What Upload Speed to Stream on Twitch
How Much Speed Do You Need for Live Video Game Streaming?
Jan 24, 2022 Share
FAQ, Gaming, Internet Speed Guides, Streaming Guides
Watching other people play video games is almost every bit popular as playing them yourself. And people aren't just watching big-name internet celebrities either. Twitch, the nearly popular game streaming platform, has over four million unique creators streaming every month.1 If you like sharing your gaming experiences with the world, you could exist 1 of them.
I of the keys to a successful stream is an internet connection that can handle the video (like cobweb). No ane wants to spend time and money getting your lights and camera just right just for your cyberspace connexion to reduce your stream to a inclement, pixelated mess.
Merely not to worry! We're here to walk you through everything you lot need to know about internet speeds and alive video game streaming and then you can get your stream just right.
Employ your zero code to see if fiber 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 cyberspace programme typically advertises) doesn't really matter. All you take to worry about is your upload speed. You can learn more almost the divergence between download and upload speed hither.
Need a connectedness with more upload speed? Run across what's available in your area.
When yous're livestreaming, video captured from your device is sent, or uploaded, from your home to video servers somewhere on the internet. This is the opposite direction that video information usually flows since most people swallow more than online video content than they create.
One more time: download speed doesn't matter for livestreaming.
Upload speed is oftentimes a fleck more difficult to guess because almost internet service providers (ISPs) don't annunciate information technology as prominently as they practise download speeds (your "advertised" speed refers to your download speed). For most kinds of internet connection, your upload speed volition exist much lower than your download speed. Upload speed can also fluctuate, and so the easiest mode to find your bodily upload speed is to take a speed exam. If you want an upload speed that can match your download speed, your best bet is cobweb.
Get your upload speed: Want to find out what upload and download speed you're currently getting? Take our speed test.
That said, there are still enough of online activities that require a skilful download speed. If yous're playing a game online or streaming royalty-free music while yous're on stream, y'all need to make sure y'all accept enough download speed to ensure a polish experience. However, the only number you need to worry about 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 x Mbps for livestreaming. On about platforms, this will give you a slight buffer to business relationship for fluctuations in upload speed.
Different streaming platforms have different requirements when it comes to video quality. Some are optimized so that you can broadcast low-resolution video from your cell phone whenever you desire, while others try to brand it possible for viewers to tune in to TV-quality streams. While yous can technically stream as long every bit you meet the minimum requirements, you should always plan to have at least an extra five Mbps to business relationship for fluctuations in speed.
Hither's the breakup of how much upload speed you'll need to livestream on different platforms.
Twitch
Twitch is the biggest site for video game streaming, and so if you want to be a streamer, y'all should be able to stream on Twitch. Fortunately, information technology gives streamers a few dissimilar recommendations for resolution and frame rate.
For context, xxx frames per second (fps) is the standard frame charge per unit for television, while 60 fps is a common framerate in video games. Just similar resolution, frame rate affects the amount of speed you need to stream, and then if you don't accept the fastest connection, you lot might take to make a trade-off.
Facebook Live
Facebook keeps information technology simple, listing only the absolute minimum requirements for streaming on the platform. Merely that's not to say you tin't achieve a decent video quality with Facebook.
Although you lot can start a livestream on Facebook with aught more than than your phone and the Facebook app, Facebook Alive is also compatible with standard streaming software like OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and vMix.
YouTube
YouTube has a staggering corporeality of recommendations, ranging from a 240p stream (which is the resolution of an quondam Nokia cell telephone or a Game Boy Accelerate) to streaming in full 4K UHD.2, 3 Nosotros'd recommend shooting for somewhere in the centre. Plenty of professional person streamers stream at 1080p, and that'south a high enough resolution to look good on everything from jail cell phones to TV screens.
You demand extra net speed for a stable video stream
We suggest that you endeavour to have x–xv Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video you lot're trying to stream and even more if you lot know that your connection has regular issues with slowdown.
Another good rule of thumb is to take twice as much upload speed every bit whatever you set your bitrate to be, just to exist safe. Not all your viewers will detect the subtle divergence between 30 and threescore fps, but everyone will notice if your stream starts freezing and stuttering.
If y'all merely barely see the speed requirements for the video you're trying to stream, the slightest fluctuation in your connection can interfere with or even crash your stream. That'southward considering livestreaming is a lot trickier than streaming video from Netflix. Since your stream isn't prerecorded, the server tin't buffer to smooth out the normal ups and downs in net speed.
