The scorebug takes a beat to change, the dashboard feels sticky, or the graphics stutter in OBS. ScoreCastr sends only small updates, so when things slow down it's usually the device running too much, or its connection. This guide shows you what's normal, how to tell where the slowdown is, and what to change.
What's normal
| What you see | Normal? |
|---|---|
| The overlay in OBS changes as soon as you tap | Yes. That's how it should work. |
| A graphic slides or fades in rather than appearing at once | Yes. Graphics have entrance and exit animations. |
| The public match page lags the stream by a few seconds | Yes. It refreshes every few seconds instead of instantly. |
| The embedded scorebug on your website lags a little | Yes. It refreshes every 3 seconds. |
| The status dot shows Slow | Not during normal play. It means changes have been delayed for about 3 seconds or more. |
If OBS takes seconds to change while the dot says Live, something on the OBS computer is slow. Work through the sections below.
Find where the slowdown is
- Look at the status dot at the top of the dashboard.
- Slow or Offline: the scorekeeper's connection is the problem. Jump to "Check the connection".
- Live: the dashboard is sending fine. Carry on.
- Open Overlays, then Live Preview, and watch the Preview card while you change the score.
- The preview updates at once but OBS doesn't: the OBS computer or its browser source is the problem.
- Both are slow: the device running the dashboard is overloaded, or both computers share a weak connection.
For a blank or frozen overlay rather than a slow one, see Overlay not showing or not updating.
Lighten the dashboard
- Close the tabs you don't need. Video sites, email and other web apps compete for the same computer, and a phone or tablet feels it most.
- Open each match once. Use one dashboard tab per match. Two tabs of the same match in the same browser can trip over each other.
- Leave the Live Preview when you're not using it. The Preview card runs a full copy of your overlay inside the dashboard. Switch to the Scoring tab and it stops.
- Close the pop-out if you don't watch it. The Pop Out window is another full copy of the overlay. See Use and pop out the live preview.
- Keep the device plugged in. Laptops and phones on battery saver slow down to save power.
- Use an up-to-date browser.
Reload the dashboard only when the dot shows Live. If it shows Slow or Offline, your unsent changes are saved on this device and send on their own. Reloading over and over won't speed that up, and switching to another device leaves them behind. See The status dot.
When OBS and the dashboard share a computer
OBS does the heavy lifting: it draws your camera and graphics and encodes the stream. Add a dashboard, the Live Preview and a pop-out, and that's three more copies of the overlay running on the same machine.
If the streaming computer is struggling:
- Run the dashboard on a second device, like a tablet or phone. See Run the dashboard from a phone or tablet.
- Don't keep the Live Preview or the pop-out open on the OBS computer. OBS's own preview already shows you the output.
- Lower your OBS output resolution or bitrate if OBS itself is dropping frames.
Check your OBS browser source
Each browser source in OBS is its own small web browser, so a few settings matter:
- Use one source. If the scorebug is in several scenes, add the same source to each with Add Existing instead of making a new one per scene.
- Keep it at 1920 by 1080. That's the size the graphics are made for. Don't set it larger. For a 720p canvas, scale the source down in OBS instead.
- Leave the frame rate alone. Leave Use custom frame rate off so the source follows your OBS frame rate.
- Turn off the reload options. Shutdown source when not visible and Refresh browser when scene becomes active make the overlay reload, and replay its entrances, each time you switch scenes.
- Keep hardware acceleration on. In OBS's settings, under Advanced, browser source hardware acceleration should be on unless your graphics card has trouble with it.
To check whether OBS is struggling, open its stats view and watch for skipped or dropped frames while a graphic animates.
Running many matches
Every match you run adds a dashboard, and possibly a preview and an OBS source. On one computer that adds up quickly.
- Give each scorekeeper their own device where you can.
- If one computer runs several games, open each dashboard once and keep the Live Preview closed on all but the one you're watching.
- For setting up several games, see Run several matches at once.
Check the connection
- Look at the status dot on each scorekeeper's device. Each one only shows its own connection.
- Gym and stadium Wi-Fi is often crowded on game night. Try a phone hotspot or a wired connection for the scorekeeper.
- The OBS computer needs its own steady connection to receive updates, on top of the upload for your stream.
- Test from the spot where the scorekeeper will sit, before the game.
For more on weak connections at the venue, see the Eighty Five Studios guide linked on this page.
Checklist
- Status dot shows Live on every scorekeeper's device
- Extra browser tabs closed; each match open in one tab
- Live Preview and pop-out closed on the OBS computer
- One browser source at 1920 by 1080, reused with Add Existing
- Custom frame rate and reload options off in the source
- Devices plugged in, with a steady connection tested at the venue