Choosing an Appropriate Bit Rate

When you encode files for streaming over the Internet, you will be asked to specify a connection type for the target audience. The connection type establishes a maximum bandwidth for your streaming media. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent through an Internet or network connection during a set period of time. For example, a 28.8 Kbps modem is capable of transmitting 28,800 bits per second. However, actual transmission rates are lower than nominal values due to network overhead; a 28.8 Kbps modem’s actual bandwidth is approximately 20 Kbps, and a 56 Kbps modem’s actual bandwidth is approximately 34 Kbps).

Sound Forge encodes media files with audio and video codecs to compress these rather large files to a manageable size for network transmission. To play back encoded files, the media player must receive and decode the files. In order for encoded files to stream smoothly, the data transfer rate (bit rate) must reach a calculated minimum.

When encoding media files, the content should not exceed the bit rate of your targeted audience. In order to ensure a stable network connection, it is important not to consume all of the bandwidth available to the Internet/intranet browser.