Streamyard & Camera Issues: 6 Problems (& Solutions)

By / Internet Tips / Last Updated: October 5, 2023

StreamYard’s browser-based studio streaming service gives users the ability to create content directly to Youtube, Facebook, and many more.

However, to be a success and to stream professional content that makes an impact on your viewers it is essential that your camera is working correctly.

Here you can get to grips with 6 common camera problems on StreamYard and how to solve them.

You Haven’t Tested Your Camera Before You Live Stream

Nothing will ruin a live stream quicker than a non-functioning camera. You’ll lose your viewers in a blink of an eye, but they won’t even see you blinking if your camera is down.

To make sure you don’t have any camera problems when you go live it is important to test your camera first. By doing this you can check if you need to fix any issues.

If you do find you have an issue with your camera once you’ve completed the test then don’t panic – you’ll find all the answers you need to resolve them. 

How to Test Your Camera on a Private YouTube Stream

  1. Ensure you have connected your YouTube channel to StreamYard.
  2. Create a broadcast.
  3. Select your YouTube channel as the destination.
  4. Ensure that you choose ‘Private‘ in the Privacy menu.
  5. Now you can test going live, however, no one apart from you can view the stream.
  6. Here you can observe if your camera is working correctly without having an audience.

If you wish to have the option to send your camera test to a friend then follow the instructions above, but in the privacy menu choose  – ‘Unlisted’.

This will allow you to send a URL to your friend to help you test whether your camera has any issues.

Use the ‘Record’ Function (Paid Members Only)

If you are on a paid plan with StreamYard then you have the option to check if your camera is working properly by using the recording function instead of needing to stream to a destination, such as YouTube. It’s very simple to do:

  1. First, choose to create a broadcast.
  2. Select ‘Record Only‘.
  3. Record a test stream.
  4. Now download the test stream from the page that displays your past broadcasts.
  5. View your downloaded stream and check how well your camera is performing.

Why is My Camera Not Recording in 1080p on StreamYard?

There are two reasons why you and your viewers are not experiencing 1080p resolution on your streams and they are as follows:

  1. You do not have a Professional or Business Plan.
  2. Your device does not have a camera that records in 1080p.

Purchasing an upgraded plan of StreamYard is the only way to stream in ultra-crisp 1080p, and if you’re creating content on YouTube it is likely you’ll want that resolution.

But remember, if the device you are using cannot record at that quality then the final output will naturally be much lower.

Why Won’t StreamYard Detect My Virtual Webcam?

If you’re finding that StreamYard is not detecting your virtual webcam it may be time to restart your browser.

  • When a virtual camera does not appear in the StreamYard settings it is because the browser does not recognize the camera.
  • Ensure that your browser is fully updated.
  • Remember, if you have just installed your virtual web camera software then it is usually necessary to restart your laptop/computer.
  • Always try closing your browser and reopening the program.
  • As a last resort, you can try seeing whether the camera is detected when you use a different browser.

My Camera Produces Blurry Streams on StreamYard

If you’ve had complaints from your viewers that your camera is no good and that they’ve experienced poor video quality and distorted images then it may not be your camera’s fault.

The two likely culprits for having a blurry or laggy stream are either:

  1. Poor upload speed
  2. Your guest’s internet connection

So What Upload Speed Do You Need for StreamYard?

Upload speed depends on a set of variables such as what resolution you are using, the frame rate, and the platform you decide to stream on.

StreamYard have themselves outlined what upload speeds you need in order to produce 720p streams for a range of different platforms. Use this as an example:

If you want to stream with a resolution of 1080p at 60fps then you will need an upload speed of 6 to 7 Mbps.

You may be wondering how to ensure you have the best upload speed in order to have great camera quality. Here are some tips for just that:

  • Plug into your router directly instead of relying on Wifi.
  • If you do not have an ethernet cable then make sure you are as close as you can be to the router.
  • Ask people you share your internet connection to not stream videos or pursue high bandwidth tasks whilst you are trying to stream.
  • Restart your computer to ensure there are no programs potentially running whilst you are trying to stream.
  • Remember these same tips can improve your viewers’ download speeds which means they will in turn experience a truer visual quality.

Another Program is Using Your Camera

If you’re having problems using your camera with StreamYard then you should make sure that you’ve not accidentally left an application running that uses that device.

Programs such as Zoom, Skype, Teams, etc could still think that they’re using your camera and, as only one application can use your camera at one time, it will mean that you cannot access it in StreamYard.

Close all other applications that use your camera to ensure that it’s only StreamYard that has access at the time.

Your Camera Does Not Have Access to the Browser

StreamYard is browser-based and therefore it does not use a separate program to stream and record content.

This means that in order for your camera to work with StreamYard the site must be granted access to the camera in the browser you are using. 

Here you can learn how to grant camera access whether you’re using Chrome, iPhones, or iPads.

Ensuring Your Camera Works with StreamYard on Chrome

When you are using Chrome and you navigate to StreamYard you should be prompted to either ‘Allow’ or ‘Block’ the use of your camera (and microphone). Choose ‘Allow’ to ensure your camera will work with StreamYard.

Don’t worry if you accidentally block access – we’ve got you covered:

  1. Open Chrome on your device.
  2. Select the three dots.
  3. Open Settings.
  4. Select Privacy and security.
  5. Choose Site setting.
  6. Choose Camera.
  7. Here you can see sites that are listed under ‘not allowed to use your camera’.
  8. Just change StreamYard to allowed.

Ensuring Your Camera Works with StreamYard on Mac

To ensure that your Mac gives your browser access to your camera just follow these steps:

  1. Select the Apple logo and then choose System Preferences.
  2. Select Security & Privacy.
  3. Choose Privacy and then select Camera.
  4. Click the check box by your browser (Chrome, Safari, etc).
  5. Now your camera should work with StreamYard.

Ensuring Your Camera Works with StreamYard on IOS

Ensuring that you grant access so that your camera works with StreamYard on iPhone or iPad can be done by granting access to your Safari browser and also giving access to the StreamYard site itself.

  1. Open settings in either your iPhone or iPad.
  2. From the list find Safari and choose to enable access to the camera and microphone.
  3. Open Safari and navigate to the StreamYard site.
  4. Tap the AA icon found in the Safari address bar.
  5. Choose website settings.
  6. Set camera access to either Ask or Allow.

Remember that iPhones using an operating system from before 12.2 will only be able to record audio.

Final Thoughts

Using your camera on StreamYard is an essential facet of using the service. If you’re experiencing camera problems and you feel that none of the above issues apply to you then your best bet is to contact StreamYard support.

Sources

StreamYard is not recognizing my virtual webcam

My camera doesn’t work

My stream/my guest’s stream is blurry and/or laggy

How to test a live stream

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