Fixing Jittery Live Streams

How annoying is it to find out our live stream got messed up during transmission? Some of us won’t know it happened unless a fan tells us. Often, that’s too late.

Opportunities are lost. Revenue is minimised. 

Jittery, jumpy, or glitchy sound feeds that keep breaking up are disappointing. Our product or service will get lost in the static, resulting in the project’s failure.

Want to know how to stop this problem from occurring?

A Brief Answer.

Fix the camera to one point, and don’t move it while streaming. Keep the background static, too. That’s it. Your live video will stream much smoother now.

In Detail

Too many of us expect too much from our equipment and want the live streaming process to keep up with our creative demands. I’ve seen streamers walk and talk while doing their thing, not realizing that only half of their live stream reaches me clearly and cleanly. The rest is dirty and illegible.

It takes time for technology to extract the nuances of pictures and audio and put them into a watchable data stream.

(Waving a video camera around like this requires much processing and data.)

Moving cameras and/or backgrounds require much more data and processing time to compile. If the stream passes through a heavily laden network, that data won’t make it through fast enough to appear and sound smooth. The outcome is a jittery, fuzzy picture with tunnel-type audio.

There are ways to maximise live streams and reduce glitchy feeds.

• Use a WIFI or Direct Connection to the Internet.
• Use a tripod for your camera.
• Affix a wind filter to the microphone to stop pops and other plosives being translated into data (They use heaps of data).
• Find a quiet area to stream so other noise isn’t included in the audio.
• Use static backgrounds (i.e., No wind-blown trees, traffic, flashing lights, people, etc.).
• If panning is required, do it slowly.
• Monitor the feed with another device that’s not connected to your recording device but receiving data from a standard mobile connection.

The Network

The network’s speed plays a part in making or breaking a live stream. For instance, it won’t work well enough to provide a clean stream if you’re using a sketchy phone network and streaming from a basement.

If it’s a WiFi connection you’re using, make sure someone else isn’t already downloading masses of data while you’re trying to send your live stream out of it. Get them to stop what they’re doing and clear the way. There’s only so much data the hardware can handle at a time.

Monitor The Live Feed on A Second Device

The one thing you can’t control is how the audience is receiving your live stream.

While YOU might be using the highest-speed internet to get your message out, THEY might not use one to get it in. You must factor in your audience’s lowest average stream rate and build the stream to suit THAT reach. The best way to know what THEY are experiencing is to have a monitoring device (3 generations behind the market) displaying the feed (connected to an ordinary phone network) and have someone watch (in the middle of a concrete building) and watch it as it streams. They’ll know immediately if the feed looks or sounds glitchy.

Do a few test runs before committing to a detailed feed with your products, services, and sales points included. You’ll notice a difference. You will.

You’re welcome.

I found I had to minimise MY stream so my victim didn’t notice what was happening to her computer. I opened a backdoor port to her laptop to activate its camera and microphone, then watched (and listened) daily. Everything was going fine until the morning she started watching online videos.

As you can imagine, the combined streams were too much for the system. Her videos kept pausing (as did mine). She was going to send her laptop to a technician for repair, so I immediately pulled the video from my side of the feed. Things returned to normal, and thank God it did. Someone might’ve found out I had access to her privacy.

Ultimately, I settled for a sound-only stream, and that worked out okay—in fact, it’s better this way. I can monitor her activities using just an earpiece without anyone knowing. The sound component doesn’t use much data, and I can go about my day without watching a screen. If I hear something juicy, I’ll flick the switch and look at what’s happening beyond her lens!

–Kurdaitcha (A character in the novel SEETHINGS)

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