Issues with M1 Max to Twitch

I am at wit's end and could use any and all help.

Problem: Trying to stream 1080p 60 to Twitch on a Mac and it's coming out pixelated - not a bitrate/internet issue.

My Son who also streams but on a PC (not Mac) has no issues - crystal clear.

My Specs: Mac Studio M1 Max 10 cores (8 performance / 2 efficiency) 32gb memory / Built in 24 core GPU. OS is Sonoma 14.5

Using the latest 30.1.2 version of OBS and the Elgato 4K X with the most recent firmware.

Connecting to a PS5 - Playing over HDMI 2.1 4k 60hz but up to 120hz for some games.

My Internet is a dedicated 1gb up and down - speedtest also confirms this. I am connecting all devices over a ethernet cable not wifi.

Things I have tried:

Initially I tried the Apple VT H264 Hardware encoder but it was an absolute mess with blurring and pixels showing even on my transition and welcome screens.

I am currently using X264 as the encoder which displays clean welcome screens and transitions but shows pixelation in game, especially fast and dark scenes.

Current: X264 / Base canvas and output both at 1080p / Rate Control at CBR / 6000 for bitrate / 2sec for keyframe interval / CPU usage = fast but have also tried medium / Profile set to main but have also tried high and none.

In Advanced OBS settings if I look at Video it shows NV12 for color format / Rec 709 for Color Space / Limited for Color Range / Disabled macOS V-sync but I have also tried it enabled.

Lastly, If I look at the properties in OBS for the Elgato 4k X it is set to NV12 but the color space is listed as CS601 with no other options.

What am I missing? Is it just not possible to get a good stream on a mac? I have also tried to stream at 720p 60 and same pixelation occurs. If you watch on a phone or small screen it does not look that bad but if you watch on a monitor 27" in full screen it looks really bad.

Thank you for any and all advice!
Was this page helpful?