[Other] Twitch Streaming Thread

GasBandit

Staff member
Alright, looks like the best quality I can stream in real time is 3500 kbit superfast (meaning low workload/low quality), 720p, 60fps. It's not ideal, but to do more I have a feeling I'll need to upgrade both my CPU and my GPU.

But yeah, twitch.tv/gasbandit now fully operational for everyone to ignore :p I've got it set to archive my streams automatically, so it should keep them around for a few days after airing (but not forever).

At first I thought "who the hell would ever watch this" but then I tuned it in at work, just to see how the quality was and WHOOPMF half an hour had gone by... so... huh.
 
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Alright, looks like the best quality I can stream in real time is 3500 kbit superfast (meaning low workload/low quality), 720p, 60fps. It's not ideal, but to do more I have a feeling I'll need to upgrade both my CPU and my GPU.

But yeah, twitch.tv/gasbandit now fully operational for everyone to ignore :p I've got it set to archive my streams automatically, so it should keep them around for a few days after airing (but not forever).

At first I thought "who the hell would ever watch this" but then I tuned it in at work, just to see how the quality was and WHOOPMF half an hour had gone by... so... huh.
I usually use streams (pre-recorded ones) by people I like to use as low-volume background office noise. Particularly 2-people streams, where they have idle conversation while playing.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I usually use streams (pre-recorded ones) by people I like to use as low-volume background office noise. Particularly 2-people streams, where they have idle conversation while playing.
Uh... I don't... I don't recommend you stream my streams at the office. Or in public. Or without headphones if there are small children around who you want to be learning about stuff you generally find in the reprehensible filth thread.

For example: Last night, we taught Terrik what a "Pink Sock" is.
 
Uh... I don't... I don't recommend you stream my streams at the office. Or in public. Or without headphones if there are small children around who you want to be learning about stuff you generally find in the reprehensible filth thread.

For example: Last night, we taught Terrik what a "Pink Sock" is.
Well, I work from my house's spare bedroom (aka my office, the cat's litter paradise, storage area), so I think I'm good on all those fronts, but duly noted. My favorite stream for background work (AdumPlaze) is staffed by a Shadman-loving troll and a TMI-seeping gay furry, after all.
 
Uh... I don't... I don't recommend you stream my streams at the office. Or in public. Or without headphones if there are small children around who you want to be learning about stuff you generally find in the reprehensible filth thread.

For example: Last night, we taught Terrik what a "Pink Sock" is.
Hemorrhoids are dirty now? :p
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I've been reading up on it, and it seems the general consensus among twitch streamers is that 720p/60fps/3500kbit is the practical limit when it comes to quality vs resolution under twitch's bitrate limit. In fact, there's even an argument to go down to 540p/60fps/3500kbit on very fast compression (as opposed to superfast) because, while the resolution is lower, there's less compression artifacting (garble/blur/smudge/boxes) because you're maintaining 0.1 bit per pixel ratio, which apparently is the desired sweet spot for streaming high motion games.

It still rubs me the wrong way, because doing stuff in youtube for so long has warped my sense of what works and what doesn't - Twitch just rebroadcasts what you send them (thus why they enforce a bitrate limit), whereas youtube applies their own compression after your compression so it is in your best interest to send youtube the highest quality possible and resign yourself to their compression having its way with your content.
 
I've been reading up on it, and it seems the general consensus among twitch streamers is that 720p/60fps/3500kbit is the practical limit when it comes to quality vs resolution under twitch's bitrate limit. In fact, there's even an argument to go down to 540p/60fps/3500kbit on very fast compression (as opposed to superfast) because, while the resolution is lower, there's less compression artifacting (garble/blur/smudge/boxes) because you're maintaining 0.1 bit per pixel ratio, which apparently is the desired sweet spot for streaming high motion games.

It still rubs me the wrong way, because doing stuff in youtube for so long has warped my sense of what works and what doesn't - Twitch just rebroadcasts what you send them (thus why they enforce a bitrate limit), whereas youtube applies their own compression after your compression so it is in your best interest to send youtube the highest quality possible and resign yourself to their compression having its way with your content.
Actually I heard the "golden" settings had a bitrate of 2000.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Actually I heard the "golden" settings had a bitrate of 2000.
Higher is always better when it comes to bitrate, for quality. The only reason to ever go lower is if your internet (or your viewers' internet) bandwidth can't handle it. 3500 kbit is 3.5 megabit, which not everybody can upload. But if you can, you should - the only reason not to go higher is because Twitch might suspend you if they catch you.

Most of my later youtube videos were all 25000 kbit (25 megabit) when I sent them to youtube, to mitigate the "copy of a copy" double dip loss of quality that comes when they recompress it for streaming.
 
