> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guide.ci.me/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guide.ci.me/english/streamer-guide/stream-settings/setting-up-4k-streams.md). # Setting Up 4K Streams *** ## **Overview** CIME supports streaming in up to **4K UHD (2160p)** resolution. To stream in 4K, your display, OBS settings, PC hardware, and network connection should all be set up to support 4K streaming. ## **1. Set Up Your Display** Before setting up OBS, connect a 4K monitor and configure your display settings as follows: | Setting | Recommended Value | | ------------ | ----------------- | | Resolution | 3840 × 2160 | | Refresh Rate | 60 Hz or 120 Hz | For the best experience, we recommend using a refresh rate that is a multiple of 60 Hz, such as 60 Hz or 120 Hz. Using refresh rates like 144 Hz may result in inconsistent frame pacing and can affect stream smoothness or stability. Keep in mind that OBS currently supports a maximum streaming frame rate of 60 FPS. Higher monitor refresh rates improve your local viewing and gameplay experience but do not increase the stream frame rate. For 4K gaming at very high refresh rates, we recommend using a modern high-performance GPU. ## **2. Create an OBS Profile** We recommend creating a dedicated OBS profile for 4K streaming. | Step | Action | | ---- | ------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Open OPS | | 2 | Go to **\[Profile] → \[New]** | | 3 | Create a new profile (for example, CIME 4K) | ## **3. Set Up Stream Settings** In OBS, navigate to: **\[Settings] → \[Stream].** Then enter the following information: | Setting | Value | | ---------- | ------------------------------------- | | Service | Custom | | Server | 4K Server URL provided by CIME Studio | | Stream Key | Stream Key provided by CIME Studio | ## **4. Output Settings** In OBS, go to **\[Settings]** → **\[Output]**, then change Output Mode to Advanced and set up the following settings. ### **4-1. Streaming Settings** | Setting | Recommended Value | | ------------- | ------------------ | | Audio Track | 1 | | Audio Encoder | AAC | | Video Encoder | NVIDIA NVENC H.264 | ### **4-2. Encoding Settings** Use the following settings as a baseline for 4K streaming: | Setting | Value | | ----------------- | ---------------------- | | Rescale Output | Off, 3840 × 2160 | | Rate Control | Constant Bitrate (CBR) | | Keyframe Interval | 1 second | The settings below are recommended for high-end streaming PCs. Depending on your hardware performance and network conditions, you may need to lower some settings to maintain a stable stream.
SettingRecommended Value
Video Bitrate28,000-32,000 kbps
PresetP6
TuningHigh Quality
Multipass ModeTwo Passes (Quarter Resolution)
ProfileHigh
Look-aheadOn
Psycho Visual TuningOff
B-frames0-2
Use the following guidelines when choosing your bitrate. * For Just Chatting streams or content primarily featuring 2D virtual avatars, we recommend starting at 25,000 kbps or higher. At this bitrate, most creators can achieve excellent image quality while maintaining stable low-latency streaming performance. * If your system struggles with 4K virtual avatar rendering or other demanding workloads, consider using 25,000–28,000 kbps. This range provides a good balance between visual quality, stream stability, and encoding performance for a variety of content, including gaming streams. * If your PC has sufficient performance headroom, we recommend 32,000 kbps for the best overall quality. For creators aiming for maximum image quality, CIME supports bitrates of up to 35,000 kbps. We encourage you to test different settings and find the bitrate that works best for your hardware, network connection, and content. If you experience performance or stability issues, we recommend applying the settings below before increasing your bitrate further.
