Optimize latency

Achieve low or ultra-low latency with WebRTC and HLS and tune OBS and in-browser broadcast settings.

Latency is the delay between something happening in front of the camera and viewers seeing it. Ultra-low latency (around 0.5–3 seconds) works well for interaction; standard latency (e.g. ~10–20 s with HLS) is fine for many other use cases.

Protocols

• WebRTC — Best for low latency (~0.5–3 s). Use a WebRTC-capable player (e.g. the Livepeer Player).
• HLS — Broader support; typical latency ~10–20 s. With recommended low-latency settings, HLS on Livepeer Studio can be around ~10 s.

Choose based on whether you need real-time interaction (WebRTC) or maximum compatibility (HLS).

Lowest latency: WebRTC playback

• Use WebRTC for playback (e.g. Livepeer Player with default settings).
• In-browser broadcasts are already optimized for low latency.
• If the stream has B-frames, WebRTC playback is not available and the player falls back to HLS. So for WebRTC:
  • With OBS: set keyframe interval to 1 and disable B-frames (bframes=0). Use the Livepeer Studio preset in OBS if available.
  • See Stream via OBS for recommended settings.

OBS settings for lower latency

• Keyframe interval — Lower = lower latency. Use 1 for lowest latency (and WebRTC compatibility).
• Rate control — CRF or CBR; higher bitrate often means better quality but more bandwidth. Don’t exceed your upload capacity.
• B-frames — Set to 0 for WebRTC and lowest latency. B-frames improve compression but add latency and break WebRTC ordering.

See Stream via OBS for full recommended profiles (low latency, balanced, high quality).

In-browser broadcasting

In-browser WebRTC broadcasts are low-latency by default. Viewers can watch via:

• WebRTC — ~0.5–3 s (use the Livepeer Player or another WebRTC/WHEP player).
• HLS — ~8–10 s if you prefer or if WebRTC isn’t available.

See Livestream from browser.

Smoke testing

1. Open https://lvpr.tv?v=<playbackId> and check latency.
2. If latency is high (>15 s HLS or >4 s WebRTC), the issue is likely ingest: keyframe interval, bitrate, or B-frames. Adjust OBS/encoder and try again.
3. Compare with another HLS player if needed; the Livepeer Player’s HLS defaults are tuned for a balance of latency and stability.
4. For persistent issues, contact the Livepeer Studio team or community support.