X Live Studio OBS Encoder Settings and RTMP Specs

This page walks through the encoder settings X publishes for RTMP streams into Live Studio, and flags something you will not find in most guides: X has two official spec sheets for live streaming, and they do not agree. One recommends 12 Mbps and allows up to 4K; the other recommends 9 Mbps and caps you at 1080p. Both pages are online today.

You need an encoder that can push H.264 over RTMP and a Live Studio source to point it at. X's own table labels one of its rows "Keyframe interval (OBS)", so the settings below are given in the terms that row uses.

Before you start

• Live Studio has a source limit. X states: "Live Studio has a limit of 100 sources per account. Once you reach that limit, new sources cannot be created until unused sources are deleted."
• RTMP authentication is not available. From the Live Studio FAQ: "Can I use authentication for my RTMP connection? No. RTMP authentication is not currently supported."
• There is an RTMPS option. X adds: "Tip: You can also use the RTMPS URL for an additional layer of transport security."
• Duration and scheduling: "Livestreams have a maximum duration of 24hours," and "Livestreams can be scheduled up to one year in advance."

The two spec sheets, side by side

X's Live Studio help page gives this table under "Recommended Encoder Settings":

Setting                    Recommended            Maximum
Video codec                H.264                  H.264
Video bitrate              12 Mbps                40 Mbps
Resolution & frame rate    1920x1080 @ 60 fps     3840x2160 @ 60 fps
Audio codec                AAC (mono or stereo)   AAC
Audio bitrate              128 kbps               128 kbps
Keyframe interval (OBS)    Every 3 seconds        —
Encoder profile            Main or High           —

X's creative ad specs page, in its "X Live" section under "Recommended stream specifications", gives this instead:

RTMP
Video codec: H.264/AVC
Video bitrate: 9Mbps (recommended), 12Mbps (maximum)
Audio codec: AA-LC
Audio bitrate: 128bps (maximum)

Resolution
1280x720 (recommended)
1920x1080 (maximum)

Frame rate
30 fps (recommended)
60 fps (maximum)

Lined up, the gap is not a rounding difference:

The Live Studio page's maximum for resolution is 4K; the ad specs page's maximum is 1080p. The Live Studio page's maximum bitrate is more than three times the other page's maximum. Check the official documentation for whichever surface you are streaming to before you commit to a number.

Two quirks in the ad specs page are quoted above exactly as they appear: it writes the audio codec as "AA-LC", and it writes the audio bitrate ceiling as "128bps (maximum)" where the Live Studio page writes "128 kbps".

Step 1 — Pick your bitrate

If you are working from the Live Studio page, 12 Mbps is the recommended figure and 40 Mbps is the stated maximum. If you are working from the creative ad specs page, 9 Mbps is recommended and 12 Mbps is the maximum. 12 Mbps is the one number that appears on both pages — on one as the recommendation, on the other as the ceiling. If you are not sure which spec applies to you, check the official documentation for your surface rather than picking between the two.

Step 2 — Set resolution and frame rate

The Live Studio table pairs resolution and frame rate in one row: 1920x1080 @ 60 fps recommended, 3840x2160 @ 60 fps maximum. The ad specs page splits them: 1280x720 recommended and 1920x1080 maximum for resolution, 30 fps recommended and 60 fps maximum for frame rate.

Note that these are live streaming specs. They are not the same as the limits X publishes for uploading a video file to a post — those are a separate set of numbers, covered in X's video resolution and aspect ratio limits.

Step 3 — Set the keyframe interval

This is the one setting the two pages agree on, and the Live Studio table labels it for OBS specifically: "Keyframe interval (OBS) — Every 3 seconds".

Some encoders want that expressed in frames rather than seconds. X publishes the conversion:

24 fps -> 72 frames
30 fps -> 90 frames
50 fps -> 150 frames
60 fps -> 180 frames

Every row is the frame rate multiplied by three, which is the three-second interval expressed in frames. If your encoder asks for seconds, enter 3; if it asks for frames, use the row that matches your output frame rate.

Step 4 — Audio and encoder profile

The Live Studio table lists the audio codec as AAC (mono or stereo) for both the recommended and maximum column, and 128 kbps for both. The encoder profile row says "Main or High" with no maximum given.

Step 5 — Prepare the card image

For the image that appears with the livestream, X says: "Use a 16:9 image at 1280×720 or 1920×1080. Other aspect ratios may be automatically cropped when the livestream card appears in posts."

Step 6 — Know what a dropped connection costs you

X's Live Studio status list includes this one: "TIMED OUT — Your livestream ended automatically because the source stopped sending video. Timed-out livestreams cannot be restarted and must be recreated."

That is worth planning around. A stream that times out is not paused — it is over, and the source has to be rebuilt.

Posting the recording afterwards is a different pipeline

Streaming specs and upload specs are separate. If you take a recording of your stream and upload it as a video post, none of the numbers above apply — the upload rules do.

X's own guidance for a file that will not ingest is to shrink it: "Even if your file is under our maximum size, we may still have issues ingesting the file. Reducing the size of the file reduces the time of the upload, maximizing your chances for success." (That line is from X's page on uploading videos to X Ads.) Its suggested method is the same one below — re-export at a lower bitrate.

This runs in your browser tab, so the recording is never uploaded anywhere to be shrunk. For the bitrate figures X publishes on the upload side rather than the streaming side, see X video bitrate settings, or browse all Clapr tools.

Common mistakes

1. Mixing the two spec sheets. Taking 4K from the Live Studio page and 9 Mbps from the ad specs page gives you a combination neither page endorses.
2. Applying stream specs to uploads. The 40 Mbps ceiling is a streaming figure. Video files posted to X are governed by an entirely different set of published limits.
3. Setting the keyframe interval in the wrong unit. "Every 3 seconds" and "90 frames" describe the same interval at 30 fps. Typing 3 into a field that expects frames is not the setting X published.
4. Expecting to resume after a timeout. X states timed-out livestreams "must be recreated."
5. Assuming your stream analytics match the post's view counter. They do not — see the FAQ.

FAQ

What bitrate does X recommend for OBS? It depends which official page you read. The Live Studio encoder table says 12 Mbps recommended and 40 Mbps maximum. The creative ad specs page says 9 Mbps recommended and 12 Mbps maximum. Both pages are currently published.

What keyframe interval should I use in OBS for X? X's Live Studio table lists "Keyframe interval (OBS) — Every 3 seconds." In frames, X gives 72 at 24 fps, 90 at 30 fps, 150 at 50 fps, and 180 at 60 fps.

Can I stream to X in 4K? The Live Studio encoder table lists 3840x2160 @ 60 fps as the maximum resolution and frame rate. The creative ad specs page lists 1920x1080 as the maximum. Check the official documentation for the surface you are streaming to.

Does X support RTMP authentication? No. X's Live Studio FAQ states that RTMP authentication is not currently supported, and separately notes you can use the RTMPS URL for additional transport security.

Why do my Live Studio view numbers differ from the post's view count? X describes two different counting rules. In Live Studio: "A view is counted when a logged-in user watches for at least 2 seconds with at least 50% of the video player visible on screen (MRC viewability standard). Logged-out viewers and external embeds are not included." The post counter "includes logged-out viewers and external web embeds, counts autoplay views after 3 seconds, and does not apply the same filtering used in Live Studio analytics."

How long can an X livestream run? X states livestreams have a maximum duration of 24 hours and can be scheduled up to one year in advance.

Specs cited from X's Live Studio help page and X's creative ad specifications page, checked 16 September 2026. The two pages published different numbers on that date — verify against the official page for your use case before configuring an encoder. More walkthroughs in how-to guides.