Frame Rate Monitoring

Frame rate monitoring helps you ensure smooth video playback from each source and in your output stream.

Input frame rate

Each source shows its incoming frame rate in Health Stats:

Expected: Should match the source’s capture rate (typically 30 or 60 fps)
Drops below expected: Indicates the source isn’t delivering frames fast enough

Common causes of low input frame rate

Network congestion — Packets arriving late cause frame drops
Source device overloaded — The sending device (iPhone, NDI camera) can’t keep up
Wi-Fi interference — Causes bursts of packet loss and dropped frames
Thermal throttling — An overheating source device may reduce its frame rate

Output frame rate

The output frame rate is your program output — what goes to streams and recordings:

Expected: Should match your configured output frame rate (30 or 60 fps)
Drops below expected: The iPad can’t render frames fast enough

Common causes of low output frame rate

Too many sources — Multiple high-resolution sources strain the GPU
Complex scenes — Multi-layer compositing with overlays adds rendering load
iPad thermal throttling — A hot iPad reduces GPU/CPU performance
Background apps — Other apps consuming resources

iPhone camera performance

iPhone cameras report detailed performance metrics:

Target FPS — The configured capture frame rate
Input FPS — Actual camera capture rate
Processing FPS — Encode/transmit rate
Drop percentage — Frames dropped before transmission

If processing FPS is lower than input FPS, the iPhone is struggling to encode and transmit frames.

Tips

Close background apps on the iPad to free resources
Reduce resolution if frame rate is dropping — 720p is much less demanding than 1080p
Fewer sources — Each active source consumes GPU cycles; deactivate sources you’re not using
Cooling — Keep the iPad well-ventilated; consider a fan or cooling stand for long productions
Monitor proactively — Check frame rates during setup, not after your show has started