Livestreaming troubleshooting

Below you will find a list of common problems and solutions for livestreaming.

Non-smooth movements - low frames per second

Problem: The picture is not smooth when there are fast movements.

Cause: A low framerate (30fps or lower).

Solution: We recommend you use a framerate of 50-60 frames per second for high speed sports content. For news related content with less sudden movements, a framerate of 30 frames per second can be enough. Proper testing will help you find the right frame rate.

Freezing picture - error in your encoder

Problem: The image is constantly freezing and very jerky.

Cause: A problem with your encoder/hardware.

Solution: Try to restart the encoder as a first step and see if the output signal from your encoder improves in quality. If there is still a problem, try a different encoder or adjust the settings to a lower resolution (if you are streaming 1080 resolution, try 720 instead, for example) to fix this issue.

Frequent black-outs - wrong keyframe interval

Problem: Frequent blackouts where the livestream stops playing.

Cause: An incorrect keyframe interval.

Solution: Adjust to a two-second keyframe interval. For content with 60 frames per second, this means one keyframe every 120 frames. For content with 30 frames per second, this means one keyframe every 60 frames.

Jumping picture - interlaced content

Problem: Objects "jump" forward.

Cause: The input signal is interlaced.

Solution: Switch to progressive. Interlaced video is used for traditional broadcast TVs, but is not suitable for delivering video on the internet.

We do not support interlaced video. Examples of interlaced formats include NTSC and all formats specifying 1080i60. The i stands for interlaced. Instead use a 1080p30 format where the p stands for progressive.

Losing the stream - poor bandwidth

Problem: Your input bitrate to Wowza Flowplayer is lower than your target bitrate.

Cause: A poor quality connection.

Solution: Switch to a lower target bitrate / resolution. It is common for wireless connections to vary in quality depending on the usage. For example, a stadium where there are a lot of people can experience problems and degradations in the wireless capacity if many people are using their cell phones. The same goes for WLAN connections. Always check Speedtest to validate that your connection is 3x the required bandwidth.