How Much Upload Speed Do I Need To Stream 1080p 60fps

How Much Speed Exercise You Demand for Live Video Game Streaming?

Jan 24, 2022 Share
FAQ, Gaming, Net Speed Guides, Streaming Guides

Watching other people play video games is most as pop as playing them yourself. And people aren't just watching big-proper name net celebrities either. Twitch, the most popular game streaming platform, has over four million unique creators streaming every calendar month.¹ If you like sharing your gaming experiences with the world, you could be ane of them.

One of the keys to a successful stream is an internet connexion that tin can handle the video (like fiber). No one wants to spend fourth dimension and money getting your lights and camera just correct just for your cyberspace connection to reduce your stream to a choppy, pixelated mess.

But non to worry! We're here to walk you through everything you lot need to know near internet speeds and live video game streaming and then yous can get your stream just correct.

Use your zip code to see if fiber internet is available in your area.

Livestreaming is all about upload speed

Livestreaming is i of the few situations when download speed (the speed your net plan typically advertises) doesn't actually affair. All you have to worry virtually is your upload speed. Y'all tin learn more nearly the divergence between download and upload speed here.

Need a connection with more upload speed? Encounter what's available in your area.

When y'all'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 well-nigh people eat more than online video content than they create.

I more than time: download speed doesn't matter for livestreaming.

Upload speed is often a bit more difficult to estimate because most cyberspace service providers (ISPs) don't annunciate it equally prominently as they practise download speeds (your "advertised" speed refers to your download speed). For most kinds of cyberspace connectedness, your upload speed will be much lower than your download speed. Upload speed can also fluctuate, so the easiest mode to find your actual upload speed is to take a speed test. If you want an upload speed that can lucifer your download speed, your best bet is fiber.

Get your upload speed: Want to discover out what upload and download speed you're currently getting? Have our speed test.

That said, at that place are notwithstanding plenty of online activities that require a good download speed. If you're playing a game online or streaming royalty-complimentary music while you're on stream, you need to brand sure you have enough download speed to ensure a shine feel. Notwithstanding, the only number you need to worry about for getting your stream online is your upload speed.

Upload speed requirements for livestreaming across video platforms

We recommend having a minimum upload speed of x Mbps for livestreaming. On most platforms, this volition give yous a slight buffer to account for fluctuations in upload speed.

Different streaming platforms accept different requirements when it comes to video quality. Some are optimized so that you lot can broadcast low-resolution video from your cell phone whenever you want, while others try to make it possible for viewers to tune in to TV-quality streams. While you can technically stream as long as you meet the minimum requirements, you should always plan to have at least an extra 5 Mbps to account for fluctuations in speed.

Here'south the breakup of how much upload speed y'all'll need to livestream on different platforms.

Twitch

Twitch is the biggest site for video game streaming, so if you want to exist a streamer, you should be able to stream on Twitch. Fortunately, information technology gives streamers a few dissimilar recommendations for resolution and frame rate.

For context, 30 frames per second (fps) is the standard frame rate for television, while threescore fps is a mutual framerate in video games. Just like resolution, frame rate affects the amount of speed you need to stream, and so if you don't accept the fastest connection, you might have to make a trade-off.

Facebook Live

Facebook keeps it elementary, listing only the absolute minimum requirements for streaming on the platform. But that's not to say yous can't attain a decent video quality with Facebook.

Although yous can first a livestream on Facebook with aught more than your phone and the Facebook app, Facebook Live is also compatible with standard streaming software like OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and vMix.

YouTube

YouTube has a staggering amount of recommendations, ranging from a 240p stream (which is the resolution of an onetime Nokia cell phone or a Game Boy Advance) to streaming in full 4K UHD.^{2, 3} We'd recommend shooting for somewhere in the middle. Plenty of professional streamers stream at 1080p, and that's a high enough resolution to look good on everything from cell phones to TV screens.

You need actress internet speed for a stable video stream

We suggest that y'all try to have 10–15 Mbps more upload speed than the minimum requirement for the quality of video you're trying to stream and even more if you know that your connexion has regular bug with slowdown.

Another good rule of thumb is to accept twice every bit much upload speed every bit whatever you lot set your bitrate to be, but to exist safe. Not all your viewers will discover the subtle difference between xxx and 60 fps, but everyone will notice if your stream starts freezing and stuttering.

If you just barely meet the speed requirements for the video you lot're trying to stream, the slightest fluctuation in your connexion can interfere with or even crash your stream. That's because livestreaming is a lot trickier than streaming video from Netflix. Since your stream isn't prerecorded, the server can't buffer to smoothen out the normal ups and downs in net speed.

