Live Stream Broadcast Problems! Aaah!

[funcam]

Hi there, I emailed tech support in the last couple weeks but got no response. So I did a search for a chaturbate support forum and found this one. Am I in the right place to ask for help with some technical issues?

I’ve been a lot of problems with my live stream broadcast. I’ve tried dozens of broadcast apps on my iphone and ipad and some on my Dell laptop and everything I’ve tried has either not worked at all or worked poorly or inconsistently, working one minute off the next, etc..

The main issue is my broadcast is not streaming smoothly at all. It drops to a black screen with either the cone or the swirling circle, then comes back up (if I’m lucky), freezes and unfreezes, etc.. Just a very choppy, low quality broadcast at best.

On top of that there is the latency issue. With some apps or software the latency has been like 20 or 30 seconds, which is totally useless for a live stream. The lowest I've seen has still been at least 6 seconds, not really functional for a live chat. Difficult to have a conversation with that kihd of delay.

Part of the problem is I don’t have a proper webcam so I’ve been trying to do a workaround with a security cam called Wyze Cam Pan. It's a pretty cool camera with zoom in/out and pan up/down/left/right that can be controlled remotely in the Wyze app on my iphone or ipad. Also, I found a few webcam firmware upgrades for it that I've tried. But I still haven't been able to get a good broadcast out of it.

Another issue is my cheap, aging Dell laptop which isn’t powerful enough to run any of the broadcast software I’ve tried, like OBS. It’s only about 5 yrs old but that must be like 100 in computer years because it can barely open OBS much less run it. So the laptop hasn’t been of much use at all.

Which leaves me with an iphone, ipad and the Wyze cam. I’ve tried all the Wyze cam firmware options and dozens of ios apps and have not found a configuration that works.

I can’t understand what’s up with all these technical problems, there is a ton of FREE video chat technology out there that streams perfectly with almost zero latency like messenger, facetime, skype, whatsapp, etc, etc, etc. Why can't I get that result with my broadcast. What am I missing?

I guess if I had a bucket of money I could buy a great setup, but I don’t. Still, I know the free technology is there. Any suggestions?

I also may need more of an education regarding the technical side of it, with all the settings, etc. Maybe if I understood it better I could get it to work properly. Clearly, it’s not just “plug and play”. It seems there's a long list of settings that must be correctly dialed in.

Besides all the broadcast settings there are router settings, firewalls, port forwarding, reserved IP settings, etc… and from what I’ve read, any one of those could mess up your broadcast. Yet I can video chat in messenger with friends and family all over the world, no problem, without messing with any settings at all. Just push a button.

I don’t get it and sure would appreciate some help!! Thanks for this forum, I hope I’m in the right place, looking forward to hearing back.

Cheers,
Funcam

 

[NotYou]

If you're having problems with regular OBS being slow, try StreamLabs OBS - https://streamlabs.com/
It definitely doesn't use as much power and may allow you to stream smoothly.
(streamlabs has an option to import your OBS settings, so you don't have to go through modifying everything)

I can't comment on anything else. The only time I have ever streamed with my mobile phone is using the DESKTOP version on Chaturbate, and that will only be when I am streaming for one person (model).

 

[Prvrtdhermit]

A lot of the issues sound like an internet connection. That can count for lower quality video, stuttering, and choppiness.

To start with your security cam, You are perfectly fine using that. With COVID driving a lot of people to work from home, Webcams have become increasingly hard to find and a lot of people have taken to using security cams to stream now as some are pretty good and readily available. However... from what I have read, most suggest running to a DVR and or directly to pc and using something like obs.

As for Portforwarding and reserved IP settings etc.. You shouldn't need to do all of that. Typically you should just connect straight to your wifi and be done. I could totally be wrong with this and just ignorant of needing to do this but it but I've never had to do any of that just to stream from my pc or phone.

I think it may just be better to use your phone's camera instead of a webcam and try that out.

To troubleshoot we can try this.

Try using just your phone's camera and test how the stream looks.

If choppy, stuttering and still going black - Check the Internet.
If that tests good but still Choppy, grainy, and low image quality - Increase the light in the room.
If you have done that and its still poopy...

Pull out the Ipad and download an app called "Boxcast Broadcaster app" Link for setting it up ---- > https://boxcast.zendesk.com/hc/en-u...hone-or-iPad-with-the-BoxCast-Broadcaster-App

If choppy, stuttering and still going black - Check the Internet.
If that tests good but still Choppy, grainy, and low image quality - Increase the light in the room.
If you have done that and its still poopy...