Also, retrieve that if you're streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, yous demand enough total bandwidth that each stream has plenty of upload speed. For case, if you're streaming 1080p video to both Twitch (vi Mbps minimum) and YouTube (3 Mbps minimum), yous'd need an upload speed of at to the lowest degree 9 Mbps, though realistically, you'd need 15–20 Mbps to go on both streams stable.
Why is a stable video stream so important?
Livestreaming is much more technologically enervating than just playing games. Most online games can get by on a pretty modest net connection, as long equally there'southward low latency. Livestreaming turns your dwelling house into your own personal TV station, broadcasting high-resolution video to your fans.
To grow an gorging fan base on a platform like Twitch, yous need to deliver a quality experience. A reliable camera, good audio equipment, and a fancy gaming calculator are all of import investments for any dedicated streamer, merely none of that makes much of a difference to those watching if your stream freezes and staggers throughout the broadcast.
A reliable internet connection is one of the starting time investments an aspiring streamer should make.
What type of cyberspace is best for livestreaming?
The best internet connectedness for livestreaming is fiber. To livestream, you need a reliable connection with practiced upload speeds and depression latency. In all three of those categories, fiber-optic connections are by far the all-time option. If cobweb isn't bachelor in your area, you probably want to go with a wired connexion, as wireless connections tend to exist more than susceptible to interference and mostly experience college latency.
DSL and satellite connections generally aren't fast or stable enough for streamers, so you're probably going to demand either cable or fiber internet.
Cablevision connections can achieve upload speeds between 5 Mbps and 50 Mbps, so the best cable plans can handle HD streaming, but slower connections volition exist lucky to deliver anything above Game Boy quality. Cable is also prone to slowing down at tiptop hours, then unless you stream in the middle of the night, you might take to plan effectually the inevitable driblet in speed.
Cobweb, on the other hand, has symmetrical upload and download speeds, which means if you lot accept gigabit download speeds, you go the exact same speeds for your uploads. Fiber is besides a much more stable connexion and doesn't suffer from the aforementioned kind of slowing issues that cable has to bargain with. All these factors make fiber the ideal connectedness for streamers.
For more data, check out our page on cobweb providers.
How does latency affect livestreaming?
Latency is the time it takes for a bespeak to travel from your estimator to a server on the net. Information technology essentially determines the reaction time of your internet connection. Having high latency volition cause lag in games or calls, delaying your reactions and causing problems.
Considering streaming is primarily 1-way communication, latency is handled a bit differently than it is in a video call. Streaming software unremarkably performs more encoding and compression on your video (though you can adjust this in your settings) in order to improve the final quality at the expense of a few seconds of delay. This isn't usually noticeable to your audience unless yous're streaming a Q&A session or a live issue.
One important precaution for streamers to accept is to utilise a wired connection to your router instead of Wi-Fi when possible. Fifty-fifty fast, reliable Wi-Fi introduces a fleck of extra latency into your connection, so a wired connection is definitely preferable. If yous don't already have one, get yourself an Ethernet cable.
Why am I still getting dropped frames?
Do you lot have a solid internet connection simply your video still looks choppy? Video game streams often 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 so skip forward. If plenty frames are dropped, it can lead to jittery, uneven video.
Although a tedious or unstable internet connection tin can crusade a stream to drib frames, dropped frames are oftentimes a problem with your capture bill of fare. If your capture carte tin can't tape and encode your video data fast enough to keep up with your framerate, the result is dropped frames in your stream.
Before yous fork out the coin to upgrade to a amend capture card, there are a few things you can attempt. Get-go, check your internet speed to brand sure you're getting the upload speed you remember you are. Besides, make sure that you're plugged into your router and not relying on Wi-Fi.
If you try those things and are sure that it's not your connection, try adjusting the settings in your streaming software, lowering your bitrate. You can as well try updating your computer's network drivers.
- Twitch, "Press Heart," Accessed October 5, 2020.
- Nokia Museum, "Nokia Asha 301," Accessed October v, 2020.
- CNET, "Nintendo Game Boy Advance Specs," Accessed October v, 2020
Author - Peter Christiansen
Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in advice from the University of Utah and has been working in tech for over 15 years every bit a computer programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has been praised by 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'south edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for 5 years. She graduated with a BA in English and a modest in editing from Brigham Young Academy. When she's not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no ane should feel lost in internet land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.
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