Also, call up that if you're streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, you need enough full bandwidth that each stream has enough of upload speed. For case, if you're streaming 1080p video to both Twitch (half dozen Mbps minimum) and YouTube (three Mbps minimum), y'all'd demand an upload speed of at least 9 Mbps, though realistically, y'all'd demand 15–20 Mbps to keep both streams stable.

Why is a stable video stream so important?

Livestreaming is much more technologically demanding than just playing games. Well-nigh online games can get by on a pretty modest cyberspace connection, as long equally there'due south low latency. Livestreaming turns your dwelling into your own personal TV station, broadcasting high-resolution video to your fans.

To abound an avid fan base on a platform like Twitch, yous need to deliver a quality experience. A reliable camera, proficient audio equipment, and a fancy gaming estimator are all important investments for any defended streamer, but 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 first investments an aspiring streamer should brand.

What type of cyberspace is best for livestreaming?

The best internet connection for livestreaming is fiber. To livestream, y'all need a reliable connection with skillful upload speeds and low latency. In all three of those categories, fiber-optic connections are by far the all-time selection. If fiber isn't available in your surface area, you probably desire to become with a wired connection, as wireless connections tend to be more than susceptible to interference and generally experience higher latency.

DSL and satellite connections generally aren't fast or stable enough for streamers, so yous're probably going to need either cable or fiber internet.

Cable connections can reach upload speeds between v Mbps and l Mbps, and so the best cablevision plans can handle HD streaming, but slower connections will exist lucky to evangelize anything higher up Game Male child quality. Cablevision is also prone to slowing downward at peak hours, so unless you stream in the middle of the night, you lot might have to plan around the inevitable drop in speed.

Fiber, on the other hand, has symmetrical upload and download speeds, which means if you take gigabit download speeds, yous get the exact same speeds for your uploads. Fiber is also a much more stable connection and doesn't suffer from the same kind of slowing issues that cable has to deal with. All these factors make fiber the ideal connection for streamers.

For more information, check out our page on fiber providers.

How does latency bear on livestreaming?

Latency is the time it takes for a signal to travel from your estimator to a server on the internet. Information technology essentially determines the reaction time of your cyberspace connection. Having high latency volition cause lag in games or calls, delaying your reactions and causing problems.

Considering streaming is primarily i-way advice, latency is handled a chip differently than it is in a video call. Streaming software usually performs more encoding and compression on your video (though you can adjust this in your settings) in lodge to improve the final quality at the expense of a few seconds of delay. This isn't unremarkably noticeable to your audition unless you're streaming a Q&A session or a live event.

Ane of import precaution for streamers to take is to use a wired connection to your router instead of Wi-Fi when possible. Even fast, reliable Wi-Fi introduces a chip of extra latency into your connection, so a wired connection is definitely preferable. If you lot don't already accept ane, get yourself an Ethernet cable.

Why am I however getting dropped frames?

Do y'all have a solid net connection but your video nevertheless looks choppy? Video game streams often endure from dropped frames, where instead of the video playing smoothly from 1 frame to the side by side, the same frame will play twice in a row then skip forward. If enough frames are dropped, it tin can lead to jittery, uneven video.

Although a tiresome or unstable net connection can cause a stream to drop frames, dropped frames are often a problem with your capture menu. If your capture card can't record and encode your video data fast plenty to proceed upwards with your framerate, the issue is dropped frames in your stream.

Before you fork out the money to upgrade to a better capture card, at that place are a few things y'all can endeavor. First, check your internet speed to brand sure yous're getting the upload speed you think you lot are. Likewise, make sure that you're plugged into your router and non relying on Wi-Fi.

If you endeavour those things and are sure that it's not your connection, try adjusting the settings in your streaming software, lowering your bitrate. You lot can likewise try updating your figurer's network drivers.

1. Twitch, "Press Center," Accessed October 5, 2020.
2. Nokia Museum, "Nokia Asha 301," Accessed October 5, 2020.
3. CNET, "Nintendo Game Boy Advance Specs," Accessed October 5, 2020

Author - Peter Christiansen

Peter Christiansen writes about satellite internet, rural connectivity, livestreaming, and parental controls for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the Academy of Utah and has been working in tech for over 15 years as a computer programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and author. His writing has been praised by outlets similar Wired, Digital Humanities Now, and the New Statesman.

Editor - Cara Haynes

Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for vii years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for 5 years. She graduated with a BA in English language and a minor in editing from Brigham Young University. When she's not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no i should feel lost in internet land and that a good internet connection significantly extends your life span.

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