So I'm thinking of streaming maybe some horror or at least Halloween-themed games. Got a hankering to play Costume Quest, for example. How would one go about logging into this Twitch Halforum thing?
 

GasBandit

Staff member
So I'm thinking of streaming maybe some horror or at least Halloween-themed games. Got a hankering to play Costume Quest, for example. How would one go about logging into this Twitch Halforum thing?
If you want, you can make your own Twitch and I can just link it to Halforums
This would really probably be the most ideal solution - just set up your own twitch account, and we can make the Halforums account automatically rebroadcast it (assuming it isn't already broadcasting something already).
 
If you want, you can make your own Twitch and I can just link it to Halforums
Sure, my Twitch name is ThatNickGuy78. I just did a test run with Costume Quest and it seemed to work okay.

I think part of the problem is that I can't speak too loudly lest I disturb my folks. So I don't think this will be a thing for me to do.
 
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Sure, my Twitch name is ThatNickGuy78. I just did a test run with Costume Quest and it seemed to work okay.

I think part of the problem is that I can't speak too loudly lest I disturb my folks. So I don't think this will be a thing for me to do.
There are people who speak lightly. You could always be that nightime smooth-talkin' DJ kind of streamer.

"Hey out there, you night owls. This is Groovy Nicks, playing easy jazz, only the classics, all night for you."
 
To be fair, when playing Diablo III, I do tend to put on either light jazz, musical songs, or Weird Al compilations. Great fun to relax and unwind with some big explosions.
 

Dave

Staff member
When I stream I have a habit of concentrating on the game for long periods and then realizing I've said nothing at all for 1/2 hour.
 
So since Twitch added "Communities" I just made a Halforums one. If you want to tag your stream with the Halforums community tag, you can do so from the dashboard. All it really does it let people search "Halforums" and anyone currently streaming with that tag will show up in the search.
 

Dave

Staff member
That's much easier than having a bunch of people using the same account, although that's still an option.
 

Dave

Staff member
Okay, since nobody used the "official" Halforums Twitch channel i went ahead and just made it mine. I changed the name from just "Halforums" to "Halforums_Dave" and I still think it sounds spammy. I can't change it until next week and I'm trying to find something that fits with my "Old Guy Gaming" channel theme. But god DAMN. There's not a lot of names left. It's harder than trying to find a damned website name.

Suggestions are welcome.
 
Okay, since nobody used the "official" Halforums Twitch channel i went ahead and just made it mine. I changed the name from just "Halforums" to "Halforums_Dave" and I still think it sounds spammy. I can't change it until next week and I'm trying to find something that fits with my "Old Guy Gaming" channel theme. But god DAMN. There's not a lot of names left. It's harder than trying to find a damned website name.

Suggestions are welcome.
OldDaveYellsAtCloud?
 

Dave

Staff member
I saw that. Damn it.

For those who don't know, a couple weeks ago I was doing a PUBG community thing and played with a guy who called himself "Deadmau5". I thought it was just some dude with the name. Nope. It was really him.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I'm not the world's biggest fan of twitch, but his post in that link makes him sound like a shitty teen upset about the consequences of his own actions.
 

Dave

Staff member
I'm not the world's biggest fan of twitch, but his post in that link makes him sound like a shitty teen upset about the consequences of his own actions.
I got that as well. Plus, he was banned for calling someone a "fag". Which others are also getting banned for. And it was a temp ban, not like a permaban.

Dude, just don't call people that and you'll be fine.
 
While not an entirely inaccurate assessment, it's also a complaint about how eager Twitch seems to be to swing their new zero-tolerance ban hammer, probably the same way everyone is clamping down on fleeting expletives, female-presenting nipples, and all that stuff. I think it was mostly about how they went straight to banning rather than anything less impactful to his "brand."

I completely get it. He's famous, therefore he thinks he should get some free passes, meanwhile Twitch is like, "You can't say that in here! You will respect our authoritay!" and it's just brand v. brand in the comments.

--Patrick
 

Dave

Staff member
Because using homophobic slurs are a bannable offense? Seems like a good reason to me.

He knew the rules. Any damage to his "brand" is his own fault.

And yeah, I wish they would crack down on the multitudes of "titty streamers". But if some poor sad-sack of a schlub wants to blow all his money because he thinks some cleavage streamer likes him in real life, then a fool and his money, etc.
 

Dave

Staff member
I'm looking to add more stuff to my channel in anticipation of my July bonus, which will buy me a new BlueYeti mic and a streamdeck. I need sub emotes & loyalty badges. And I'm trying to keep everything in the whole "old guy" motif. Right now I have (as ideas):

  • Walker
  • Cane
  • Pill Bottle
  • Rocking chair
I can only have a few so I'm gonna be picky. What other ideas do you suggest?
 
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