Video Bitrate Guide: Everything You Should Know [2024]

Whether you are editing videos or recording your screen with a screen recorder, you might always encounter the term "video bitrate" in Settings, then you may be confused about what the video bitrate is exactly, how it affects the video quality, and more. If you have bumped into those questions, just read this article to find the answers.

Here, you will find the video bitrate explained, the relationship between video bitrate and video quality, and the best bitrate for streaming platforms!

Video Bitrate Explained

What is video bitrate? Generally speaking, the video bit rate refers to the number of bits transmitted per second (bits), and it is a measure of the speed of data transmission and the amount of Internet bandwidth required for transmission. In short, it is the amount of data used to encode one second of video.

The unit is bps(Bit Per Second). The higher the bit rate, the more data is transmitted per second and the clearer the picture quality. However, in our daily life, bit rates are usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps), especially for the streaming videos. Occasionally, you will see measurements in kilobits per second (Kbps), but this is more appropriate when used in the context of smaller audio files. The conversion is pretty easy: 1000 kbps equals 1 Mbps.

Remember that the video bitrate differs from video resolution, video frame rate, and more. In short, bitrate denotes the speed at which your video uploads to the internet. At the same time, it denotes the speed at which your audience downloads your video from the internet and onto their devices.

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How Does Bitrate Affect Video Quality?

Video bitrate affects video quality in several ways, but the first is its quality and file size.

As we said before, the video bitrate indicates that the video bits are being transferred within a second. The more video bits are transmitted per second and the clearer the video quality. In other words, a higher bitrate improves the quality of a video. Higher bitrate correlates with higher image quality, while lower bitrate results in a lower quality.

Apart from the video bitrate, there are many other factors that will affect your video quality, like:

🎉Video resolution:  It indicates the number of pixels that are a part of the video frame, and a higher number of pixels leads to a higher resolution. So, accordingly, the video quality will be better.

🕵️‍♂️Video frame rate: A high video frame rate means a high video quality.

Well, let's go back to the video bitrate. You need to know that when you increase the bitrate of your video, the video file size will increase accordingly. So, using the best video bitrate for your videos is important. And we will discuss it in the next section.

Best Video Bitrate Recommendations for Streaming Platforms

What's the best video bitrate for streaming videos? In fact, there is no standard answer, as it just depends on your own situation, like streaming platforms and many more. Here, we have included a few of the popular streaming platforms for the best video bitrate:

#1. Best Video Bitrate for YouTube

🎞️SDR uploads

You can refer to its official document for HDR uploads: YouTube video bitrate recommendation.

#2. Best Video Bitrate for Twitch

#3. Best Video Bitrate Recommendation for Facebook

Besides, while setting your video bitrate, you also need to pay more attention to the following items:

• upload speed
• ISP stability
• frame rate
• viewer bandwidth
• encoder
• ...

Final Words

Are you still confused about the video bitrate? I guess not. On this page, we introduce video bitrate in detail, including its meaning, importance, and even tips for choosing the best video bitrate. If you think it is helpful, don't forget to share it with others in need!

Video Bitrate FAQs

1. What should my bitrate be for 1080p 60fps?

For 1080p 60 fps videos, you'd better use a video bitrate of 4,5000 to 6,000Kbps.

2. Does higher bitrate mean better quality?

Yes. Generally speaking, a higher bitrate will lead to a higher video quality only when comparing the same video with the same resolution.

3. What happens if the bitrate is too high?

Your video quality will be better if the bitrate is too high. However, it also means your video file will be larger.