First Video Streaming experiment... · 12:39am Apr 10th, 2019
Well, if you feel masochistic (and I really mean this), you can watch it here:
https://www.twitch.tv/redneckgaijin
The computer ran all right- about the same as it would without the streaming software installed. (The freeware suggested in the last blog post was a quick download and install, and it seems very easy to use so far.) The sound is, well, crap, because I was using a USB gamer headset mike.
But the big problem is bandwidth. I don't have even close to enough.
After speed-testing my connection, the streaming software offered 160 bps for audio and... 379 bps for video.
Even with the outbound video shrunk to about 670 * 380ish proportions, we're talking one frame of video every five seconds or so, plus TONS of buffering.
Tomorrow I'll make another experiment: dropping the resolution as low as I dare go (down to early YouTube levels) and reducing the audio to 64 bps to try to free up a little more for video. And I'll move the lappy into the living room where I can directly connect it to my modem via ethernet cable.
But I suspect that even doing that, even disconnecting my desktop machine from the Net completely, it won't be enough.
The problem is, I live way the hell out in the country. It's been less than ten years since DSL got out here; up until 2013 I was running on dialup. Now I pay $50 per month for 3 mbps down/1 mbps up DSL- and I just did a speed test and found my upstream only clocking 0.5 mbps.
I've put in an inquiry about the current packages, but the last time I inquired it was $120 a month for 10 mbps down and 3 mbps up... in select locations. Right now the non-profit co-op who are my only option list 25 mbps as their top tier offering, with no listing of different speeds down or up. But I'm reluctant to put up dough I can't really afford for more pipe that I'll only need if I make video streaming a regular thing (read: if I get paid for it).
So, as much as I'd like to stream you the mission, I don't think I can do it live. And I don't think my computer has the disk space available for me to record the mission. But I'm not giving up just yet.
But in the meantime, as I write this it's twenty minutes until I'm supposed to begin writing, so I'd better get ready for that...
1: USB Hard Drive
2: nVidia AMD or Intel?
3: 512 kbps is not enough to stream above potato
4: 98 percent of America has broadband - yeah right 9.8 percent is very optimistic according to Microsoft
Are you in alaska?
Also external hardrives
Hey, we all have to start somewhere. In my case, 'somewhere' was a Perkins-Elmer Hardcopy 350 terminal and a 2400 baud modem connected to a Seequa Chameleon 'laptop'
5041873 Rural southeast Texas. As in, almost eighty percent of the land in my home county is owned by timber companies. (The county I lived in when going to high school was just above 90% timber land.)
5041867 1) Working on it. 2) Intel processor. 3) Yeah, I guessed that. 4) Always depends on who's defining broadband.
5041890
So legit middle of nowhere ka
5041894 I have four directions I can go to the nearest gas station; they all take 25 minutes of driving time.
Have you looked into WISPs (Wireless Internet service Providers). They often are poorly advertised but have good service. I work for a WISP in Wisconsin (Bugtussel Wireless). If you can provide me with your zip code I can check with my contacts and see if there is a WISP in your area.
Also your ISP is legal required to provide at least 80% of your rated speed. You should definitely contact them to see what they are willing to do about your poor service. If they are unwilling to do any thing you can contact the FCC and file a complaint. HERE
EDIT: Just used my primary vender's partners lookup tool and there are 65 WISPs that they Know of that have service in Texas.
5041893
2: Intel CPU / Intel Graphics? I ask because if nVidia or AMD both have their own recording software in their drivers that performs far better than most screencap software, but if it's Intel, you still have QuickSync and OBS should support that.
4: FCC says 98 percent of USA has broadband, but they get their numbers from ISPs. Microsoft has actual metrics from Windows updates - in some places, as little as 2 percent have broadband internet in areas where FCC says 100 percent. For shame, ISPs.
5041907
You have to be careful with WISP... they may have a pipette of data available per month.
5041907 Um... if I stand out in the middle of the highway outside, my phone gets one bar. In the house, bupkis. I assure you what you propose is not available here. Out here the options are DSL or satellite, and satellite is only good for downloads.
5041918 I don't understand the relevance of this. Would using QuickSync in some way reduce the bandwidth I need?
5041928
QuickSync greatly reduces CPU overhead. It's essential for recording or streaming. It doesn't reduce bandwidth. For that, you have to lower video quality and resolution. Doubt you will get anything manageable that fits inside of 512 kbps... as you're talking potato resolution, such as 400x320 or 320x200. Going back to 90's videos, on RealPlayer. Audio uses 10 percent of what video uses.
Really though, most DSL providers have their upload at 256 kbps, 512 kbps may be a burst rate.
5041924
5041928
A WISP is NOT the same as cellular. Most WISPs are unlimited data and while some WISPs are LTE based like your cell phone they are private networks so the number of bars on your cell is irreverent. Most WISPs actually use a microwave based system. The company I work for does both, they also have deep rural coverage, ultra low latency and NO monthly volume limits. WISPs often exists just to provide rural coverage. I often have people get surprised that we have coverage were they live. Please let me try you have little to lose and you may be surprised.
5041944 I live in the extreme southeast corner of Polk County in Texas. According to two different find-a-WISP websites, there are no WISP providers closer than suburban Houston.
You mentioned free disk space being a concern for doing recording of gameplays, so I did a quick test of using QuickSync* to record at 720p under normal gameplay condition. This resulted in a file with the average bitrate of 1800 kb/s** at what I considered to be fairly satisfactory quality (video). To err on the safe side and assume the bitrate is 2000 kbps, a quick bit of calculation with Google tells me that an hour of recording takes around 900 MB of disk space. Is that something workable for you?
*By the way, if you want to see if your machine supports it, look for this setting in OBS:
i.imgur.com/NYr50mR.png
**160 kb/s is dedicated to audio, you can probably lower that to 128 kb/s
Network speeds in bps. Watney has had a better connection than that. On Mars. But, considering his employer paid for it, that is fair.
Potato quality seems fine to me. Mostly because I am already familiar with the game, and I wouldn't be watching for the graphics.
5042004 Apparently not supported. My only options are "hardware" and "software".
5042153
Sounds like you have output mode (it's at the top of the window) set to 'simple'. It's worded differently, but 'hardware' is the one you want. For instance, my machine supports both nvidia's and intel's encoder, so in the dropdown list it says 'Hardware (NVENC)' and 'Hardware (QSV)'. QSV is intel's quicksync.
5042155 Setting to "advanced" seems to only add one checkbox.
5042160
You're looking at the 'Streaming' tab, switch to 'Recording'.