H.264 / AVC Bitrate Calculator
MPEG (ISO/IEC) · Raw and stream bitrate for one H.264 / AVC signal.
- Raw bitrate
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- Stream bitrate (H.264 / AVC)
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- Compression ratio
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- Streams on 1 GbE
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- Streams on 10 GbE
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- Recommended link
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- Endpoint power
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Supports up to 420 · 8-bit. High-quality broadcast ≈ 0.1 bpp.
About H.264 / AVC
H.264 (AVC) is the most widely deployed video codec in the world — the default for streaming, recording and low-bandwidth AV distribution.
H.264 compresses video by removing spatial and temporal redundancy, reaching ratios of 100:1 or more. That efficiency is why it underpins web streaming, surveillance and NDI HX — but it uses 4:2:0 colour and inter-frame prediction, which adds latency.
The bitrate is the raw signal divided by the codec ratio (≈120:1 here for high-quality broadcast). A 1080p30 4:2:0 source is about 746 Mbps raw and roughly 6 Mbps on the wire, so one 1 GbE link carries a huge number of streams.
Worked example
A 1080p30 4:2:0 signal is 746.5 Mbps raw; H.264 compresses it about 120:1, so the stream is about 6.2 Mbps — the classic streaming bitrate.
Frequently asked questions
Why is H.264 so efficient?
It uses both spatial and temporal compression (referencing previous frames), so only the differences between frames are sent.
What is the downside of H.264?
Latency and 4:2:0 colour — the inter-frame prediction adds delay, making it less ideal for live switching than JPEG 2000 or SDVoE.
What bitrate should I use?
For high-quality 1080p, roughly 6 Mbps; streaming services often use less, while surveillance may use more for detail.
What is the difference between raw and stream bitrate?
Raw is the uncompressed signal (width × height × frame rate × bits per pixel); stream is what the codec actually puts on the wire after compression. The compression ratio is raw ÷ stream.
What do 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 mean?
They describe chroma subsampling — how much colour detail is kept relative to brightness. 4:4:4 keeps full colour (3× bit depth per pixel), 4:2:2 keeps two-thirds, and 4:2:0 keeps half (1.5×).
Related calculators
- NDI Full Bandwidth Bitrate Calculator
- NDI HX Bitrate Calculator
- Q-SYS MediaCast Bitrate Calculator
- IP Video Bitrate Calculator — compare every codec side by side.
- Switch Configurator — size the switch for these streams.
Disclaimer: bitrates are planning estimates. Confirm final figures with your codec and switch vendor.