Having trouble streaming dota 2, screen flicker

[TheTrickster]

so im new to streaming and im trying to stream dota 2. but whenever i do, i get a strange screen flicker. the whole screen doesnt flicker, just random parts of the game flicker.

its weird cause it doesnt do it when xsplit isnt running on my computer at all. but once i start up xsplit (even without starting the stream), it will flicker.

besides that the stream seems to work great, so any ideas?

[Melvin]

what's your computer specs? ucp.php?i=173

your streaming settings is usually dependent on your rig and bandwidth so you basically need to adjust it based on how those two can handle it.

So does the stream flicker as well or just the game? I'm assuming your streaming your game in windowed (exclusive mode disabled) since you said it seemed to work great.

Lastly, make sure to right click your screen region and then make sure that the layered window option is not checked.

[TheTrickster]

thanks for the response, here are my specs

Intel i7 950
Radeon 5870
6GB ram
Windows 7 64bit

pretty sure that's all you need to know as far as specs go. and as far as bandwidth go, idk. i dont even know what bandwidth does lol.

and yeah i was having a friend watch teh stream and he said he could see the flicker too. and yes i have dota 2 set to windowed mode, no border.

and the layered window option isnt checked

also when i stream it seems to make my game lag a little bit. not sure how to fix that as well. let me know if you need to see me stream to further help.

[Melvin]

bandwidth is just your internet connection. Like the upload speed. The reason is because if you have a low upload speed then you cannot really stream the game in crisp high quality and thus you will need to adjust your settings.

btw, what do you mean 'some parts of the game flicker'? do you mean some of the screen elements or the game as a whole?

[apoctv]

I've been streaming DotA 2 the last few days. I just checked over a couple of my VODs, and I don't see any screen flicker at all.

Are you running the game in video mode "borderless" ? That's essentially fullscreen windowed.

[TheTrickster]

@ mevlin, when i say that "some parts oteh game flicker" i mean the whole screen doesnt flicker, just some trees or some buildings, etc, in the game.

@ apoctv yes i am running the game in windowed borderless mode

[steelcss]

I've been streaming DotA 2 the last few days. I just checked over a couple of my VODs, and I don't see any screen flicker at all.

Are you running the game in video mode "borderless" ? That's essentially fullscreen windowed.

I love you apoc

[twizzR]

Well this is awkward, I actually have the exact same setup as him, and I flicker ingame too! Just some trees and stuff, I don't know why either. I've tried gamesource, dxtory, only screen region but the problem is there what so ever as long as xsplit is open, I dont even have to stream.

i7 950
5870 times two(CF, doesnt matter since DOTA 2 doesnt use CF)
6GBram
win7 64-bit

[twizzR]

Alright, allow me to elaborate this issue. As I've already stated, my ingame objects flicker whenever xsplit is open. I dont even have to capture the game with GS or screen region, it simply flickers whenever both of the programs are open at the same time. This has not yet happened in any other game. Dota 2 runs in a DX9ex modus. I tried to turn the -ex modus off making it only DX9(like normal games) but it would still flicker.
I then went to troubleshoot my GPUs. I've tried both, individually and together in CF. I've tried both "borderless windowed" and "windowed" at the options in Dota 2 but the flicker does not seem to stop. When I troubleshooted the GPUs, I noticed with one GPU the FPS reduced a lot(20-30 and unstable), which isnt really optimal in any way.. This turned out to reduce the flickering to almost 0!
The flickering seems to have a corrolation with the fps. The lower fps, the less flickering. FPS from 40ish to the screen refresh rate(60) and above would make the game flicker a lot like before.
The flickering also reduced if the output resolution in xsplit was lower than the one I used ingame. 1280x720 as output in xsplit seems to reduce the flickering, but nothing has yet stopped it.If I then proceed to put the resolution in dota 2 to 1280x720, the flickering is just as bad as before.
This is a video of me trying to stream Dota 2 in 1080p@30fps, Captured with gamesource and DX9ex mode.
I hope this would provide you with what kind of flickering Im talking about. The FPS while recording and broadcasting is stable, the only problem is this flickering.

http://www.twitch.tv/twizzr/b/305784988

Do tell if you have any questions or need any more details. You can find me on skype@ anders-b-w if urgent, or leave a reply here.