The definitive bandwidth and bitrate reference for IP video professionals. Full NDI, NDI HX3, NDI HX2, NDI HX, SRT (H.264 & H.265), RTMP, HLS and RTSP — every protocol, every resolution, every frame rate. Used by AV integrators, broadcast engineers and system designers worldwide.
Each protocol was designed for a different environment and bandwidth constraint. Understanding where each operates correctly prevents the most common bandwidth planning mistakes.
Full NDI uses SpeedHQ intra-frame compression — every frame is independently compressed, giving the lowest latency and highest quality but the highest bandwidth requirement. NDI HX variants use inter-frame H.264/H.265 compression, dramatically reducing bandwidth at the cost of slightly higher latency and quality.
| Resolution | Frame rate | Colour space | Full NDI | NDI HX3 (H.265) | NDI HX2 (H.265) | NDI HX (H.264) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | 30 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 30–50 Mbps | 6–12 Mbps | 4–8 Mbps | 4–7 Mbps |
| 720p | 60 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 40–75 Mbps | 10–20 Mbps | 6–10 Mbps | 5–8 Mbps |
| 1080p | 30 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 75–100 Mbps | 15–30 Mbps | 8–15 Mbps | 8–12 Mbps |
| 1080p | 60 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 125–200 Mbps | 30–50 Mbps | 12–20 Mbps | 12–18 Mbps |
| 1080p | 60 fps | 4:4:4 10-bit | 200–280 Mbps | 40–60 Mbps | N/A | N/A |
| 4K UHD | 30 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 250–400 Mbps | 40–62 Mbps | 20–35 Mbps | Not supported |
| 4K UHD | 60 fps | 4:2:2 8-bit | 400–600 Mbps | 50–62 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
| 4K DCI | 30 fps | 4:2:2 10-bit | 500–700 Mbps | 50–62 Mbps | Not supported | Not supported |
SRT bandwidth is the sum of your encoded video bitrate plus an overhead allowance for packet retransmission. The recommended overhead is 25% for typical internet connections with up to 5% packet loss, and 40% for cellular or satellite links. Always provision your bandwidth for the worst expected network conditions, not the average.
| Resolution | Frame rate | H.264 encoded bitrate | H.265 encoded bitrate | SRT overhead (25%) | Total bandwidth — H.265 | Upload speed needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 480p | 30 fps | 1.5–2 Mbps | 0.75–1 Mbps | +25% | ~1.3 Mbps | 2+ Mbps upload |
| 720p | 30 fps | 2.5–4 Mbps | 1.5–2.5 Mbps | +25% | ~3 Mbps | 4+ Mbps upload |
| 720p | 60 fps | 3.5–5 Mbps | 2–3 Mbps | +25% | ~3.8 Mbps | 5+ Mbps upload |
| 1080p | 30 fps | 4–6 Mbps | 2–4 Mbps | +25% | ~5 Mbps | 7+ Mbps upload |
| 1080p | 60 fps | 6–9 Mbps | 3–5 Mbps | +25% | ~6.3 Mbps | 9+ Mbps upload |
| 4K UHD | 30 fps | 15–25 Mbps | 8–15 Mbps | +25% | ~19 Mbps | 25+ Mbps upload |
| 4K UHD | 60 fps | 25–40 Mbps | 15–25 Mbps | +25% | ~31 Mbps | 42+ Mbps upload |
| 4G / LTE | Any | Keep encoded bitrate under 2 Mbps | +40% | ~2.8 Mbps | 5+ Mbps cellular | |
Each streaming platform sets its own bitrate limits. Exceeding the maximum causes the platform to re-encode your stream, reducing quality. Below the minimum causes heavy compression artefacts. All figures are H.264 — H.265/HEVC is not widely supported for RTMP ingestion on consumer platforms as of 2026.
