Calculator
Example data table
Sample scenarios show how motion and frame rate change bandwidth needs.
| Scenario | Resolution | FPS | Quality | Motion | Video (Mbps) | Total (Mbps) | Req Peak (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture stream | 1280×720 | 30 | Balanced | Low | ~2.0 | ~2.1 | ~3.2 |
| General live | 1920×1080 | 30 | Balanced | Medium | ~4.7 | ~4.8 | ~7.4 |
| Sports highlight | 1920×1080 | 60 | High | High | ~14.9 | ~15.0 | ~23.0 |
| 4K movie | 3840×2160 | 24 | High | Medium | ~19.1 | ~19.2 | ~29.5 |
| 4K live event | 3840×2160 | 60 | High | High | ~59.7 | ~59.8 | ~91.9 |
Formula used
The estimator uses a bits‑per‑pixel model, then adds delivery overheads:
- Video bps = W × H × FPS × BPP × Motion × Profile × HDR
- Video Mbps = Video bps ÷ 1,000,000
- Total Mbps = Video Mbps + (Audio kbps ÷ 1000)
- Peak Mbps = Total Mbps × (1 + Peak%/100)
- Required Mbps = Peak or Total × (1+Container%) × (1+Delivery%) × (1+Margin%)
- Size GB = (Total Mbps × 1,000,000 ÷ 8 × Seconds) ÷ 1024³
BPP maps to quality target; motion/profile/HDR scale the estimate.
How to use this calculator
- Select a resolution preset, or choose Custom and enter dimensions.
- Set frame rate and duration; duration affects file size only.
- Choose a quality target and motion complexity based on content.
- Pick profile and HDR options to match your pipeline.
- Set peak allowance and overheads to size your network safely.
- Press Calculate to see results above the form.
For adaptive streaming, size links for required peak throughput.
Bandwidth targets for access networks
HEVC delivery is usually sized from required peak throughput, not average. For a 1080p30 balanced stream, this calculator often lands near 5 Mbps total, then adds protocol and safety margin. On shared Wi‑Fi, a 10% margin plus 8% packaging overhead can push planning numbers above 6 Mbps. Use peak allowance to reflect scene bursts.
Resolution and frame rate scaling
Bitrate scales linearly with pixel rate: width × height × fps. Moving from 1080p30 to 1080p60 doubles pixel rate, so the estimated video rate roughly doubles before multipliers. Stepping from 1080p to 4K increases pixels by four, so even modest fps increases can exceed typical home uplinks. Check utilization to avoid saturating links.
Content complexity and motion factors
Two streams with identical resolution can differ widely. Low‑motion lectures compress efficiently, while sports and games need higher motion multipliers to preserve detail. The motion selector adjusts bitrate by up to 1.5× to represent fast pans and frequent cuts. Treat this as a planning knob, then validate using short test encodes of real content.
Profile, HDR, and pipeline choices
Main10 and HDR commonly raise bitrate because more precision must be encoded and preserved. The profile and HDR toggles apply conservative uplifts so you can compare delivery options across devices. If your pipeline uses 10‑bit masters but distributes 8‑bit, run both scenarios to quantify bandwidth savings and storage impact.
Overheads that affect real throughput
Transport and packaging add bytes beyond the elementary stream. HLS/DASH segmentation, RTP headers, retransmissions, and encryption can raise sustained throughput needs. The calculator models this with container overhead and delivery overhead, then adds a safety margin for jitter and contention. For cellular, consider higher margin when signal varies.
Storage forecasting and reporting
File size is derived from total average bitrate and duration, which supports capacity planning for archives, caches, and CDN origin storage. Export CSV for spreadsheets and PDF for sharing estimates with network, media, and product teams. Keep a short session history to compare profiles, motion settings, and peak allowances quickly. A 10‑minute 4K24 stream at 20 Mbps totals about 1.5 GB, while 60 Mbps live events reach 4.5 GB. Use this estimate to set retention windows and cache sizes across multiple renditions too.
FAQs
1) What is the main output I should size my link for?
Use Required Peak Mbps for delivery planning. It includes peak allowance, container overhead, protocol overhead, and your safety margin. For stable playback, aim for peak utilization under about 80% of the available link.
2) Why is my encoder’s bitrate different from this estimate?
Encoders use scene analysis, GOP structure, and rate control, so real output varies by content and settings. This tool provides a planning baseline using pixel rate, quality bpp, and multipliers. Validate by encoding short clips from your source.
3) How should I choose the motion setting?
Select Low for talking-heads and slides, Medium for general video, High for sports or gaming, and Extreme for very fast cuts. If quality looks soft in tests, increase motion or quality first before raising overheads.
4) Does audio matter for high-resolution streams?
Yes, but it is usually smaller than video. For example, 128 kbps audio adds 0.128 Mbps to the total. On very low-bitrate mobile streams, audio can be a noticeable share, so include it in planning.
5) What do delivery and container overhead represent?
Container overhead covers muxing, headers, and metadata. Delivery overhead represents packaging and transport costs such as segmenting, protocol headers, encryption, and retransmission behavior. Together they convert media bitrate into realistic network throughput.
6) How can I use the history and exports effectively?
Run multiple scenarios for the same content, then compare totals and required peaks in the history table. Export CSV to model many renditions, and export PDF to share a snapshot with stakeholders reviewing bandwidth or storage budgets.
Calculation history
Your last 30 calculations are saved in this browser session.