Encoder
Use a hardware encoder if you have one: NVIDIA NVENC H.264, AMD HW H.264, QuickSync H.264, or Apple VT H264. They offload encoding from your CPU. If you use NVENC, leave its Multipass Mode on the default Two Passes (Quarter Resolution) — better quality at the same bitrate. If you don't have a hardware encoder, don't assume you need to buy one: a reasonably modern multi-core CPU handles x264 at 1080p30 without dropping frames, and NVENC mainly earns its keep on genuinely older or low-end hardware. Avoid HEVC/AV1 — most cam sites don't accept them.
Resolution & FPS
1080p at 30fps is the sweet spot if your upload can carry ~5,000 kbps comfortably; 720p30 at ~3,000 kbps looks better than a starved 1080p and is the right call on uploads under about 6–7 Mbps or older CPUs. Keep your OBS canvas and output resolution the same — downscaling in OBS costs CPU for little visible gain on a cam frame.
Skip 60fps. Several cam platforms cap ingest at 30fps anyway, and a seated cam show has none of the fast motion that makes 60fps worth double the encoding cost — you'd spend your whole bitrate budget on frames nobody perceives.
Keyframes & audio
Keyframe interval: 2 seconds — or 1. Cam-site players and relay features key off it: a long or “auto” interval makes site players start slower and makes any server-side switch (away clips, blur) take several seconds longer to engage. Set it explicitly in Settings → Output; don't leave it on 0/auto.
Audio: AAC at 160 kbps, 48 kHz, stereo covers every cam site's requirement. Rate control: CBR — most platforms' ingests expect a constant rate, and variable spikes are a classic cause of “my bitrate keeps jumping” warnings on the site side.
Why bitrate feels like guesswork
A platform's own connection-quality warning is easy to misread as "bitrate too low, turn it up" — but a warning can also mean the opposite: your bitrate is higher than your upload can sustain, and turning it up further just makes drops worse. Before increasing bitrate to silence a warning, check that it's actually below your tested upload speed first; a lower, stable bitrate almost always looks better on stream than a higher one that keeps stuttering.
If you're on WiFi and settings tuning alone isn't fixing intermittent stutters, a wired Ethernet connection removes a whole class of interference — other networks, baby monitors, microwaves, cordless phones — that no OBS setting can compensate for.
Multistreaming note
When one broadcast feeds several sites, set your output to clear the strictest platform you've added — the highest minimum bitrate, the lowest fps cap. Each platform page lists the verified caps we track: Chaturbate, Stripchat, MyFreeCams, Cam4. Your dashboard shows the same numbers next to each site's key field, so a broadcast that clears them all is visible at a glance rather than guesswork.
FAQ
- What bitrate should I use for cam streaming?
- Around 5000 kbps for 1080p30 and 3000 kbps for 720p30. Higher isn't always better — match it to your upload speed.
- Do I need NVENC or a GPU encoder?
- Not necessarily. A reasonably modern CPU handles x264 at 1080p30 without issues — NVENC and other hardware encoders help most on older or lower-end machines, not as a universal requirement.