| Platform | Resolution | FPS | Min bitrate | Recommended | Maximum | Upload speed needed | Audio bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 4K / 2160p | 60 | 20 Mbps | 30–51 Mbps | 51 Mbps | 65+ Mbps | 128–320 Kbps AAC |
| YouTube | 4K / 2160p | 30 | 10 Mbps | 15–20 Mbps | 51 Mbps | 25+ Mbps | 128–320 Kbps AAC |
| YouTube | 1080p | 60 | 3 Mbps | 4.5–9 Mbps | 9 Mbps | 12+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC |
| YouTube | 1080p | 30 | 2 Mbps | 3–4.5 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 8+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC |
| YouTube | 720p | 60 | 1.5 Mbps | 2.25–3 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 5+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC |
| 1080p | 30 | 1 Mbps | 3–4 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 6+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC | |
| 720p | 30 | 0.5 Mbps | 1.5–2.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 4+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC | |
| Twitch | 1080p | 60 | 3 Mbps | 4.5–6 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 9+ Mbps | 160 Kbps AAC |
| Twitch | 720p | 60 | 2 Mbps | 3–4.5 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 6+ Mbps | 160 Kbps AAC |
| TikTok Live | 1080p | 30 | 2 Mbps | 2–4 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 6+ Mbps | 128 Kbps AAC |
| LinkedIn Live | 1080p | 30 | 0.5 Mbps | 1–3 Mbps | 3.5 Mbps | 5+ Mbps | 96 Kbps AAC |
| Custom RTMP | Any | Any | Varies | Varies | No limit | BW = bitrate × 1.15 | 128–320 Kbps AAC |
HLS is used for viewer-side delivery via CDN and browsers. RTSP is used for pull-based LAN monitoring, NVR systems and IPTV. Neither is suitable as a contribution protocol — use SRT for contribution and NDI for LAN production.
| Protocol | Use case | Resolution | Bitrate per stream | Viewer-side latency | Key characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLS | CDN / web delivery | 1080p 30fps | 3–6 Mbps | 6–30 seconds | Segment-based HTTP. Universal browser support. ABR ladder for adaptive quality. |
| LL-HLS | Low-latency web delivery | 1080p 30fps | 3–6 Mbps | 2–4 seconds | Apple Low-Latency HLS. Reduces segment size. Not all CDNs support it. |
| HLS ABR ladder | Adaptive viewer delivery | 360p–1080p60 | 0.4–9 Mbps per rung | 6–30 seconds | Typical rungs: 400K/360p, 800K/480p, 2M/720p, 4M/1080p, 9M/1080p60 |
| RTSP | LAN monitoring / IPTV | 1080p 30fps | 2–6 Mbps | 1–3 seconds | Pull-based — receiver requests stream. VLC, Plex, NVR systems. Not NAT-friendly. |
| RTSP | IP camera / NVR | 1080p 25fps | 1–4 Mbps | 1–3 seconds | Standard for network cameras, video management and security systems. |
The correct protocol depends on your network environment, latency requirement, and delivery destination — not personal preference. Use this guide as a starting point for system design decisions.
These are the most frequently encountered bandwidth planning errors in IP video deployments. Each one causes problems that are difficult to diagnose after installation.
This data is freely available for use in articles, guides, system designs and educational materials. Please attribute iView Data as the source using one of the formats below.
iView Data Ltd. (2026). NDI vs SRT vs RTMP — Complete Bandwidth Requirements Reference. Retrieved from https://iviewdata.com/ndi-srt-rtmp-bandwidth-requirements/
iView Data Ltd. "NDI vs SRT vs RTMP — Complete Bandwidth Requirements Reference." iviewdata.com, June 2026. https://iviewdata.com/ndi-srt-rtmp-bandwidth-requirements/
According to bandwidth reference data published by iView Data (iviewdata.com), Full NDI at 1080p60 requires 125–200 Mbps of sustained LAN bandwidth…
<a href="https://iviewdata.com/ndi-srt-rtmp-bandwidth-requirements/">NDI SRT RTMP Bandwidth Reference — iView Data</a>
Data is reviewed and updated periodically. Platform bitrate figures reflect published guidelines as of June 2026. NDI figures reflect NewTek/Vizrt specification documentation. SRT figures reflect the SRT Alliance specification. Please link to this page rather than copying the data, so your readers always see the most current version.
¹ Full NDI bandwidth varies significantly with scene complexity and motion — high-motion content (sport, concerts) requires the upper end of the stated range. Static content (presentations, talking heads) sits at the lower end.
² SRT overhead of 25% assumes network conditions with up to 5% packet loss. Increase to 40% overhead for 4G/LTE, satellite, or networks with higher observed packet loss.
³ RTMP platform bitrate figures are based on each platform's published streaming guidelines as of June 2026 and are subject to change by the platform operator. Always verify against current platform documentation before a major event.
⁴ Upload speed recommendations assume the stream is the primary consumer of upload capacity on that connection. Reduce available bandwidth by 30% if other upload traffic (video calls, cloud backup, other streams) is running simultaneously.
⁵ NDI is a trademark of NewTek Inc / Vizrt Group. SRT is an open-source protocol maintained by the SRT Alliance. RTMP is a trademark of Adobe Inc. iView Data Ltd has no affiliation with these organisations.
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