Codec and Bitrate Guide

Choosing the right codec and bitrate settings balances video quality, bandwidth usage, and platform compatibility.

Video codecs

Codec	Pros	Cons
H.264	Universal compatibility — works on every platform and device	Less efficient compression; needs higher bitrate for same quality
H.265 (HEVC)	~40% better compression — better quality at lower bitrate	Not supported by all streaming platforms (Twitch, Kick, TikTok require H.264)

Rule of thumb: Use H.264 for streaming to platforms. Use H.265 for local recording, SRT output, HLS output, or custom servers that support it.

Important: H.265 over RTMP requires RTMPS (TLS-encrypted RTMP). Plain RTMP does not support HEVC encoding.

Recommended bitrates

1080p (1920x1080)

Frame rate	Low quality	Good quality	High quality
30 fps	2500 kbps	4500 kbps	6000 kbps
60 fps	4000 kbps	6000 kbps	8000 kbps

720p (1280x720)

Frame rate	Low quality	Good quality	High quality
30 fps	1500 kbps	2500 kbps	4000 kbps
60 fps	2500 kbps	4000 kbps	6000 kbps

4K (3840x2160)

Frame rate	Good quality	High quality
30 fps	15000 kbps	25000 kbps

4K output requires an iPad with M-series chip and a strong, stable upload connection. Most streaming platforms don’t support 4K ingest — this is primarily useful for local recording and NDI output.

Platform requirements

Platform	Max bitrate	Codec	Keyframe interval
YouTube	8000 kbps (1080p)	H.264, H.265	2 seconds
Twitch	6000 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
Kick	6000 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
Facebook	6000 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
TikTok	4500 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
X (Twitter)	5000 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
Restream	6000 kbps	H.264 only	2 seconds
Custom RTMP	Varies	H.264 or H.265	Varies

Keyframe interval

Most streaming platforms require a 2-second keyframe interval. This means a full frame (I-frame) is sent every 2 seconds. Using a different interval may cause:

• Stream rejection by the platform
• Inconsistent transcoding
• Seek/DVR issues for viewers

Always use 2 seconds unless your platform specifically requires something different.

Rate control

Mode	Where it’s used
CBR — constant bitrate	The default for built-in platform destinations, which is what those services expect. Twitch is additionally clamped to the bitrate it accepts.
VBR — variable bitrate	The default for custom RTMP, where quality per bit matters more than a flat rate.

You don’t normally need to change this — picking a platform tile sets what that platform wants.

Encoded output signals BT.709 colour in the bitstream, so platforms transcode it with the right colour primaries instead of guessing.

Choosing settings

For streaming

1. Check your platform’s requirements (codec, max bitrate)
2. Test your upload speed — use no more than 60–70% of your upload for the stream
3. Start at 1080p / 4500 kbps / H.264 / 2s keyframes
4. Lower to 720p / 2500 kbps if your connection is unstable

For local recording

1. Use H.265 for better quality at the same file size
2. Use higher bitrate than streaming (6000–10000 kbps) since storage is cheaper than bandwidth
3. 1080p60 gives the smoothest recording for editing

You don’t have to choose between a stream your uplink can carry and a file worth editing. Turn on independent recording quality and the recording gets its own encoder, codec and bitrate — stream H.264 at 4500 kbps while recording H.265 at 20 Mbps. See Local Recording.

For multi-streaming (via Restream)

Use settings that satisfy all platforms simultaneously:

• H.264 (universal)
• 4500 kbps (safe for all platforms)
• 2-second keyframe interval
• 1080p30

H.265 savings

At equivalent visual quality, H.265 uses roughly 40% less bitrate:

Quality level	H.264 bitrate	H.265 bitrate
Good 1080p30	4500 kbps	2700 kbps
High 1080p30	6000 kbps	3600 kbps
Good 1080p60	6000 kbps	3600 kbps

This means smaller files for recordings and less bandwidth for streaming — when the platform supports it.