Ozolio's service's primary function is to receive a single HD stream from your camera and broadcast this stream to multiple viewers with the lowest delay possible. Today, most modern cameras are capable of streaming high-resolution video. However, setting the camera to maximal resolution is not always the best approach regarding the optimal configuration for online streaming. Several other factors must be considered to get the maximal performance of your camera. Please see the diagram below.
As you can see, two critical points are where the available network bandwidth may affect video quality.
- Outbound bandwidth on the camera side.
One of the most significant differences between static and live video is providing a solid and stable bit rate. In short, if we can not load your live stream speed, we can not deliver a smooth video to your viewers. Due to the nature of the live video and camera control requirements, Ozolio can cache the live content for 6-15 sec only. Sometimes even 15 seconds is not enough to normalize a poor or unstable upstream bandwidth on the camera side.
- Inbound bandwidth on the viewer side.
The inbound bandwidth on the viewer's side depends on multiple factors, such as the internet provider location, connection type, device type, device location, etc. For mobile and wireless devices, it also depends on the strength of the wireless signal. The truth is, you can not control the inbound bandwidth on a viewer's side. Still, you can select your camera's optimal configuration to satisfy most of your audience.
How to select optimal video quality.
According to our statistics, the average inbound bandwidth available on the viewer side is 2-4 Mbits/sec (even though internet providers often declare a higher speed).
To select an optimal video configuration for your camera, we recommend you take a look at our estimates of the lowest bandwidth requirements for a medium quality live stream with a 15-30 FPS framerate, 2-4 seconds keyframe interval, and average motion:
|
Resolution |
Mbits/sec |
Kbits/sec |
|
800x450 |
1.5 |
1536 |
|
1280x720 |
2 |
2048 |
|
1920x1080 |
2.5 |
2560 |
|
2560x1440 |
6 |
6144 |
|
3840x2160 |
8 |
8192 |
Another factor to consider is the amount of motion on the camera. Low-motion streams require less bandwidth than high-motion streams. For high-motion streams, the estimates above should be multiplied by 1.5 - 2.
How to adjust the video quality of your camera.
Most cameras provide network access to their firmware to adjust video/audio quality, control features, and other device settings. Please refer to the 'User Manual' supplied with the camera or available for download on a vendor's website for more information. You can also find information and recommendations related to the configuration of AXIS cameras in our article 'How to add your camera into Ozolio Cloud'