Common issues¶
Streams are buffering/lagging¶
Enable caching in your player¶
By default most players do not cache the data they receieve from Livestreamer. Caching can reduce the amount of buffering you run into because the player will have some breathing room between receving the data and playing it.
| Player | Parameter | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MPC-HC | – | Currently no way of configuring the cache |
| MPlayer | -cache <kbytes> |
Between 1024 and 8192 is recommended |
| MPlayer2 | -cache <kbytes> |
Between 1024 and 8192 is recommended |
| mpv | --cache <kbytes> |
Between 1024 and 8192 is recommended |
| VLC | --file-caching <ms>
--network-caching <ms> |
Between 1000 and 10000 is recommended |
Use the --player option to pass these options to your player.
Multi-threaded streaming¶
On segmented streaming protocols (such as HLS and HDS) it’s possible to use multiple threads to potentially increase the throughput. Each stream type has it’s own option, these options are currently available:
| Option | Used by these plugins |
|---|---|
--hls-segment-threads |
twitch, youtube and many more. |
--hds-segment-threads |
dailymotion, mlgtv and many more. |
--stream-segment-threads |
ustreamtv, beattv and any other plugins implementing their own segmented streaming protocol. |
Note
Using 2 or 3 threads should be enough to see an impact on live streams, any more will likely not show much effect.