Video bitrate math
Bitrate is the amount of data per second of video: file size = bitrate × duration. In practice: 8 Mbps × 600 seconds (10 min) = 4,800 megabits = 600 MB. The formula works in any direction — the reverse mode (size + duration → bitrate) is the one creators actually need when a platform has a file-size limit.
Platform guidelines
| Platform | Recommended bitrate |
|---|---|
| YouTube 1080p | 8 Mbps |
| YouTube 4K | 35–45 Mbps |
| Twitch (live) | 6 Mbps cap |
| Local archiving | 50–150 Mbps (high quality) |
Is the quality right?
A useful check is bits per pixel (BPP): bitrate ÷ (width × height × framerate). For H.264, 0.1–0.2 BPP looks decent, below 0.05 looks blocky. A 1080p30 video at 8 Mbps: 8,000,000 ÷ (1,920 × 1,080 × 30) = 0.13 BPP — right in the sweet spot. 4K at 45 Mbps: 45,000,000 ÷ (3,840 × 2,160 × 30) = 0.18 — good.
Codec note
H.265/HEVC and AV1 deliver the same quality at roughly half the bitrate of H.264. If your target supports them, you can halve the numbers above — and halve your upload times.