10 Tips for Better Stability and Quality
Android, iOS
If you have ever experienced a lack of stability or quality in live streaming using our PRISM mobile app, please refer to the following tips to make better live streaming.
Lower the resolution and frame rate
Smartphones still lack hardware performance, such as CPU and memory, compared to desktops.
To perform live streaming, smartphones must simultaneously handle several tasks: 1) capturing video from the built-in camera, 2) displaying the video on the screen, 3) encoding the video, and 4) streaming the encoded video chunks over the network. Additionally, because smartphones rely on wireless networks, which are often unstable, insufficient network bandwidth can make it impossible to stream the video chunks to the live platform.
If your stream isn’t running smoothly, try lowering the resolution and frame rate gradually. Higher resolutions and frame rates put more strain on smartphones. For instance, under similar conditions, 720p is typically more stable than 1080p, and 30fps is more stable than 60fps.
Turn on the Adaptive bitrate option of the PRISM app
This feature is also known as ABP (Adaptive Bitrate Publish). Even when the network bandwidth is insufficient, it maintains the resolution but gradually reduces the video quality to decrease the size of the video. With the reduced video size, the stream is transmitted to the server more reliably, even under poor network conditions, allowing viewers to enjoy your video stably.
You can enable or disable this option by:
Click the button labeled 720p at the channel card.
Select the 'Video quality' option at the 'Stream Quality' layer.
Set the 'Adaptive' value to On.
Stream where the network is stable
When the Adaptive bitrate option is set to Off, the bandwidth used to generate a 1-second video chunk for each resolution is as follows.
1080p : 0.1 ~ 4Mbps or 0.1 ~ 6Mbps
720p : 0.1 ~ 2.5Mbps or 0.1 ~ 4Mbps
480p : 0.1 ~ 2.0Mbps
360p : 0.1 ~ 1.5Mbps
The network bandwidth at the place where you live streaming must exceed this capacity. However, if the Adaptive bitrate option is set to On, there is no problem with streaming video because the app adjusts the size of the video chunks by itself. Of course, even if the video streams smoothly with the help of the Adaptive bitrate option, if the network is insufficient, viewers can watch the video of poor quality.
Use WiFi whenever possible
The results of measuring network performance using the Speedtest.net app, which can be downloaded from the app market, are as follows:
WiFi
Download : 134.4 Mbps
Upload : 154.2 Mbps
Data network such as LTE
Download : 89.2 Mbps
Upload : 17.8 Mbps
As shown, WiFi offers significantly better upload bandwidth compared to data networks. Upload speed is particularly important for live streaming since it involves transmitting video from the smartphone to the server. Keep in mind that the upload speed of data networks is typically only 1/5 to 1/10 of their download speed. For high-quality live streaming, we recommend having at least twice the network bandwidth specified in: Stream where the network is stable
While indoor live streaming usually doesn't require a network check, it’s highly recommended to check network conditions for outdoor streaming or in crowded areas. This is because data network availability might be insufficient in such environments.
Check QoS policy when using unlimited data plans
In general, the following policies apply to unlimited data plans. “The use of data is unlimited, but if it exceeds 100GByte per day, the maximum speed may be limited for the day only. (For example, maximum 100Mbps).” Since the maximum is 100Mbps, the network is actually limited to a lower speed than that, especially the upload speed will be much lower.
If, despite using the unlimited data plan, the quality of a live broadcast deteriorates after a certain point, we can suspect this as the cause of it.
Close other apps before start live streaming
Other apps running in the background can consume your smartphone’s CPU and memory resources, eventually depleting the resources needed for live streaming.
Avoid excessive use of overlays and effects
You can overlay images, videos, and web widgets in our PRISM mobile app, and use various effects such as color filters.
However, these require additional resources from your smartphone, so depending on your smartphone’s performance, the quality of your live broadcasts may be affected. This is because the encoding and transmission of video uses the device’s resources such as CPU and memory, which may incur additional burdens. However, this doesn’t always happen, so remember this tip only if you’re experiencing problems with the quality of your live streaming.
Long streams can overheat your smartphone
The heat can reduce CPU performance and cause delays in live streaming processing.
Removing your smartphone case for a while during live streaming can help reduce heat generation.
If you're interested in reducing your smartphone's heat, please refer to the following page:
Use latest high-end smartphone
This is because, as mentioned above, your smartphone has to do several things at the same time for live streaming.
They can also handle live streaming faster and with less heat, even with the same usability.
Mobile streaming tips with video
Ryan Moyer of Wild4Games shares tips for mobile streaming using the PRISM app.
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