Tech: Doing a Tech Check Before you go Live

Ensure your livestream is high quality by using this checklist before you go LIVE.

Broadcast quality depends on 3 main factors:

• Computer Power & Device Setup

• Internet Speed & Stability

• Best Practices

1. Computer Power & Device Setup

• Use the best computer you can. Double check your computer and internet specs to make sure they meet our requirements for a smooth stream.

• Plug into your power supply. Many computers restrict themselves on battery power to extend battery life. But this throttling can limit your streaming capability.

2. Internet Speed & Stability

• Run this speed test a few times and average your results. We recommend upload and download speeds of at least 15 Mbps, and a jitter less than 30ms.

• Use Ethernet cables. Even if you need an adapter, try to avoid wireless connections that are always subject to interference. These brief interruptions don't impact your ability to watch normal video, but they do impact real-time streaming. Even split-second blips in stability can take many seconds or even minutes to recover from.

• If you must use Wi-Fi, isolate your network connection as much as possible.

  • Ask everyone else on your network to avoid heavy usage during your stream (watching video, downloading files, etc)

  • Connect to a 5GHz network (faster and less interference than a 2.4GHz network)

  • Avoid exposure to microwave ovens (yes, really) and other appliances while you're live.

Learn More: Read our tips on troubleshooting your network connection or improving a slow network.

3. Best Practices

• Close other tabs and applications. Ideally, you would only have Stage TEN Studio open in Chrome during your broadcast. Should you need to use another browser tab, please open it in a separate window. See next point.

• Keep the Stage TEN Studio visible on your screen at all times. Otherwise, your computer will re-allocate its system resources to the apps it thinks you are using.

Never cover Stage TEN Pro Studio with another tab or application.

• 720p may look better than 1080p. No matter what, your computer has some limits. Consider whether 720p and 30fps would produce a more stable stream than attempting 1080p and 60fps. The result may actually appear as higher quality.

• Wear headphones, and invest in a mic. Viewers can tolerate dips in picture quality, but poor audio always makes for a bad watching experience. Headphones help avoid echo and feedback, especially if your stream has multiple participants. A mic near the speaker will usually sound better than the one on your computer.

• Use the latest version of Chrome and disable all non-essential extensions (such as Ad Blockers) and VPNs.

Tip: To disable Ad Blockers extensions, click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right corner of your Chrome browser. Then select ‘More Tools’ → ‘Extensions’.

• Prepare in advance. Preselect your layouts before you go live. Organize the images, videos, and graphics you plan to use into a folder on your computer so you can easily load them into the asset catalog when you enter the Pro Studio. This will save you time when you're live, and switching quickly.

• Tune your camera settings. If possible, set your camera (and your guests') to 720p resolution, a framerate of 30fps, and a medium (sometimes called 80%) quality. This is the sweet spot where the image looks sharp, and clear, but doesn't consume too much bandwidth.

• Charge Mobile Devices. If a mobile device is part of your setup, ensure it's fully charged before you go live. Set your phone to Do Not Disturb.

Now you’re ready to go LIVE!

For further assistance, please email us at [email protected] or contact us through your Stage TEN Dashboard.