May just want to look at the old Laptop and trying out OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS or Shadowplay as those tend to run a bit lighter than OBS and can be easier on older PCs.
IF any of those work, just restest things using the security cam or built-in webcam if it has one.

To be honest, I have never had much luck with phone streaming and most of my experience is with PC steams so I really hope some of this may help.

 

[Prvrtdhermit]

Pull out the Ipad and download an app called "Boxcast Broadcaster app" Link for setting it up ---- > https://boxcast.zendesk.com/hc/en-u...hone-or-iPad-with-the-BoxCast-Broadcaster-App

Digging a little deeper... This may not work for Cb.
You could say I have a fetish for Troubleshooting. I'll continue to look around and see what I can find.

 

[DoD404]

Side note : yes, font size defects to be small here. But you can use CTRL+Mouse-wheel to zoom the window (whole forum is written in small fonts ^^), and use normal characters to type.

It’s only about 5 yrs old but that must be like 100 in computer years because it can barely open OBS much less run it

It depends also on the price you got it. That's old for a 400$ PC, not so old for a 1k$ PC.

If you insist in trying to stream with OBS, ensure to use your graphical card by using an "hardware encoder" :


Knowing your internet "up" speed can help, measure it using Ookla : https://www.speedtest.net/fr

 

[bauchstichbeppi]

Have you tried out the internal webcam of the laptop?
"Exotic" hardware like a security cam could possibly cause issues with OBS.
Also check the minimum system requirements for OBS:

Wiki - System Requirements | OBS

This page has moved to https://obsproject.com/kb/system-requirements and https://obsproject.com/kb/hardware-encoding.

obsproject.com

Which operating system do you use? Windows 7 can cause problems, they say.

 

[mike_aussie]

2 days ago I was broadcasting on CB for 4 hours and it was terrible. Fluctuating bitrate, low fps warning. My OBS settings never changed. I restarted my stream and PC a few times. 1 user told me it was fine on his end strangely enough. It's pretty rare I have issues like that. Bad day for the servers I guess.

 

[funcam]

Hmmm... first off, much gratitude for all the replies, much appreciated!

Before moving onto the streaming issue, for some reason I have not been receiving any email notifications telling me when there are replies to this thread. I looked in my settings preferences and email notifications for replies to a thread I created is definitely checked. I did have "receive news and update emails" unchecked, but isn't that separate to notifications? So yeah, I'd like to remedy that so I get notifications when ya'll have replied, if there are any suggestions.

I had eye surgery a couple days ago and haven't been able to spend alot of time looking at this issue and/or fully explore all your suggestions yet. Here's what I've gotten to at this stage:

Probably the biggest eye opener in the past 24 hrs was a piece of info I came across here: https://www.streamerbuilds.com/best-streaming-software-low-end-pc/ where they talk about "minimum requirements for streaming" and recommend "at least Intel Core i5-4670 and 8BG of RAM". Looking a little deeper into that I found this: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-4670+@+3.40GHz&id=1933

I learned that every computer processor is rated on a numerical scale called a "cpu benchmark". And that, apparently, the minimum system requirement for quality streaming is a cpu benchmark rating of at least 5456 (according to the streamerbuilds site at any rate).

And here's the kicker... it turns out my laptops processor is the Intel Celeron N3060. Have a look at its cpu benchmark rating: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Celeron+N3060+@+1.60GHz&id=2762

Minimum suggested rating = 5456, my laptop rating = 666. So, bottom line, looks like my laptop is never going to cut it. Not even close.

It depends also on the price you got it. That's old for a 400$ PC, not so old for a 1k$ PC.

Yeah, long story but when I boutght this Dell I needed a lapop in a pinch and ran into some office depot or something and grabbed the cheapest one in the store. So that's what I'm dealing with.

I wish I had known sooner because I've wasted alot of time trying to get this laptop to do what it will never be able to do, I just didn't know it. I even spent shitloads of time trying to optimize the laptops performance but now it looks like at its best it will never have what it takes. So, in terms of shouldering the task of any live stream broadcast, looks like this laptop is out of the loop. Leaving me with an iphone, ipad and the wyze cam pan.

With the wyze cam, I have installed a firmware for it that has added an rtsp output to the wyze app menu. But I'll be fucked if I've been able to find a way to make use of it. I have been able to find apps that can open it and display my camera feed, even VLC media player can do that on this piss weak laptop. But how to get it from VLC to my broadcast page remains a mystery.

