Best Transcoding/Bitrate Practices

[TheDreadPirate]

To clarify, the 50% utilization comment applies to the NEEDED bandwidth to support the underlying video stream(s). Meaning if you have 15Mbps of available bandwidth, the cumulative video+audio bit rate of the the videos being served shouldn't exceed 7.5Mbps.

The goal is to have more bandwidth than you need so that the clients can build a buffer. In the above scenario you are transferring the video(s) at about 2x the video's actual bit rate.

If the cumulative total bit rate of the videos you were serving was 15Mbps the clients would never be able to build a buffer. ANY hiccup, dropped packet, re-transmit, etc., during the stream results in buffering.

This isn't a hard rule, but something to keep in mind. Serving video smoothly requires extra bandwidth than what is strictly needed to build a client side buffer. And it is definitely an even harder rule to follow when your upload is as low as yours and mine are.