Choose a streaming bitrate from resolution, frame rate and upload capacity.
Bitrate requirement scales with pixels per second, so frame rate matters as much as resolution. Streaming at the full upload capacity guarantees dropped frames as soon as anything else uses the connection. Dropped frames damage viewer experience far more than a lower bitrate does, which is why the margin is not optional.
OBS Bitrate
Ideal bitrate scales with pixel rate; usable bitrate is upload less the safety margin and audio
Ideal bitrate scales with pixel rate; usable bitrate is upload less the safety margin and audio Bitrate requirement scales with pixels per second, so frame rate matters as much as resolution. Streaming at the full upload capacity guarantees dropped frames as soon as anything else uses the connection.
Dropped frames damage viewer experience far more than a lower bitrate does, which is why the margin is not optional.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Resolution height, Frame rate, Upload speed, Upload safety margin, Audio bitrate. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.