Now supports the "H.265/HEVC" codec, which allows for higher-quality distribution than H.264.
HEVC provides up to twice the image quality compared to H.264 at the same bit rate.
It is said that images with intense movement appear particularly clearly.
Below is a screenshot with a bitrate of 2.5Mbps.
[Streamer switching guide] If you are using an encoder that supports Enhanced RTMP (OBS v29.1 or later), HEVC distribution is possible by changing the settings.
1. Open the OBS settings screen and change the "Output mode" on the "Output" tab to "Details".
2. Select the one below that includes "HEVC" from "Video encoder".
Which settings are available depends on your environment.
・If using GeForce:
NVIDIA NVENC HEVC・If using Radeon or AMD built-in:
H265/HEVC Encoder (AMD Advanced Media Framework)・For Intel CPU built-in or Intel Arc:
QuickSync HEVC・For Mac:
Apple VT HEVC hardware encoder 3. The keyframe interval will be changed to "0" (automatic), so change it back to "1".
[Viewer's guide] You can watch HEVC distribution in original quality in the following environment.
・Browser: Chromium series (Chrome, Edge, etc.), Safari series ・Device: 6th generation Core processor or later, Pascal or later GeForce, Radeon 2019 or later, iOS/iPad v11 or later, Android v6 or later
*About 10% of all viewers on kukuluLIVE are in an unsupported environment.
In non-compatible environments such as Firefox, the video will be converted to H.264 on the server side and played.
Image quality will decrease and latency will increase. ···but it's okay!
The delivery system has been updated to support HEVC, resulting in lower latency than before.
In ideal conditions (launching OBS from Coffret & super low latency encoding) the delay will be less than 2 seconds.
It is designed to take about 3 seconds even when converting to H.264 or in low image quality mode.
This indicates that even if conversion is included, the delay will be the same as before.
[Frequently asked questions and answers] Q. Isn't it heavy to distribute using HEVC?
A. Actually, it's not heavy. Both the streaming side and the viewing side use dedicated circuits (called QSV or NVENC), so the load is the same as with H.264. The dedicated circuit is also built into the CPU, so it can be used even in an environment without a smartphone or graphics card.
Q. I can't watch HEVC streaming! It doesn't convert to H264 either. The PC and graphics card are quite old and do not meet the supported environment.
A. We are constantly updating playability information, but if you are unable to play normally for several days, please contact us.
Q. I can't play HEVC even though the environment is supposed to be compatible.
A. Have you turned off your browser's hardware acceleration?
Q. Does this mean that if I distribute using HEVC, I can cut the bit rate in half?
A. That's right. Lower bitrates make it easier to watch on smartphones, etc.
Q. I would like to reduce delays.
A. By starting OBS from Coffret, setting the keyframe to 1 second, tuning to "ultra low latency", and setting multipath mode to "1 pass", the delay will be less than 2 seconds.
Q. Can Firefox not play HEVC?
A.No. HEVC support has been added to Nightly from v120 only on Windows, but it is unclear whether it will be available for general use.
Q. Does push RTMP also support the Chinese method (codecid=12)?
A.No. Only Enhanced RTMP/FLV is supported.
Q. Does it support AV1?
A.No. Only HEVC is supported.
Q. Is there a way to check if HEVC can be played?
A. In the PC version, when you hover over the video, "HEVC" will be displayed in the bottom left corner.
If "H264 (conversion)" is displayed, HEVC cannot be played, so the converted version is being played on the server side.
All low-quality modes are converted to HEVC on the server side, so they are displayed as "HEVC (conversion)".
Q. Can I stream from a smartphone app to HEVC?
A. You can use it by updating the official app to the latest version.
