CBR vs VBR (Fixed Bit Rate vs Variable Bit Rate): Which is the Best Online Live Video Platform for You

Starting a streaming service can seem complicated, especially when you’re new to choosing the right encoder settings for your video platform. If you’re new to encoding and streaming, the wide range of options can be confusing, especially with terms like CBR and VBR. So, what are CBR and VBR encodings? Which is better – CBR vs VBR? Relax! Grab a coffee and in the next few minutes you will have all your questions answered.

What is bit rate?

Bit rate is defined as the amount of data transferred in one second. In the video streaming industry, video bitrate is measured in kilobits per second, or kbps. Bitrate plays a key role in determining video quality. The higher the bit rate, the better the video quality. However, there is a catch here, as higher bitrates require faster internet speeds. Bitrate is also important in the encoding or transcoding phase of stream processing, as it also handles the transmission of data.

Also read: Adaptive Bitrate vs Multi-Bitrate Streaming – What’s the Difference?

What is CBR?

CBR, also known as Constant Bit Rate, refers to the transmission of data at a constant or fixed rate. The output bitrate will not change based on the size or complexity of the video file. In short, the encoder transmits data at a fixed bit rate, regardless of the size of the video file. Using constant bitrate makes CBR encoding fast and straightforward.

Since CBR uses constant transmission, the bit rate is set to a single rate and measured as such. It is recommended that you set the bitrate relatively high so that the encoder can handle more complex data segments when processing the video.

Some advantages of CBR-

  • Because of its speed and reliability, CBR encoding has always been the gold standard for live streaming.
  • CBR is highly compatible with various encoding hardware/software and video players.

The post CBR vs VBR (Constant Bitrate vs Variable Bitrate): Which is the Best Online Live Video Platform for You first appeared on Lenix Blog .

This article is reprinted from https://blog.p2hp.com/archives/9615
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.