Blue Iris App and Remote Desktop

bertsirkin

bertsirkin

Getting the hang of it
Dec 14, 2015
123
16
I have a new i7-Gen 10/16gb computer with on-board Intel video. There's NOTHING else loaded on this computer - not even anti-virus, other than what comes with Windows. I'm running BI as a service, but occasionally need to load the BI app/UI. I've optimized BI as much as I can, and CPU usage is usually around 11% or 12% with 11 cameras.

If I use the computer with a dedicated monitor, KB & mouse, there's no issue whether or not the BI app running. But, if I remote into the computer with Remote Desktop, it slows to a crawl IF the BI app is running. If I shut down the BI app (leaving the service running), it's fine, but with the BI app running, CPU usage jumps between 70% and 85% and the computer slows to a crawl. If I leave the BI app running and exit remote desktop, the CPU drops to about 30%.

BI Service only: 11%
BI Service & Remote Desktop: 13%
BI Service & BI App/UI: 30%
BI Service, BI App/UI & remote desktop: 75%-100%

The attached shows task manager when the BI service, BI App and Remote Desktop are all running.

Any ideas why BI and Remote Desktop don't work well together?
 

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It is clear on that machine that you are not doing EVERY optimization in the wiki and you have likely changed a setting in BI that is causing these issues. I suspect you are not running the substreams for one. On a 10th generation machine with 11 cameras, you should be sub 5% CPU.

Many of us use Remote Desktop with BI without much problem - it does increase the CPU load, but you have to optimize the settings.

Lowering FPS for remote viewing is a big CPU saver for example, as is changing the setting from unrestricted to a smaller number under the "Video for Remote Desktop".

I have way more cameras than you and a 4th generation CPU and your are running higher CPUs than me and most people on here with a lesser machine and more cameras... My 4th generation CPU with RDP, The BI app, and UI3 all going at the same time is sub 30% CPU and my CPU as as service is around 10% with a lot more cameras than you.

I would suggest you walkthru the wiki again and make sure you are doing EVERY one of these. If you are still having issues afterwards, then post screenshots of your settings and let the experts see something that was changed that is making the operation worse.

Optimizing Blue Iris's CPU Usage

Blue Iris uses a lot of CPU time. In most Blue Iris installations, your CPU is the limiting factor which determines how many cameras you can have. As such, it is extremely important to optimize your configuration to ensure you can get the most out of your system while consuming the least...
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I've done everything in the Wiki except the "substreams" - frankly, I didn't understand what needed to be done - and I can easily live with 11% CPU usage. But having said that, it doesn't explain why the BI application (not the BI service) is causing an issue ONLY when RD is thrown into the mix.
 
Substreams is why.

When you are not using substreams and you open up the BI application, you are streaming 11 cameras on your screen at full mainstream resolution and that takes significant CPU resources.

NVRs and NVR apps by default pull susbstream for multi-camera viewing and the app because generally they are the same brand of cameras and NVR. BI provides more customization and allows a lot more brands of cameras and does not use substreams by default - you have to enable them. The reason they don't have as default is that some cameras do not have a substream, so then someone wouldn't have an image and would complain.

By using substreams, when you have the multicamera view displayed, it is showing the substream which takes a lot less resources. Then if you open up a single camera view, it will switch to mainstream. I assure you that seeing 11 cameras on your monitor at substream will not be noticed or just barely.

Take a look at the substream wiki on how to set that up. Depending on which version of BI you have, it may be a simply pulldown box on the camera setting page in BI.

Sub Stream Guide

.substreamGuide td { border: 1px solid #000000; } .substreamGuide a { color: #0080ff; } .substreamGuide code.inline { margin: 0; background: #f6f6f6; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; border-radius: 0px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 1px...
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Whether or not using substreams will reduce CPU usage is arbitrary - the issue remains that CPU usage increases dramatically ONLY when RDP is used. CPU usage is acceptable without RDP (~30%). There is some kind of issue with the BI app and RDP. I've seen this on 2 different computers now.

As far as substreams go, it's too much of an issue to change, as I have 11 cameras and 6 different profiles. Each camera/profile has different defined zones, so I'd end up losing 66 different configurations that would have to be re-done.
 
bp2008 said:
There's an option in Blue Iris Settings > Cameras tab to limit video update rate when using remote desktop. I suggest you use that or find a more efficient form of remote access.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I hadn't seen that option - I set it to a 5-second update and it resolved the issue. I usually only remote-in to change BI settings on a camera, and don't need to see up-to-date video.
 
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