HELP: Why are my recordings of lower quality than my VODs?

[Xelrog]

Here is the VOD of my last Smash stream (skip past halfway for Smash).

Here is the video file OBS gave me of that stream, uploaded to YouTube.

Why is the quality so much worse? There are no recording quality settings in OBS, so I figured it should be the same as the stream output. The filetype I'm using is FLV; is that related? My bitrate is pretty high, as you can see in the VOD, but I'm really clueless as to what's making the recording so poor. Any help from someone more experienced in streaming high-quality games is very much appreciated.

 

[Haden]

Your PC might not be strong enough to handle the rendering, which is generally the only time this issue tends to happen. All I can say is, close other programs and minimize CPU usage while you are converting to a save file. Other than that, yes, you can change how OBS handles recordings. There are 2 layouts for OBS, one of which is designated for broadcasters and the other for those who record rather than going Live. In fact, even YOU know this because OBS allows you to choose which you prefer to optimize OBS for when you first install it.

 

[Xelrog]

I asked around a bit and tried watching the videos on multiple devices, and I think what's happening is that the videos are fine, it's my wifi that's struggling on YouTube. It's only the last three streams uploaded that look bad when watching on YouTube on my laptop, but they look significantly better wired into the router. I upped my bitrate three streams ago, which I guess carries over to the videos on YouTube as well.

I think I need to downgrade my quality again anyway, so I'll probably just reduce it. It's a shame, since I have the gear to stream at good quality, but it limits who's going to watch the streams without downscaling options on Twitch (which you need at least Partner to get really reliably).