What is Bitrate?
Bitrate is the amount of data used per second of video or audio, usually measured in kilobits per second, and it sets the ceiling on how much detail a file can hold.
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Constant bitrate keeps the figure fixed, which streaming platforms require because the connection has to be predictable. Variable bitrate lets the encoder spend more data on complex scenes and less on simple ones, which suits uploaded files. Resolution, frame rate and codec all change how much bitrate a given picture needs.
For live streamers this is the number that decides whether your stream looks clean or turns into a blocky mess during fast motion. It is also constrained by your upload speed: a stream bitrate above about 70 percent of your measured upload will drop frames once anything else on the network wants bandwidth.
| Resolution and frame rate | Common streaming bitrate | Minimum upload to be safe |
|---|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps | 2,500-4,000 kbps | about 6 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 4,500-6,000 kbps | about 9 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 6,000-9,000 kbps | about 13 Mbps |
| Spoken-word audio (AAC) | 96-128 kbps mono | n/a |
Set the video bitrate in your encoder, then watch the dropped-frame counter during a test stream with real motion rather than a static scene. If frames drop, lower the bitrate before lowering resolution; a clean 720p stream reads better than a stuttering 1080p one.
Where Bitrate shows up
You will meet Bitrate most often while comparing live streaming software - StreamElements, Evmux, Riverside, and StreamYard all deal with it, though not in the same way or at the same price.
Related terms: Multistreaming and RTMP.