The Lowest Bitrate for 1080p Video: Understanding the Basics

When it comes to streaming or storing 1080p video content, understanding the bitrate is crucial for quality and file size. The lowest bitrate for 1080p can vary based on the codec used, the video content, and the desired quality. Let's delve into the specifics of different codecs and their recommended bitrates.

H.264 Codec

H.264, also known as Advanced Video Coding (AVC), is a widely adopted video codec. Its efficiency makes it a popular choice for streaming and storage applications.

The bitrate for H.264 can vary significantly depending on the desired quality:

Minimum Bitrate: For very low-quality streaming, the minimum bitrate can be around 1.5 Mbps. Some online platforms use this low bitrate to stream very basic 1080p content. Recommended Bitrate: For a decent quality, the recommended bitrate is between 3-6 Mbps.

H.265 HEVC Codec

High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), or H.265, is more efficient than H.264. Consequently, it allows for better video quality at lower bitrates or the same quality at lower bitrates than H.264.

The bitrate for H.265 can be as follows:

Minimum Bitrate: For very low-quality streaming, the minimum bitrate can be around 1 Mbps. Recommended Bitrate: For good quality, the recommended bitrate is between 2-4 Mbps.

AV1 Codec

AV1, or Alliance for Open Media Video 1, is another highly efficient codec. Its minimum bitrate can be similar to H.265 and ranges as follows:

Minimum Bitrate: For low-quality streaming, the minimum bitrate can be around 1-2 Mbps.

For practical streaming or offline storage, a bitrate of 4-6 Mbps is often considered a good balance between quality and file size. If the goal is high-quality viewing, bitrates of 10 Mbps and above are recommended.

Special Cases and Computational Bitrates

For niche or specific use cases, bitrates can be drastically different. Let's look at an example where the bitrate is effectively minimized:

Suppose we have a very simple video: a black screen that stays on for 255 days. Two bytes can be used to represent this scenario:

Byte 1: 0 - representing the black color. Byte 2: 255 - representing the number of days the black screen will be displayed.

This encoding uses only 16 bits over 255 days, resulting in an extremely low bitrate:

0.0627 bits per day 0.002614 bits per hour 0.00004357 bits per minute 0.0000007262 bits per second

This is a highly impractical example, but it demonstrates that with minimal content, the bitrate can be very low. Other compression methods, like Run-Length Encoding (RLE), can further reduce the bitrate. For instance:

Color and Pixel Count: Using two bytes for color information and six bytes for the number of pixels in a 1080p frame could be an efficient method. Frame Rate: With a frame rate of 1 frame per second, the bitrate would be 64 bps. Higher Frame Rates: At 30 frames per second, the bitrate would be 1.92 kbps.

Comparisons with Professional Standards

Compared to professional standards, the bitrates commonly used for streaming 1080p are generally lower than those used for high-resolution content like 1080p Blu-ray Discs, which support bitrates up to 40 Mbps. The lower bitrates (8-12 Mbps) are typical for streaming sources and represent a more compressed version of 1080p content compared to Blu-ray discs.