Can I Play a Game While Symatamulely Uploading

How Much Speed Do Y'all Need for Live Video Game Streaming?

Jan 24, 2022 Share
FAQ, Gaming, Net Speed Guides, Streaming Guides

Watching other people play video games is almost as popular as playing them yourself. And people aren't just watching big-proper name internet celebrities either. Twitch, the about popular game streaming platform, has over four one thousand thousand unique creators streaming every month.¹ If y'all like sharing your gaming experiences with the earth, you could be one of them.

Ane of the keys to a successful stream is an internet connexion that can handle the video (like fiber). No one wants to spend time and money getting your lights and camera just correct only for your net connection to reduce your stream to a choppy, pixelated mess.

But not to worry! We're hither to walk you through everything you lot need to know about internet speeds and alive video game streaming so you tin can go your stream just right.

Use your zip lawmaking to see if cobweb internet is available in your area.

Livestreaming is all about upload speed

Livestreaming is one of the few situations when download speed (the speed your internet plan typically advertises) doesn't really matter. All you lot have to worry about is your upload speed. You can learn more than nearly the divergence betwixt download and upload speed hither.

Need a connection with more upload speed? See what'due south available in your area.

When yous're livestreaming, video captured from your device is sent, or uploaded, from your dwelling house to video servers somewhere on the internet. This is the opposite direction that video data usually flows since most people eat more online video content than they create.

1 more fourth dimension: download speed doesn't matter for livestreaming.

Upload speed is frequently a bit more hard to guess because most internet service providers (ISPs) don't advertise information technology equally prominently every bit they do download speeds (your "advertised" speed refers to your download speed). For nigh kinds of internet connection, your upload speed will be much lower than your download speed. Upload speed can besides fluctuate, so the easiest way to detect your actual upload speed is to have a speed test. If you want an upload speed that can friction match your download speed, your best bet is cobweb.

Get your upload speed: Want to find out what upload and download speed y'all're currently getting? Take our speed test.

That said, there are still plenty of online activities that require a adept download speed. If you're playing a game online or streaming royalty-free music while you're on stream, you lot need to make certain y'all accept enough download speed to ensure a polish experience. Withal, the only number yous need to worry most for getting your stream online is your upload speed.

Upload speed requirements for livestreaming beyond video platforms

We recommend having a minimum upload speed of ten Mbps for livestreaming. On most platforms, this volition give you a slight buffer to account for fluctuations in upload speed.

Different streaming platforms have different requirements when it comes to video quality. Some are optimized so that you tin can circulate depression-resolution video from your jail cell phone whenever you want, while others try to make it possible for viewers to tune in to TV-quality streams. While you can technically stream equally long equally you meet the minimum requirements, yous should always plan to accept at least an extra 5 Mbps to account for fluctuations in speed.

Here'south the breakdown of how much upload speed you lot'll need to livestream on unlike platforms.

Twitch

Twitch is the biggest site for video game streaming, so if yous want to be a streamer, you should be able to stream on Twitch. Fortunately, it gives streamers a few different recommendations for resolution and frame rate.

For context, 30 frames per second (fps) is the standard frame charge per unit for television, while lx fps is a common framerate in video games. Just like resolution, frame rate affects the corporeality of speed you demand to stream, and so if you don't have the fastest connection, you might have to make a merchandise-off.

Facebook Live

Facebook keeps it simple, listing only the accented minimum requirements for streaming on the platform. Merely that'due south not to say y'all can't achieve a decent video quality with Facebook.

Although you can start a livestream on Facebook with zip more than your phone and the Facebook app, Facebook Live is too compatible with standard streaming software like OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and vMix.

YouTube

YouTube has a staggering amount of recommendations, ranging from a 240p stream (which is the resolution of an erstwhile Nokia cell phone or a Game Male child Advance) to streaming in full 4K UHD.^{ii, 3} We'd recommend shooting for somewhere in the eye. Plenty of professional streamers stream at 1080p, and that's a loftier enough resolution to wait good on everything from cell phones to TV screens.

You need actress cyberspace speed for a stable video stream

Nosotros propose that you endeavour to have 10–15 Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video you're trying to stream and even more if yous know that your connectedness has regular bug with slowdown.

Another good dominion of thumb is to have twice as much upload speed as whatsoever you set your bitrate to be, but to exist safe. Not all your viewers will notice the subtle divergence between 30 and 60 fps, merely everyone will find if your stream starts freezing and stuttering.

If you just barely meet the speed requirements for the video you lot're trying to stream, the slightest fluctuation in your connection can interfere with or even crash your stream. That's because livestreaming is a lot trickier than streaming video from Netflix. Since your stream isn't prerecorded, the server can't buffer to smooth out the normal ups and downs in net speed.

