I’ve recently noticed that when watching streams on Twitch from Russia, the highest resolution I can choose is 720p. I used to be able to enjoy streams in 1080p and even higher, but now the quality options are limited. This issue seems to affect all channels, not just a few. I’ve tried different browsers and even cleared my cache, but the problem continues. Since my internet speed is sufficient for higher resolutions, that shouldn’t be the issue. Has anyone else faced this limitation? Is it a temporary or permanent change? I’m curious if there are any tricks to improve stream quality or if we have to live with this lower standard now.
yeah, it seriously sucks. I’ve messed with server settings too but it’s been hit or miss. heard opera might help with quality, but no guarantees there. honestly, 720p is all we got now, at least it still kinda works while other platforms are just flat out blocked.
Same thing happened to me around then, but it’s weird how it hits different streamers differently. Partners seem to keep their quality options while affiliates get screwed, so Twitch’s definitely playing favorites with bandwidth. It’s a server issue too - I’ve tried switching browsers and user agents but nothing works. What really pisses me off is that VODs sometimes look way better than the live stream, so we know they’ve got the infrastructure. They just don’t want to use it during busy hours. Makes watching anything a total crapshoot since you never know if you’ll get decent quality or not.
Same thing happened to me starting March last year. It’s not just Twitch - YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming services all have these caps now for Russian IPs. This isn’t a tech issue on your end. It’s infrastructure limits and regulatory stuff, so your internet speed doesn’t matter when they’re throttling delivery to your region. Sometimes quality jumps back up late at night, but it’s hit or miss. Looks like this is just how it is now - don’t expect it to change anytime soon.
This is tied to Russia’s internet restrictions that started in early 2022. Twitch has been hit with regulatory pressure and bandwidth issues there, which cuts streaming quality down. The 720p cap is probably a server limit - either Twitch imposed it or infrastructure problems with international streaming forced it. Doesn’t look like a temporary bug, seems permanent. Some people say switching DNS servers or streaming during off-peak hours helps occasionally, but it’s hit or miss. Russian users are dealing with this across tons of platforms now. Twitch’s quality restrictions are just part of the bigger mess affecting international content delivery.
Been dealing with this exact problem since mid-2022. The resolution cap isn’t just bandwidth throttling - it’s Twitch’s CDN routing changes for the region. They basically downgraded their content delivery infrastructure there because of compliance costs and operational headaches. Mobile viewing sometimes gets slightly better quality than desktop, probably different encoding parameters. What’s frustrating is your connection can handle 4K easily but you’re stuck with 720p max. YouTube Gaming sometimes offers better quality during certain hours, but Twitch seems locked at this resolution ceiling. Unfortunately this looks like the new normal, not a temporary tech issue.