How to Select the Right Streaming Bitrate for Twitch
It’s important to choose the right streaming bitrate for your Twitch stream to get the highest quality audio and video. There’s no one best bitrate for Twitch as it’s affected by multiple different factors such as your internet connection and computer specifications.
However, the Twitch Studio app offers an way of finding out the best settings for your system. Here’s how to do it.
Open Twitch Studio. Click Settings in the lower-right corner. Click Stream. Click Re-Optimize Settings. Wait for the test to complete. Click Apply Settings to choose the optimal settings for your system. If you’d prefer to manually change the settings, you can change the Stream Settings from the same section by clicking the drop-down menus.
The Recommended Upload Speed
Upload speed is a pivotal part of streaming to Twitch. It dictates how quickly you can send your data to the Twitch servers for others to watch your stream. It’s important to know what your upload speed is by running a Speed Test. Twitch recommends an upload speed of 3,000 kbps (around 0.4 MB/s) for 720p at 30 FPS. If the recommendation for your system is lower than that, you can change your bitrate accordingly or call your ISP to arrange a higher upload speed.
Ultimately though, the key is to adjust your bitrate so that it doesn’t overwhelm your upload connection. ISPs tend to charge more for higher upload rates, so the cheapest alternative is to choose a bitrate based upon your upload speed.
Choose a Bitrate Based Upon Your Upload Speed
Upload speed is an important thing to consider when figuring out the best settings for streaming on Twitch. Here’s general advice on what works for many users.
When your bitrate is 4,000 kbps or less. Expect to only be able to stream at 720p and 30 FPS at most. 5,000 kbps or less means a small boost. With an extra 1,000 kbps at your disposal, you can bump your settings up to 720p and 60 FPS. What to do with 6,000 kbps upload speed. An upload speed of 6,000 kbps enables you to run your stream at 900p with 60 FPS. If you’re a Twitch partner, you can increase that to 1080p. Don’t be afraid to experiment. It’s worth seeing what works best for you, as well as your viewers. Lower settings can often reap better rewards, even if you’re able to stream at a high rate.