Also, recollect that if y'all're streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, you need plenty full bandwidth that each stream has enough of upload speed. For example, if you're streaming 1080p video to both Twitch (6 Mbps minimum) and YouTube (three Mbps minimum), you'd need an upload speed of at least 9 Mbps, though realistically, you'd demand 15–20 Mbps to go along both streams stable.

Why is a stable video stream and so of import?

Livestreaming is much more technologically demanding than just playing games. Virtually online games tin can get by on a pretty modest cyberspace connection, as long as there's low latency. Livestreaming turns your home into your own personal Tv set station, dissemination high-resolution video to your fans.

To abound an avid fan base of operations on a platform similar Twitch, you need to evangelize a quality feel. A reliable camera, good audio equipment, and a fancy gaming calculator are all important investments for whatever dedicated streamer, just none of that makes much of a divergence to those watching if your stream freezes and staggers throughout the circulate.

A reliable internet connectedness is one of the beginning investments an aspiring streamer should make.

What blazon of internet is best for livestreaming?

The all-time internet connectedness for livestreaming is fiber. To livestream, y'all need a reliable connexion with good upload speeds and low latency. In all three of those categories, fiber-optic connections are by far the best pick. If fiber isn't available in your expanse, you probably want to go with a wired connection, as wireless connections tend to exist more susceptible to interference and by and large experience higher latency.

DSL and satellite connections generally aren't fast or stable enough for streamers, and so you're probably going to demand either cable or cobweb internet.

Cable connections can accomplish upload speeds between five Mbps and 50 Mbps, and then the best cable plans can handle HD streaming, but slower connections will be lucky to deliver annihilation to a higher place Game Boy quality. Cable is also decumbent to slowing downward at peak hours, then unless you stream in the middle of the night, y'all might have to plan around the inevitable drop in speed.

Cobweb, on the other paw, has symmetrical upload and download speeds, which ways if you have gigabit download speeds, y'all get the exact same speeds for your uploads. Fiber is also a much more stable connection and doesn't endure from the same kind of slowing issues that cable has to deal with. All these factors make fiber the ideal connectedness for streamers.

For more information, check out our page on fiber providers.

How does latency affect livestreaming?

Latency is the fourth dimension it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to a server on the internet. Information technology essentially determines the reaction time of your internet connexion. Having loftier latency volition cause lag in games or calls, delaying your reactions and causing problems.

Because streaming is primarily one-manner advice, latency is handled a flake differently than it is in a video phone call. Streaming software usually performs more encoding and pinch on your video (though you lot can adjust this in your settings) in social club to improve the last quality at the expense of a few seconds of delay. This isn't usually noticeable to your audience unless you're streaming a Q&A session or a alive effect.

One important precaution for streamers to take is to utilise a wired connectedness to your router instead of Wi-Fi when possible. Fifty-fifty fast, reliable Wi-Fi introduces a fleck of extra latency into your connection, and so a wired connection is definitely preferable. If you don't already have one, become yourself an Ethernet cablevision.

Why am I still getting dropped frames?

Do you have a solid internet connection but your video still looks choppy? Video game streams frequently suffer from dropped frames, where instead of the video playing smoothly from 1 frame to the next, the same frame will play twice in a row and and so skip forward. If enough frames are dropped, it tin can pb to jittery, uneven video.

Although a slow or unstable cyberspace connection can cause a stream to drop frames, dropped frames are often a problem with your capture card. If your capture carte tin't record and encode your video information fast plenty to proceed up with your framerate, the result is dropped frames in your stream.

Before you fork out the money to upgrade to a better capture card, at that place are a few things you lot can attempt. Offset, bank check your internet speed to make sure you're getting the upload speed you think y'all are. Also, make certain that you're plugged into your router and not relying on Wi-Fi.

If you attempt those things and are sure that it's not your connection, try adjusting the settings in your streaming software, lowering your bitrate. You lot can also try updating your estimator'south network drivers.

1. Twitch, "Press Center," Accessed October 5, 2020.
2. Nokia Museum, "Nokia Asha 301," Accessed October five, 2020.
3. CNET, "Nintendo Game Male child Advance Specs," Accessed Oct 5, 2020

Author - Peter Christiansen

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the Academy of Utah and has been working in tech for over xv years as a computer developer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been praised past outlets like Wired, Digital Humanities Now, and the New Statesman.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she'southward not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no one should feel lost in net land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.

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Source: https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/how-much-speed-do-you-need-for-live-video-game-streaming

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