Going live & streams
Viewers say the stream keeps buffering or stuttering
Quick answer
First find out whether the picture is arriving unsteadily or one viewer’s connection is struggling. A bitrate that saw-tooths or drops on the Performance chart points at the venue connection; a steady chart points at the viewer.
Check this first
- 1Open the detail page
In Studio → Feed Console → Event Hub, click Details on the event (or open the feed from Feed Hub). Watch Bitrate (Mbps) and the Performance chart for a minute.
- 2Compare with the encoder
Check that Resolution and Bitrate (Mbps) match what the encoder is set to send.
- 3Ask who is affected
One viewer, or everyone? On which device and connection?
- 4Watch it yourself
Open the watch page in a private window on a different connection, such as a phone on mobile data.
Likely cause → fix
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bitrate saw-tooths or drops to zero on the Performance chart | The venue’s upload connection can’t hold the bitrate | Lower the encoder bitrate comfortably below the upload speed you measured, or move the crew to an SRT feed. |
| The chart is steady but everyone stutters | The encoder is dropping frames or varying its rate | Use constant bitrate (CBR), a fixed keyframe interval, and a resolution the encoder can hold. |
| The chart is steady and only some viewers stutter | Their connection or device | If the player shows a quality menu, have them choose a lower quality than Auto, or switch networks. |
| The player offers no quality menu | The stream arrives as a single quality level | For a feed or a Manual event, turn on Adaptive bitrate on the feed between broadcasts. Editing a feed needs the console unlocked. |
| Viewers report regular interruptions | A live mid-roll ad repeating on its interval | Check Live — repeat every (minutes) in Studio → System → Settings → Content → Video Ads. |
The full guide
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