[Ascel]

I have been doing some Casual Streaming for a little while now nothing to major, was just wondering if i could get some questions answered and some tips =D

1.) How do I know if my internet is good enough for streaming
2.)What sort of hardware specs are good for Streaming and gaming (Obviously at the same time)
3.)Whats a good Frame Rate and resolution to stream in.

And just any general tips that people have found to be useful in streaming.


Oh and I use Xsplit By the way =)

[Stallion]

1) http://www.speedtest.net/ close everything else before this to get most accurate reading you want over 3mbps upload from what i understand
and 2 and 3 im playing with atm :P

[Ascel]

Originally Posted by Stallion

1) http://www.speedtest.net/ close everything else before this to get most accurate reading you want over 3mbps upload from what i understand
and 2 and 3 im playing with atm :P

Wouldn't Upload speed have more to do with it?

[Meatex]

Usually people expect 720p resolution but you can't really notice difference between 20fps and 30 fps so I would recommend 20fps

As for spec for your computer, you are going to need a nice computer (i7 quad with 4gb+ ram and high end gfx card)

And you will need at least 1MB/s actual upload speed to the jtv servers.

[Ascel]

Originally Posted by Meatex

Usually people expect 720p resolution but you can't really notice difference between 20fps and 30 fps so I would recommend 20fps

As for spec for your computer, you are going to need a nice computer (i7 quad with 4gb+ ram and high end gfx card)

And you will need at least 1MB/s actual upload speed to the jtv servers.

How can I choice what Definition i stream in?
I have an overclocked I3, 4Gb of Ram, and a GTX460. =\ I need to upgrade I think =(
How can i test upload speed to the servers?

[Meatex]

you can't really test upload speeds to the servers
you can get approximations using speedtest.net

You select your streaming resolution - funnily enough - under the resolution menu

And yes you need to upgrade. I have the fastest i5 and i still have to lower my desktop resolution to stream without lag

[Ascel]

Im doing it in 1280x720 (as it tells me too xD) Im not sure what Definition that is though, It is 16:9 Does that Make it 720?

[[TA]LoSt]

Just for reference, I'm streaming on a connection that is JUST over 1mbps max upload speed, so I had to lower my max upload rate to jtv to around 850 kb/s to make sure it didn't glitch and stuff.

I've got an i7, 8GB RAM and GTX570 graphics card, and I stream with my settings on 1280x720 with 45 fps and 10 quality on the jtv settings. I don't even know if any FPS over 30 is noticeable on the stream but I just put it to 45 anyway. I get a tiny tiny drop in FPS when I start streaming, but I'm still getting over 100 fps ingame so it isn't noticeable at all and the stream is perfectly fine quality-wise and it doesn't jump at all (or so I've been told).

with your i3 and gtx 460 IMO you could easily stream, even if you have to lower your resolution a bit (keeping the same ratio though). It is hugely dependent on how high your upload speed is.

[Ascel]

I have sc2 set to Minimal Graphics anyway,(Because I think im a pro )

If I where to upgrade to Improve streaming would Ram or CPU be a better upgrade?

[Aean(:]

Originally Posted by FuzzyLogic

I have sc2 set to Minimal Graphics anyway,(Because I think im a pro )

If I where to upgrade to Improve streaming would Ram or CPU be a better upgrade?

RAM wouldn't effect streaming, and the current 4GB RAM you have is more then enough.

[Ascel]

Originally Posted by Aean(:

RAM wouldn't effect streaming, and the current 4GB RAM you have is more then enough.

So would CPu be the better Upgrade, or just a full system upgrade. Or just better internet, I hope its not the internet =( Im on the fastest one I can get =(

[LennX]

What is your upload speed from speedtest.net?
A I3 core can barely support streaming without giving you lag. I will recommend a I5 sandy bridge minimum. And mind screenshotting your xspilt settings here? It will be easier for us to see what is unoptimized for you.

[FaDeEvetS]

yeah the i3's not gonna do it too great. I tried to stream on my 2nd system (i3 530 @ 4ghz) and it really struggled to stream even 360p without hitching, while ingame.
Streaming realllyy needs more than 2 cores imo

Edit:comp i'm talking about is;
i3 @4ghz
4gb ram
Gtx 460

[Ascel]

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1443948499.png
That's with a few people on the network.

And attached is a few images from my xsplit settings, not really sure what to show with that But if you need to see anything else just ask =)

[[TA]LoSt]

With your upload speed and computer you need to lower your resolution, I just don't think you can support it. Also, in xsplit click broadcast > edit channels > edit your justin.tv one and in the video encoding section you'll need to lower your max bitrate down from 1000 to at-most 700, even lower if you want to include sound etc, so I'd recommend putting it at around 600 (is this even enough to stream? I don't know, you'll have to ask someone with a similar upload rate).

[LennX]

Try using 1088X612 resolution. Maybe consider dropping to 15fps too. it won't be smooth but it should ensure a smoother stream which is better than a laggy stream to me. Also follow what LoSt said.

I feel that you need a minimum upload rate of 1mbps just to have a decent stream. 0.7 is cutting it too tight. But since you are just causal streaming, just try out the new settings and ask your friends who are mainly watching your stream for their opinion.

[Ascel]

Cool thanks I will try that out, Is there anyway to test this myself?