While playing your streams in VLC, it is easy to monitor their performance by clicking tools, then media information. Then select the statistics tab. 

 

Your current stream statistics are broken down by audio, video, input/read, output/written/sent.

 

Both audio and video detail numbers for decoded and played. The numbers for decoded are in “blocks”, which are packets of data. This number can be compared to played to ensure that how much data is being decoded versus how much is being played does not greatly differ. Another way to look at it is however much higher the number beside decoded is than the number beside played represents how much data was received but not shown. Lost represents data that was not received at all. Needless to say, you will want this number to be much lower than the data played to be sure that your stream is successful.

 

Content bitrate is also a helpful stat for measuring stream performance.

 

Dropped and discarded will let you know if your input has been interrupted.

 

Next to the statistics tab is the codec details tab. The information under this tab can be used to confirm that the codec is broadcasting what you want.