OBS recording is laggy, despite doing just fine while recording.

[BroImMcLovin]

So I've been having problems when I play back my recorded video on OBS. It's all laggy and choppy despite everything being perfectly fine and playable while it's recording.


Here's a log file:
http://pastebin.com/aNKVBZ4G

Something I've noticed, upon watching an older video recorded with an older version of OBS which was absolutely not laggy when I made the video, it is now laggy when viewing it on a different sized monitor (i have a 1080p) as opposed the the 768p monitor it was recorded on. I'm not lagging in game at all while playing even when recording, but for some reason while watching the video it's all choppy. I don't know if it makes a different that my OBS files were on my HDD, being saved to my HDD? But just in case it does, I moved my OBS files to my SSD, but it still records to my HDD due to space constraints on the SSD. I doubt this is a problem though.

Update: Not only is it happening to current recordings of OBS, but things which I recorded months ago which played just fine at the time. I'm not sure what this could be.

 

[James Mason]

Double Check your settings are right: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-studio-high-quality-recording-and-multiple-audio-tracks.221/

But the fact they ALL play choppy, even old recordings makes me think it's not the recordings or OBS, but whatever you use to play them back.

Try VLC: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

 

[BroImMcLovin]

Double Check your settings are right: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-studio-high-quality-recording-and-multiple-audio-tracks.221/

But the fact they ALL play choppy, even old recordings makes me think it's not the recordings or OBS, but whatever you use to play them back.

Try VLC: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

The thing is though, I was playing the old ones back in OBS as well under the exact same file type. One thing to note I guess is that they seem to play just perfectly fine right when I boot my PC up, but after about 5 minutes they start playing choppy again. Another thing is, my CPU usage aren't really particularly high, maybe around 50% while recording, and physical memory is about the same. I'm not sure if this is related, but my PC used to shut itself off if I left it on overnight, and it got to the point where it would start doing it after about 30 minutes of being on during the day, so I installed another fan in my case, and cleaned the dust out, and it's been just fine since. I'm not sure if this could have anything to do with it, but I thought I'd mention it. Also it wouldn't even let me record in OBS until I updated my gpu drivers. I'm not sure if this makes a difference.

 

[James Mason]

If you use the NVENC settings in the link from above, it should reduce your CPU usage down to like 2-4% when recording.

But shutting off sounds like a PSU or heat issue, what are you actual full detailed system specs?

 

[BroImMcLovin]

i5 6600k
Gtx 970
16gb 3200 DDR4
Hyper 212 Evo
1080p 60hz AOC monitor, and I have a like 768 19.5" HP monitor as secondary.
For some reason, I just tried to record in camtasia, and after recording it shows my preview as perfectly fine no lagg, but for whatever reason every video I've recorded with OBS is refusing to not stutter and skip all over the place. Even the older videos i recorded using completely different settings.

 

[James Mason]

How are you watching the videos playback though?

 

[BroImMcLovin]

How are you watching the videos playback though?

I'm watching the saved MP4 video, the same as I was doing before when they played absolutely perfectly fine. The very same videos which are lagging and playing like crap play perfectly fine right when I boot my PC on, but after about 5 minutes everything turns to crap. I'm about to give OBS the middle finger and head on over to camtasia.

 

[James Mason]

But like, what program are you using to watch them with?

The after 5 minutes thing makes me think the PC may be overheating, and thus downclocking the CPU or something.

Or you have some other background programs/viruses messing things up.

 

[BroImMcLovin]

But like, what program are you using to watch them with?

The after 5 minutes thing makes me think the PC may be overheating, and thus downclocking the CPU or something.

Or you have some other background programs/viruses messing things up.

Windows Media player, the very same program which this camtasia recorded video is playing just perfectly fine.
I have this from earlier, someone told me to do this, but stopped helping me. (This on the actual OBS forums) so I came here, due to how much they refused to help me.
http://imgur.com/a/MsqBX

 

[James Mason]

You said old videos that used to play fine now dont though right?

