OBS tells you that something is wrong with three different messages, and they mean three different things. "Dropped frames", "skipped frames due to encoding lag" and "missed frames due to rendering lag" sound alike. They point at the internet, the encoder and the graphics, in that order. If you fix the wrong one, nothing improves.
This guide follows the OBS Project's own knowledge base and its guidance on encoding performance, and turns it into a way to read the Stats window on a Sunday morning.
Open the Stats window
In OBS, open View and then Stats. It shows the counters you need, including dropped frames, skipped frames and missed frames. Look at it while the problem is happening, not afterwards.
The three counters
| Counter | What it means | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Dropped frames | OBS could not send data to the streaming service fast enough | Internet connection |
| Skipped frames due to encoding lag | The encoder could not compress frames fast enough | CPU or hardware encoder |
| Missed frames due to rendering lag | OBS could not compose the scene in time | Graphics card, scene complexity |
The frame budget
For the last two, it helps to know how much time each frame has. At 60 frames per second, each frame has about 16.7 ms. At 30 frames per second, it has about 33 ms. If composing the scene or encoding takes longer than that, frames are missed or skipped. This is simple arithmetic, and it explains why lowering the frame rate from 60 to 30 gives the computer twice as long per frame.
Dropped frames: the network
The OBS Project's guide to dropped frames says that they are caused by an unstable connection, or a bitrate that is too high for the connection. It also says OBS itself is extremely unlikely to be the cause. The knowledge base suggests these steps, roughly in this order:
- Try another server. If your streaming service lets you choose one, pick a different, closer server.
- Lower the bitrate. A safe bitrate is about 75% of your upload speed.
- Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
- Restart the modem and router.
- Check software that touches the network. Antivirus and firewall programs, VPNs, and manufacturer network tools such as "network boost" features and Killer network software can interfere.
- Update the network drivers.
- On Windows, review the network optimization options. The guide covers TCP pacing, binding to the default IP, and using IPv4 only.
- Consider dynamic bitrate. OBS can lower the bitrate when the connection is struggling. The guide treats this as a way to cope with the symptom rather than a cure.
- Contact your internet provider if the problem continues, especially if it is the same at other times of day.
Our guide to church live streaming settings explains how to choose a bitrate from your upload speed.
One point to remember: viewers can see buffering even when OBS reports no dropped frames, if the bitrate is too high for their own connection.
Skipped frames: the encoder
"Skipped frames due to encoding lag" means the encoder cannot keep up. With the x264 software encoder, the processor is the limit. With a hardware encoder, such as one in a graphics card, the graphics card is.
OBS's encoding performance guidance suggests:
- Run OBS as administrator on Windows. This gives it priority when the graphics card is busy.
- Close other programs that use the graphics card.
- Reduce the output resolution or the frame rate, for example from 60 to 30 frames per second.
- Try a different encoder, moving the work from the processor to the graphics card, or the other way around.
Missed frames: rendering
"Missed frames due to rendering lag" means OBS spent longer than the frame time composing the picture. The usual causes are an overloaded graphics card and heavy scenes. The same guidance suggests:
- Build simpler scenes. Fewer sources, and smaller ones.
- Limit filters and browser sources. They can be demanding.
- Keep scene collections small.
- Lower the output resolution if the graphics card is the limit.
In a church, a typical offender is a scene that has many layered items: a camera, a lower third, a browser source for lyrics and a video clip. If you receive lyrics through NDI from the presentation computer, remember that NDI has its own load; see ProPresenter NDI not showing in OBS or vMix.
Windows settings
The OBS guide says the Windows Game DVR feature can cause problems and should be turned off. Game Mode can stay on in recent versions of Windows 10.
What each fix costs you
Most fixes trade quality for stability. It helps to know what you are giving up before you change a setting in the middle of a service.
| Change | Helps with | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Lower the bitrate | Dropped frames | Some picture detail, especially in motion |
| Lower the resolution | Skipped and missed frames | Sharpness |
| Lower the frame rate from 60 to 30 | Skipped and missed frames | Smoothness of motion |
| Simplify the scene | Missed frames | Overlays, lower thirds, effects |
| Switch to a wired connection | Dropped frames | Nothing, except a cable |
| Change the encoder | Skipped frames | Depends on the encoder |
The wired connection is the only free fix on the list. If dropped frames are your problem, try it first.
An example from a Sunday
Imagine the Stats window shows dropped frames climbing during the sermon, while skipped and missed frames stay at zero. The counters are telling you the computer is fine: it is the path to the streaming service. Lowering the resolution would not help here, and would cost you quality. The OBS guide's steps for the network are the right ones: a wired connection, a bitrate near 75% of your upload speed, and a different server.
Now imagine the opposite: dropped frames at zero, but skipped frames growing whenever the lyrics change. The connection is fine and the encoder is struggling, possibly because of a heavy browser source that changes at the same moment. A simpler scene or a lower frame rate is the place to look.
Reading the counters first stops you from fixing the wrong thing, which is the most common reason a fix does not work.
A routine for Sunday
- Open View, then Stats, before going live.
- Watch the three counters during the sound check.
- If dropped frames climb, work on the network.
- If skipped frames climb, lower the resolution or frame rate, or change the encoder.
- If missed frames climb, simplify the scene.
- Change one thing at a time.
If you use vMix instead of OBS, the same thinking applies, with different numbers: see vMix dropped frames and high render time.
How Planify can help
A streaming problem is easier to solve with a person who has seen the Stats window before.
- A position for the stream operator, with a coordinator and a minimum and maximum number of people.
- Confirmation by tap. Volunteers confirm or decline on WhatsApp.
- Cover from the same position. If someone declines, Planify can ask colleagues who cover that position.
- A monthly rota. The planner proposes assignments with attention to fairness and unavailable periods.
Which features you get depends on your plan.
Read next: media team scheduling: why sound, cameras and slides can't be swapped.
FAQ
What causes dropped frames in OBS?
The OBS Project says dropped frames come from an unstable connection or a bitrate that is too high, and that OBS itself is extremely unlikely to be the cause.
What is encoding overloaded in OBS?
It means the encoder cannot compress frames fast enough. Reduce the resolution or frame rate, or try a different encoder.
What bitrate should I use?
A common recommendation is about 75% of your upload speed.
Where do I see the frame counters?
In OBS, open View and then Stats.
Should I stream over Wi-Fi?
OBS's guidance recommends a wired connection when you have dropped frames.