPU Preset is how I was able to get the best quality for my stream. From absolutely no research, I believe that this is basically the speed at which information is sent to twitch (could be horribly wrong). I think the default for this is either superfast of veryfast. This I believe is related to your upload speed. The slower the speed at which you send the info to twitch, the better/smoother your stream will look. When I stream at 1024x768 I'm able to have my preset at "Fast." If I go any slower than that my stream will run at low fps and basically start to get very glitchy. It won't effect my fps or ping in anyway, but it will effect how your stream is being viewed. So its very important to either watch your stream on another computer, or have a friend do it. This is another setting that is important to test different combinations with trial and error. Under the video section I also have "Use CFR" checked. I have all other boxes unchecked and the rest of the settings at their defaults.
SCENES/SOURCES:
First setup a scene for crossifre, could be named anything. Next you'll need to add a source so that all the settings you just setup will actually do something. Although "Game Capture" is ideal for streaming games, for whatever reason it will not work with crossfire, or at least won't work for me. I use monitor capture (I know of people using window capture, but I don't know the settings for that). Once you have chosen monitor capture, you can click "Preview Stream" and see what your stream will look like. You can also click "Edit Scene" to crop everyting and make it fit the way you would like.
OTHER NOTES/SUGGESTIONS:
If you're playing on a low resolution in crossfire, and using windowed menu mode in crossfire, then hiding the password to a room is not to difficult. Since your desktop resolution would most likely be significantly larger than your in game resolution, you can just drag the window menu off of the part of your desktop that is being streamed. (You will understand what I'm talking about once you preview your stream). If you happen to play on a high in game resolution, this isn't so simple, and I suggest you make an overlay in photoshop. They are very simple to make, but this is something you will have to figure out on your own. I am considering making them for people for a small fee, but understand my photoshop skills are very limitted.
This is my overlay that I made, just posting for an example.
http://i.imgur.com/Tms7e3l.jpg
You can also add a webcam to your stream but adding another source to your scene, but choosing "Video Capture Device" for your source. You can also add text and many other add-ons to your stream if you feel like making it look better. These are things you should explore on your own.
I think it is important for people to realize that they should not be posting on the forums asking for people to let them know how their stream looks when it is extremely easy to watch it yourself. You are all more than capable of realizing whether or not your stream looks good, and should not advertise it until its at a quality that you would want other people to see. Streaming is not something for lazy people as you actually have to work and test out different options to make your stream the best.
I hope this helps everyone, and they have a better handle on what some of the settings do. SO STOP PMING ME.
*****Thanks to Mav for constant testing of random settings with me*****
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