How much data does streaming use?
Type the bitrate of your stream, or pick a preset, and see the gigabytes per hour and how many hours fit in a data plan. Useful on mobile data and metered internet.
How the number is worked out
A bitrate is bits per second. Multiply by 3,600 seconds in an hour, divide by 8 to get bytes and by a billion for gigabytes. A 4,500 kbps picture with 160 kbps of sound is 4,660 kbps, which is about 2.1 GB per hour.
Cut the data, keep the stream
- Lower the picture, not the sound. People forgive a softer picture long before they forgive bad sound.
- Send one copy. If you stream to several places from your own connection, every copy uses data. A relay that receives one copy and passes it on keeps it to one: see Record first.
- Use the lifeline. Streamdzy can shrink a stream to a very small picture and a clear voice when your connection is nearly gone: see streaming with bad internet.
Recording uses disk, not data
A recording stays on your computer. Its size depends on the quality you record at, not on your internet. Use the numbers above for a rough idea of how big a file will be.
Questions
How much data does 1080p streaming use per hour?
At 4,500 kbps video and 160 kbps sound about 2.1 GB an hour sent, and the same amount again for each person watching on their own device.
Does watching a stream use the same data as sending?
Viewers receive about the same bitrate the platform sends them, which can be lower than what you send because platforms often make smaller versions.
Doing this a lot? Get the app.
Streamdzy is a free streaming and recording app for Windows: several cameras, your phone as a camera, going live to many places at once, and recording first so a bad connection never costs you the show.