Development for Streamers

When streaming content, one of the challenges for those publishing the content and those viewing it is streaming quality. Streaming professionals work tirelessly to reduce what is known as buffering, or lagging video playback as a result of low bandwidth.
For those who require high-quality streaming, whether you’re broadcasting via Twitch or are in the business of game development, there are several practices you should put into place to reduce or eliminate buffering.

• Check upload speed. Making sure your delivery speed is up to par is one of the most important things you can do to maximize streaming quality. Making sure you’ve got at least 13 Mbps for 1080p video and 6 Mbps for 720p should do the trick.
• Adjust video bitrate. The bitrate is the amount of information being transferred per second. If you continue to experience buffering while streaming, adjusting your bitrate to 3,000 or even 2,500 bps may resolve the issue.
• Change your frames per second. Making sure you broadcast the proper number of frames per second can also resolve your stream quality issues. High-quality frames per second begin at 30 fps; very high quality is 60 fps. If your quality is acceptable, broadcasting at 25 fps might help resolve broadcast issues.
• Use proper equipment. Using proper equipment, such as high-performance modems, Wi-Fii, and ethernet cables and advanced software can go a long way to improving your streaming quality.
• Consider streaming at different times of the day. As with electricity and other utilities, ensuring you have enough bandwidth for high-quality streaming might mean choosing to do so at a particular time of day. If possible, choose a time when traffic is relatively low, such as early morning or late night.
• Instruct viewers on maximizing streaming speed. While there are things you can control regarding your streaming quality, one thing you can’t control is the settings of your audience. To help ensure your audience experiences the best streaming quality, provide instructions regarding their settings.

To ensure you provide high-quality video content to your streaming audience, there are several pieces of equipment you’ll need.

• Camera. You can use the camera on your laptop or smartphone, but the best live streamers have dedicated cameras specifically for streaming. Examples of those are the Logitech C922 Pro Stream webcam and the Microsoft LifeCam Studio.
• Microphone. A variety of microphones are available for live streaming. You can use a lapel mic or a shotgun mic, depending on your overall setup and what sounds best to you. The best microphones eliminate surrounding noise while improving the quality of your voice.
• Software. To properly transfer your video and audio to your streaming platform, you’ll need streaming software. Also referred to as encoding software, options such as vMix, OBS Studio, and Streamlabs can help you transmit high-quality video to your audience.
• Miscellaneous. Other items you can use to enhance the quality of your live streams include green screens and lighting. Options such as these help you ensure viewers can see you and your environment while also providing a variety of background choices.

Rather than create an entire setup yourself, you can hire a consultant to create a live streaming environment for you. Professionals operating in this space will source cameras, software, microphones, and other equipment to provide the ideal streaming solution for you.

A popular alternative are apps for mobile platforms. Capable app developers are available to help streamers at all levels develop solutions that turn their mobile devices into broadcast studios. App developers capable of developing streaming solutions can be found on Upwork.

No matter which option you choose, you can make the most of your live streaming opportunity with the right equipment or finding the right resource.