bitrate and troubleshoot internet connection or encoder related issues.

Let’s get right into it.

Twitch just released a new tool that lets us figure out what bitrate we should use while

streaming, as well as help you troubleshoot connection or encoder related issues. An encoder

is basically something like OBS or XSplit. I’m going to show you how to run some tests

first, then we’ll go over what everything means, as well as how to troubleshoot different

issues. This tool is fairly new, so make sure to subscribe for any future updates about

it.

Let’s head over to https://inspector.twitch.tv and click the login button. Authorize your

main channels account to proceed to the next screen. When you first log in you won’t

see very much, if you’re a new streamer. If you’ve streamed before you may see some

of your past broadcasts in the main area. Let’s start from

square one and take a quick look at the interface. In the top right we can add additional accounts

that we’d like to test if needed. Below we can see a button to run a stream test,

as well as a “view tips” button that is extremely helpful in answering common questions

about bitrate and encoding troubleshooting. The main area will eventually show us the

breakdown of our tests.

Let’s go ahead and click “Run a stream test”. The popup here basically tells us

to get our stream key from the Twitch dashboard then open up our encorder, such as OBS studio,

and append ?bandwidthtest=true to the end of it. Once we add that in, we can then hit

start streaming.

So, let’s go ahead and grab our stream key from the Twitch dashboard and then open up

OBS Studio. In settings > stream I’m going to paste my key into the Stream key area.

I’ll go ahead and click “show” so that you can see exactly what I’m typing. At

the end of my key I’m going to enter ?bandwidthtest=true - to do this easily I’ll just copy it from

the inspector website and paste it after.

I’m also going to go to the output tab and and make sure that my video bitrate is at

3500, which is the highest that Twitch specifys to use. I’ll talk about server selection

at the end of this video, but for now just select the one that is closest to your location.

After this is complete, I’ll hit Start Streaming and then go back into the inspector tool.

After a short while we’ll see a couple of things change on this page. Once your connection

has been established we’ll see the dark box in the top right corner turn into a live

chart that displays our bitrate. You’ll also see information about what your connection

is currently stable at.

I recommend leaving this test running for at least 5 to 10 minutes if you can. The longer,

the better. The problem with some online speed tests is that they’ll only measure a short

amount of time. With this tool, be can take an in-depth look at what’s happening with

our bitrate.

So what should you set your bitrate at? You want to set it to the average bitrate from

your test. You can monitor your current connection on the main page, but let’s get some more

detail in the test by clicking one of our current or past test streams in the main area.

We’ll be presented with a full chart of our bitrate that shows the average, max, and

minimum bitrate. So in my case, I’ll be safe to set mine around 3,400 kbps. This means

I can safely stream at 1920 x 1080 resolution. If you’re not sure what resolution to set

in OBS Studio, you can check out this article which will be linked in the description.

Back on the inspector page we’ll see more information in the sidebar, as well as a “View

Troubleshooting Tips” area at the bottom. If you click this it will show you different

types of graphs and what they mean. If you don’t have a stable graph, then you’ll

want to compare these graphs to your own, in order to better troubleshoot your problems.

To go back to the main page we can click “all broadcasts” towards the top.

While the tips are still open I want to mention that if you’re a new streamer, you should

consider taking the time to read through these different sections. As I mentioned before

this area will contain information to help you quickly identify different problems, and

it will answer a lot of common questions.

They even has sections about troubleshooting dropped frames and delay. The common factors

here would be an issue with your upload speed, a need to lower your bitrate, or changing

your ingest server.

Earlier in the video I mentioned picking the server closest to you - while this is generally

the best thing to do, it’s not always accurate. As explained here there can be issues with

how your ISP routes your traffic - so sometimes the geographically closest server isn’t

the best. For this reason, I still recommend using the Twitch bandwidth test tool. I made

a video about using this tool, which I’ll make sure to link as well.

For any streamer, I’d recommend first using the test tool to determine a the best servers

for you to stream to. Then, I think it’d be a good idea to use the Twitch inspector

to get a better understanding of what’s happening with your bitrate - so that you

can figure out what’s really causing your dropped frames.

Hopefully in the future Twitch makes a first part tool that help you select a server in

an easier way, but for now, I still think the inspector is pretty awesome, and very

powerful.

If you have any questions about this video, make sure to leave them in the comments below.

Don’t forget to like this video if you enjoyed it, and subscribe to the channel if you’d

like to see more streaming and gaming content from Nerd or Die.

I’d also like to say a sincere thank you to my Patrons: Reinessa, TrainsyTV, Notorious

Monster, Mark F, Lleuca, and my newest Patron Callum. Thank you all for your support, and

thanks for watching.