OBS shouldn't have anything to do with old videos that used to work.

If you run Crystal Disk Info, what does it say about the health of your HDD?
http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskInfo/index-e.html

 

[BroImMcLovin]

The OBS recorded videos refuse to play, but this camtasia video is playing just perfectly fine. I saved it from the previewer, and am playing it through windows media player as well, and there's absolutely nothing wrong.

 

[James Mason]

"The OBS recorded videos refuse to play"

All of them? even the ones that worked in the past?

 

[BroImMcLovin]

It says both my SSD and HDD are good. Health on the SSD is 98%

 

[BroImMcLovin]

"The OBS recorded videos refuse to play"

All of them? even the ones that worked in the past?

Yes, even the ones that worked just fine in the past, which I recorded with the older version of OBS. When it was called "Open Broadcast Software" before the program changed to this 18.01. But, my camtasia video is playing just fine.

 

[James Mason]

Try using VLC like I linked above to play the videos, OBS has no interactions with previously recorded videos, so unless they were always choppy, they don't suddenly become choppy due to OBS.

 

[BroImMcLovin]

They weren't choppy before, but it's not like I'm using a different program to play them... I'm using the exact same program I used before, and the exact same program which is play my other videos from camtasia perfectly fine.

 

[James Mason]

They weren't choppy before, but it's not like I'm using a different program to play them... I'm using the exact same program I used before, and the exact same program which is play my other videos from camtasia perfectly fine.

Yeah, but OBS didn't go back and change the video files, so something else is wrong. Like your media player interpreting the files wrong, hence why I want you to try VLC and see if it changes.

or watch them on another computer or something, send them to a friend for example.

 

[BroImMcLovin]

Yep... they just played perfectly fine in VLC... so this means my windows media player is screwed basically? I mainly used it for the simplicity of it.. I'm just trying to understand why the camtasia video played fine but the OBS one didn't... could it mabye be the difference in file type? From .mp4 to .avi? However there was a few points in VLC where the colors of the video turned a weird color, but it didn't lagg or stutter like wmp was.

 

[James Mason]

Yep... they just played perfectly fine in VLC... so this means my windows media player is screwed basically? I mainly used it for the simplicity of it.. I'm just trying to understand why the camtasia video played fine but the OBS one didn't... could it mabye be the difference in file type? From .mp4 to .avi? However there was a few points in VLC where the colors of the video turned a weird color, but it didn't lagg or stutter like wmp was.

Yeah, that's what I figured would happen.

So i don't know what happened to WMP, but it somehow stopped liking how MP4s are made.

Your original log file seems to indicate your video settings MAY be too high, thus your computer is choking on them.

The off colors also make me think your computer is choking slightly for some reason.

I would try running a memory diagnostic to see if your ram is healthy:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff700221.aspx

Maybe your CPU or something is overheating as well? So check your CPU temps:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

 

[BroImMcLovin]

Now isn't the best time to check my cpu temps. I'm rendering 3D animations so my CPU is at max load 😛. As far as the ram I'm not sure. Also are you talking about the bitrate of 40,000? Lol, that's just what the video i used said to do, but I lowered it and have noticed a significant decrease in file size especially.

 

[James Mason]

Now isn't the best time to check my cpu temps. I'm rendering 3D animations so my CPU is at max load 😛. As far as the ram I'm not sure. Also are you talking about the bitrate of 40,000? Lol, that's just what the video i used said to do, but I lowered it and have noticed a significant decrease in file size especially.

yeah, screen recorders are not plug and play if you want them to be good, you have to set them up right for your system.

There were other things that seemed off, hence why I linked that guide.

40,000 is probably way to high, there are newer features that will manage the bitrate for you so the file only uses what's needed.

Your CPU being at max load IS a good time to check your CPU temps, as if they're like above 80C you should consider doing something to lower them. and if they're above 90C, you should stop whatever you're doing.