Platforms like Twitch allow you to show off your gaming skills or make a talk show that you can broadcast to viewers. However, when your video quality is buggy and lagging, it can drive your audience away. Look below to discover tips for improving your live streaming quality.
Use an Ethernet Cable
Your Wi-Fi should be enough for browsing the web, but it may not be adequate for the demands of streaming. Whenever possible, you should upgrade to using a patch cord or a structured cable ethernet cord, depending on your setup. Ethernet cables provide you with better stability and increased data transmission speeds over Wi-Fi.
Consider Lowering Video Quality
You may need to lower your streaming resolution if you’re consistently lagging. Generally, you want to stream at least 720p or above, but that’s if you can do so without buffering issues and high-quality video. It’s OK to drop down to 480p while you look for ways to improve your upload speed or get new hardware for your computer.
Check Your Upload Speed
The upload speed required for your live broadcast will change depending on the quality you’re working to reach. Higher quality videos need to upload more information, demanding greater Megabytes per second (Mbps) in the process. Use a trusted speed test site to check how much data you can upload, aiming for around 6 Mbps for 720p streams and 13 Mbps for 1080p streams.
Turn Off Anything Not Related to the Stream
Your live streams take a great deal of processing power to run efficiently, and any background tasks unrelated to it can cause issues. Make sure you close out all unnecessary background programs before you stream. If you’re using ethernet, turn off your Wi-Fi along with any other useless connections.
Change Your FPS
Your fps (Frames-per-second) dictates how many frames or images you send out every second. When your video is choppy or rough, you may need to increase your fps to at least 25 frames or above. Choosing 30fps is ideal for the best picture quality and speed balance, although 60fps can improve it more if your setup can handle it.
Using these tips for improving your live streaming quality can take your videos to the next level. The better your presentation, the more likely you are to find an audience.