Streamlabs OBS was able to install and run on this laptop but it has no option for rtsp as an input source that I could find. And even if it did I'd still be facing the laptop performance ceiling roadblock...

prvrtdhermit you had some very good ideas, thank you. And yes, I've tried boxcast broadcaster app and it ended up on the scrapheap along with dozens of other apps I have tried. Over the past month or more I've tried app after app. I'd install one and spend a reasonable amount of time trying to make it work and if it wouldn't I'd move on to another one. I think I mentioned in my opening post, some didn't work at all, others kind of worked or worked on and off, etc... but none really worked. With boxcast broadcaster I don't remember what happened with it, but I can say it didn't work cuz if it had I'd be using it.

I have also tried using the iphone camera and yes, the result has been better than with the wyze cam. My conclusion, though, is that this is because with the iphone camera I can use the cb broadcast page option "flash-less broadcaster (beta)" and the onboard camera feeds directly to the interface. The broadcast is better but still not great. The problem with that approach is a) it ties up the iphone so I can't use it for any other function, like monitoring the chat or previewing my feed or whatver, and b) I don't have a camera stand for the iphone, which really limits its usability. Logistically, using the iphone as my webcam presents challenges.

The wyze cam, on the other hand, if I could only figure out how to broadcast it, has a great remote control interface in the ios wyze app. It has a full range motorized pan function and zoom function that can be operated in the wyze app on my iphone, so the camera can sit a few feet away and I can pan and zoom on my phone right next to me. The iphone hasn't got anything like that kind of flexibility. Of course I suppose I could obtain a stand for the iphone and also obtain a remote control app to control its camera from, but I'd need another device to do that from. Actually I started off using the iphone camera but went out and bought the wyze cam pan for these reasons.

Anyway, the best solution I've come up with so far has been to display the wyze app camera feed in full screen on my ipad and run a screen broadcast app on the ipad that has rtmp output capability and I've been able to use the cb rtmp ingest setup to broadcast the ipad screen that way. That is the one that has been workking but choppy and dropping, freezing, etc. using an ios app called "Live Now".

Interestingly, after the feedback from you all I revisited the streamlabs app for ios yesterday and discovered it, too, can broadcast the ios device screen via rtmp and that it does so much better than the live now app. So that's been a step forward, directly thanks to the replies I've gotten here.

So thanks again. My aching eye is telling me no more screen time right now so I'll leave it there. This will be an ongoing project I anticipate and I'm grateful to have discovered this forum as a resource. So as Arnie would say, I'll be back!

Cheers,
PS. hoping to hear back on a fix for the failed email notifications thing... I want to get emails letting me know when there have been replies... and yes, I've checked my spam/junk folder. Not there I'm afraid. I haven't received any emails I can see from this forum.

 

[funcam]

Well fuck. Re-Reading my post I wanted to do some editing, spent several minutes on it, cleaning up this and that, rewording things, etc. Only to be informed of a 15 minute editing window which had already expired. Again, fuck! May I suggest, that 15 minute window is an unreasonable (and very annoying) limitation. My post isn't even publicly visible yet, awaiting moderation, but I can no longer edit it. Tragic.

 

[funcam]

just to clarify, I began editing and was still in the text editor pane when the time limit expired, though I didn't know it had expired until I tried to click "save" and got the error. No warning of a time limit or that it had expired, so I was in there editing away for I don't know how long past the limit.

 

[AmberCutie]

Well fuck. Re-Reading my post I wanted to do some editing, spent several minutes on it, cleaning up this and that, rewording things, etc. Only to be informed of a 15 minute editing window which had already expired. Again, fuck! May I suggest, that 15 minute window is an unreasonable (and very annoying) limitation. My post isn't even publicly visible yet, awaiting moderation, but I can no longer edit it. Tragic.

just to clarify, I began editing and was still in the text editor pane when the time limit expired, though I didn't know it had expired until I tried to click "save" and got the error. No warning of a time limit or that it had expired, so I was in there editing away for I don't know how long past the limit.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but it exists for a reason, and is warned about in this thread: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/threads/how-to-forum-stuff.2252/

Best way to edit after typing a post is to use the preview button until your post is the way you like it.

 

[bauchstichbeppi]

Ouch, Celeron is very slowly. Celeron < i3 < i5 < i7 < i9.
How much RAM do you have? RAM can be extended easily, but it's hardly possible to change a laptop's processor.
Get well!

