Upload needed
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More than just gigabytes per hour
The quality planner takes video, audio, protocol overhead, and multiple direct outputs into account. With server-side restreaming, on the other hand, the OBS computer still sends just one output.
Plan your stream profile
Not enough headroom: Leave at least about 25 percent headroom between the upload you need and your sustained stable upload.
Total data
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Upload headroom
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Guidance
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How much upload headroom does a mobile IRL stream need?
The peak speed you measure is not the upload rate you can use continuously. You switch between cells, other users load the cellular network, and movement causes short fluctuations. So don't plan your video bitrate right up to the result of a single speed test. A sensible starting point is at least 25 percent headroom; on changing routes or with only one connection, the gap can be much bigger.
- Take several measurements along the actual route.
- Use the lowest stable upload value instead of the best single reading.
- Count audio, protocol overhead, and every direct platform output.
- Before the public stream, check a local recording and a private test stream.
720p or 1080p, 30 or 60 FPS?
A higher resolution only improves the stream if cellular, encoder, and platform can handle the bitrate it needs reliably. For fast-moving IRL scenes, a clean 720p30 profile can look better than a 1080p60 signal that keeps breaking down. For comparable picture quality, 60 FPS usually needs more bitrate and puts more load on the smartphone or encoder.
Little motion, talk formats, and long run times often allow a leaner setting. Motorcycle, bicycle, or camera-move shots create many picture changes and need either more bitrate or a deliberately lower resolution and frame rate.
Example: 6,000 kbit/s for four hours
With 6,000 kbit/s video, 160 kbit/s audio, and twelve percent protocol overhead, you need about 6.9 Mbit/s of upload. A four-hour broadcast produces roughly 12.4 GB of data per direct output. Two parallel platform outputs nearly double that. A server-side restreamer can take load off the mobile upload, because your own encoder only sends one stream to the distributor.
For more precise planning, you can also use the data usage calculator and the SRT/SRTLA latency and bonding calculator.
Distribute directly or on the server?
Three direct platform outputs need about three times the upload. A restreamer receives only one output and then distributes it on the server side. You still need to check encoder load, platform limits, and transcoding separately.
Privacy and security
This tool runs locally in your browser. IRL4YOU neither transmits nor stores your inputs. Even so, login credentials don't belong in screenshots or public support messages.