Video bitrate measures how much data is used per second of video, typically expressed in megabits per second (Mbps) or kilobits per second (kbps). Higher bitrate means more data per second — more detail, better quality, larger file size. Lower bitrate means less data — smaller files but potential quality degradation as the encoder is forced to compress more aggressively.
Common bitrate guidelines: YouTube uploads 1080p at 8 Mbps, 4K at 35-45 Mbps. Netflix streams 1080p at 5 Mbps. WhatsApp compresses videos to approximately 1-2 Mbps. For 720p sharing, 2-4 Mbps is appropriate. For 1080p, 5-10 Mbps. For 4K archiving, 20-50 Mbps. These are for H.264; H.265 achieves the same quality at roughly half the bitrate.
Two encoding modes: CBR (Constant Bitrate) uses the same bitrate throughout — simpler, predictable file size, but wastes data on simple scenes. VBR (Variable Bitrate) adjusts bitrate based on scene complexity — uses more data for fast-motion scenes, less for static scenes. VBR produces better quality per bit and is used by FileCurve (via CRF encoding). For streaming, CRF or 2-pass VBR is preferred over CBR.