 

[funcam]

Best way to edit after typing a post is to use the preview button until your post is the way you like it.

OK Amber, thank you for that info. Mental note: use preview button before posting!! Also Amber, I have not been receiving any email notifications when there have been replies and I'm pretty sure I have my preferences set correctly. Any suggestions? I've already checked junk/spam folder, nothing there. Thanks again, love your forum!

Ouch, Celeron is very slowly. Celeron < i3 < i5 < i7 < i9.
How much RAM do you have? RAM can be extended easily, but it's hardly possible to change a laptop's processor.
Get well!

Yes sir it is more slow than mollasses on a cold day! I have 4GB ram but I also have the usb ram extension thing setup, forget the name of it... That may help a little but still this laptop can't carry any heavy load. I never really understood what I was dealing with until I saw my processors score on the cpu benchmark ratings. Thank you for well wishes. I have to limit screen time...

 

[AmberCutie]

OK Amber, thank you for that info. Mental note: use preview button before posting!! Also Amber, I have not been receiving any email notifications when there have been replies and I'm pretty sure I have my preferences set correctly. Any suggestions? I've already checked junk/spam folder, nothing there. Thanks again, love your forum!

I’ve double checked that everything on ACF side is working properly. Double check that your email is entered properly is the only suggestion I’ve got if you’ve already confirmed you have the boxes checked for email notifications on watched content and threads.

 

[mike_aussie]

An PC/laptop with an old i5 and 8gb RAM should be enough for basic streaming. Hell, I was using an ipad mini 2 until I got a webcam.

 

[funcam]

I’ve double checked that everything on ACF side is working properly. Double check that your email is entered properly is the only suggestion I’ve got if you’ve already confirmed you have the boxes checked for email notifications on watched content and threads.

OK well, I've double, triple and quadruple checked my notification preferences and they're all checked correctly. I even have "Receive news and update emails" checked for good measure. To date I have not received any notification emails, which remains a mystery.

Interestingly, I got logged out somehow and had to reset my password just now and I got the reset password email no problem. So my email is correct and working properly. I also just enabled "push notifications" at the request of a little note on the forum. So I'll be interested to see what happens next....

 

[bauchstichbeppi]

Yes sir

Sir isn't necessary unless you are into fetish, then I appreciate

To date I have not received any notification emails, which remains a mystery.

Spam folder?

 

[funcam]

With my live stream broadcast, I've just taken the laptop out of the loop and am using only iphone, ipad, wyze cam pan and the streamlabs ios app with the following configuration:

1. setup streamlabs app for custom rtmp using the cb broadcast rtmp url and stream key provided.
2. on ipad: Settings/Control Center/Customize Controls - setup to include "Screen Recording"
3. activate the wyze cam and display the live stream in full screen mode on ipad (live stream player is available in the wyze app once wyze cam pan has been successfully added in the app)
4. once wyze cam live stream is playing full screen on ipad, swipe down at top right of ipad screen to show Control Center, hard press "Screen Recording" button, select "Streamlabs" on the next menu and press "Start Broadcast"

*** I learned that when #1 above is setup correctly, #4 will actually initiate the rtmp broadcast of my ipad screen, which will be displaying my live camera feed if #3 is setup correctly, thus live streaming the wyze cam feed to cb***

And the end result last time I tried it was pretty good. A pretty smooth, clear live stream. There was still around 6 seconds latency but overall a huge improvement on the mess I had before. The next hurdle is audio as apparently no one could hear me Ah well, one step at a time.

BTW the big improvement came from the streamlabs ios app, which I had tried already without success, but tried again after streamlabs was suggested a couple times in this thread. I know it was streamlabs OBS for pc that was suggested but when that didn't work (only because my laptop is so lame) I was prompted to revisit the streamlabs ios app. The configuration that ended up working (above) I hadn't considered last time I tried the streamslabs ios app, I was trying to use it some other way with no success and it got tossed aside.

So to that extent, the replies I've gotten to this thread have helped me achieve a much better quality broadcast! So big thanks! Happy I found you all.

 

[funcam]

Sir isn't necessary unless you are into fetish, then I appreciate

I said "sir" because your forum name was too long for my brain to process... I almost called you Beppi but wasn't sure that would be correct, so I settled on "sir".

 

[funcam]

Spam folder?

checked, double checked, triple and quadruple checked.... nothing