AV Design Toolkit

Lightware UBEX Bitrate Calculator

Lightware · Raw and stream bitrate for one Lightware UBEX signal.

Raw bitrate
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Stream bitrate (Lightware UBEX)
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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
Endpoint power
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Supports up to 444 · 10-bit. Proprietary, 1 GbE.

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About Lightware UBEX

Lightware UBEX is a proprietary AV-over-IP platform that carries 4K 4:4:4 with low latency over standard 1 GbE networks.

UBEX targets demanding corporate and control-room AV: 4K60 4:4:4 video, USB, control and audio over a single 1 GbE link, with Lightware’s own low-latency codec doing the compression.

The bitrate is the raw signal divided by the codec ratio (≈10:1 here). A 1080p30 4:4:4 source is about 1.49 Gbps raw and roughly 149 Mbps compressed, leaving headroom for several UBEX streams on a 1 GbE backbone.

Worked example

A 1080p30 4:2:0 signal is 746.5 Mbps raw; UBEX compresses it about 10:1, so the stream is about 74.6 Mbps on the network.

Frequently asked questions

Is UBEX proprietary?

Yes, Lightware’s codec is proprietary, so UBEX interoperates within the Lightware ecosystem.

Does UBEX run on 1 GbE?

Yes — standard 1 GbE, with the compression keeping each stream under the link.

What is UBEX used for?

Enterprise, control rooms and education where 4K 4:4:4 with USB/control extension is needed.

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×).

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Disclaimer: bitrates are planning estimates. Confirm final figures with your codec and switch vendor.