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Blue Iris – Performance Optimization

🔹 Overview​

This page provides practical guidance for improving Blue Iris performance and maintaining long-term system stability.

🎯 Objective​

  • Reduce CPU and system load
  • Improve responsiveness
  • Maintain stable multi-camera operation
  • Balance video quality with system performance

🧠 Key Concepts​

  • Performance is cumulative across all cameras
  • Stability is more important than maximum settings
  • Small changes can have large impact at scale

🧠 System Insight​

Resolution → FPS → Codec → AI → Storage load

Performance issues are usually cumulative, not isolated.

🛠️ Core Areas​

Camera Load​

  • Total camera count directly impacts performance
  • Resolution and FPS multiply system demand
  • Add cameras incrementally and test

Codec​

  • H.264 is typically more stable
  • H.265 may reduce bandwidth but increase decode load
  • Test before applying system-wide

Frame Rate​

  • ~15 FPS is a strong baseline
  • Higher FPS increases CPU, storage, and decoding requirements

Resolution​

  • Use resolution appropriate for the scene
  • Avoid high resolution on low-priority areas

Direct-to-Disk​

  • Reduces CPU load
  • Improves recording efficiency
  • Should be used where stable

Hardware Acceleration​

  • Can improve performance when configured correctly
  • Must be tested for stability on your system

AI Load​

  • AI introduces additional processing demand
  • Scale gradually across cameras
  • Monitor system impact before expanding

📊 Recommended Baseline​

  • H.264
  • ~15 FPS
  • Direct-to-disk enabled
  • Moderate camera count before scaling
  • AI applied selectively

🧠 Real-World Notes​

  • Performance issues often appear after incremental changes
  • Stability degradation is gradual, not immediate
  • Simpler configurations scale more reliably over time

⚠️ Common Mistakes​

  • Adding too many cameras at once
  • Increasing FPS unnecessarily
  • Running maximum settings across all cameras
  • Enabling AI on all cameras simultaneously
  • Ignoring storage performance limitations

📊 Related Pages​

✅ Result​

A stable, responsive Blue Iris system that balances performance, scalability, and video quality.