Streaming quality and network connection

Playback rooms are engineered for live interaction with zero latency. Everyone sees the same thing, at the same time, with no delay. This is different from how traditional live streaming platforms work, where streams are delivered on a delay to give viewers time to download and buffer the stream. The tradeoff is that Playback requires a stronger internet connection.

Stream quality

To prioritize a smooth frame rate, most Playback rooms have a max stream quality of 720p. We are in the process of rolling out 1080p to select rooms and plan to make it available to all rooms soon.

Adaptive bitrate

To accommodate viewers with varying network connections, Playback will automatically adjust the video resolution to match each viewer’s connection. Viewers can disable auto stream quality and choose a fixed resolution.

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What network connection is good enough to stream?

When Playback identifies that your connection may compromise your ability to stream clearly, you will see a yellow network connection warning indicator.

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Recommended network specs for streamers:

  • Upload speed: 10 mbps for high resolution video; 5 mbps for low resolution video or voice-only
  • Latency: less than 100ms (round-trip)
  • Jitter: less than 30ms
  • Packet loss: no more than 1%

Network test

This is a good test to identify your network latency, jitter and packet loss: https://packetlosstest.com/. Choose the 720p preset in the Test Settings and a server located in your region.

Up next

📹Send video and audio from OBS Studio to Playback