SettingRecommended Value
Video Bitrate25,000 kbps
PresetP5
TuningHigh Quality
Multipass ModeSingle Pass
ProfileHigh
Look-aheadOff
Psycho Visual TuningOff
B-frames0
For the best 4K streaming experience, we recommend a symmetrical 1 Gbps internet connection. At a minimum, a symmetrical 500 Mbps connection is required for stable 4K streaming. ### **4-3. Audio Bitrate**
Set the audio bitrate to 320 kbps. ## **5. Audio Settings**
In OBS, go to **\[Settings] → \[Audio]** and set up the following settings: | Settings | Recommended Value | | ----------- | ----------------- | | Sample Rate | 48 kHz | | Channels | Stereo | ## **6. Video Settings**
In OBS, go to **\[Settings] → \[Video]** and set up the following settings: | Settings | Recommended Value | | -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Base (Canvas) Resolution | 3840 × 2160 | | Output (Scaled) Resolution | 3840 × 2160 | | Downscale Filter | Not required when both resolutions match | | Common FPS Values | 60 | ## **7. Troubleshooting Audio/Video Sync Issues** If your audio and video appear out of sync, try the recommendations below. ### **7-1. General Sync Adjustments** | Setting | Recommended Adjustment | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------- | | B-frames | Set to 0 | | Look-ahead | Off | | Audio Sync | Adjust the microphone sync offset in OBS | * If you experience audio/video sync issues, we recommend setting B-frames to 0 and disabling Look-ahead in your OBS encoder settings. Reducing these encoder features can lower encoding latency and help improve synchronization between audio and video. ### **7-2. When Your Virtual Avatar's Lip Sync Is Off** * If your PC is under heavy load or your virtual avatar requires significant rendering resources, avatar rendering may lag slightly behind your audio. When this happens, your **avatar's mouth movements may not match your voice perfectly**. * To correct this, try adjusting your microphone's Sync Offset in OBS. ### **7-3. Adjusting Sync Offset**
* In this case, you can adjust the Sync Offset to slightly delay your microphone audio and better **align your avatar's mouth movements with your voice**. * Navigate to \[Audio Mixer] → \[Microphone] → \[More Options (⋯)] → \[Advanced Audio Properties], then gradually increase the value under \[Microphone Sync Offset]. (Recommended starting range: 50–100 ms) ## **8. Optimizing In-Game Graphics Settings** Graphics settings play an important role in the overall quality of your 4K stream. However, setting every graphics option to the maximum can significantly increase GPU usage, which may affect stream stability, frame rates, or encoding performance. We recommend finding the right balance between visual quality and streaming performance. 1. Start with your game's graphics settings set to **Medium or higher**, then perform a test stream. 2. Monitor your stream in OBS and check for **dropped frames, encoding lag, or performance issues**. 3. If your stream remains stable, gradually increase settings that have the greatest visual impact, such as: * Texture Quality * Lighting and Shadow Quality * Object and Environment Detail 4. If you experience performance issues, consider lowering or limiting settings that place a heavy load on your system, including: * Ray Tracing * Advanced Shadows or Global Illumination * Aggressive Anti-Aliasing Settings Keep in mind that lowering game graphics settings too aggressively may reduce the visual benefits of streaming in 4K, even when broadcasting at a 4K resolution. Rather than targeting the lowest settings required to maintain gameplay performance, we recommend optimizing your settings for the highest visual quality that can be streamed consistently and reliably. ## **9. 4K Streaming on Lower-End PCs** ### **9-1. Adjusting Virtual Avatar Rendering by Content Type** | Mode | Recommendation | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Just Chatting | High avatar rendering resolution (3840 × 2160) | | Gaming | Lower avatar rendering resolution (1920 × 1080 or 1280 × 720) | Separating Gaming Mode and Just Chatting Mode and adjusting your virtual avatar’s rendering resolution for each mode can help lower-end PCs handle 4K streaming more effectively. For Just Chatting, you can set your virtual avatar’s rendering resolution to 3840 × 2160 to maximize visual quality and presence on stream. During Gaming Mode, system load increases significantly. Before starting a game stream, we recommend lowering your avatar’s rendering resolution to 1920 × 1080 or 1280 × 720. Once you're finished gaming and switch back to Just Chatting, you can increase the avatar rendering resolution back to 3840 × 2160 for the best visual quality. ### **9-2. Adjusting Virtual Avatar Settings** When streaming games, reducing avatar physics effects such as **hair, clothing, and particle effects** can help improve overall performance. In some VTuber applications, real-time physics calculations can place a significant load on your GPU and may impact stream performance. ### **9-3. Using Upscaling** If your system cannot comfortably handle native 4K rendering, you may want to consider streaming at 1440p with 4K upscaling. For example, if your PC performance is limited or your monitor only supports resolutions up to 2560 × 1440, you can render both your virtual avatar and game at 2560 × 1440, then use OBS to upscale the stream output to 3840 × 2160 (4K). For the best image quality, we recommend using the Lanczos scaling filter in OBS. While this approach is not true native 4K, streaming at a higher bitrate with a 4K output can still provide noticeably sharper image quality than a typical 1080p 8,000 kbps stream. In practice, many creators find that a well-configured 1440p-to-4K upscale can achieve approximately 80–90% of the visual quality of native 4K, while requiring significantly less system performance. *Update: 7/06/26*