Reduced Stream Delay for All Broadcasters

Beginning today, all broadcasters will have the option to reduce stream delay on their broadcasts via an on-off toggle in Settings. Enabling this feature reduces delay on average by 33%.

How have we reduced the delay? We’ve successfully cut the video segment size from four seconds to two seconds, which decreases the amount of video that is stored in the processing pipeline. If you’re a broadcaster who spends a lot of time interacting with chat, this new reduced delay option means you’ll spend less time waiting for replies.

You can enable this option at any time, but it must be turned on prior to the start of your broadcast to take effect.

We’re releasing the reduced delay beta as an option to broadcasters because it does come at a small quality of service cost – particularly to viewers with poor internet connections. Some viewers may experience changes in playback, with shorter, more frequent buffering times. Because less video is queued on a viewer’s computer, they will be more susceptible to variations in download bandwidth, and may experience more interruptions in service while video buffers. Rather than require every channel to switch to the reduced delay option, we’re leaving it up to the broadcaster to decide what is best for his or her community. If you spend a lot of time interacting with chat, a decreased delay may be incredibly beneficial to your community.

We’d love to get your feedback as we iterate on this feature. Have you enabled the reduced delay beta? If so, how has it impacted your community or broadcast? Send your questions and comments to feedback@twitch.tv.

 

The post Reduced Stream Delay for All Broadcasters appeared first on The Official Twitch Blog.