Decoding 720p: The Best Streaming Resolution Settings for Live Quality Video

You probably started live streaming to channel your inner AdinRoss, or even become the next NICKMERCS. Or maybe you create live streams to spread awareness for a cause or to grow your client base for your business or organization.

Unless you’re a video fanatic, you probably didn’t get into live streaming to learn all about the inner workings of 720p live stream resolution, aspect ratios, or H.264 streaming encoders. But thanks to the upsurge in the popularity of video content of all genres, bringing your unique perspective to the global video content scene is no longer enough. Broadcasters need to level up their video-quality game to magnetize, engage and maintain their audience.

Regardless of the motivation behind your live streams, chances are you’re not a professional videographer. Leaving you to wonder why a 720p live stream sometimes has better quality video than a 1080p live stream. Which streaming encoder do you need? And how learning about the H.264 bitrate can enable you to deliver an enhanced viewing experience?

Streaming video resolution is a crucial metric for live streaming. It contributes to the quality of a video stream which plays a huge role in the user experience. This blog explains how to master basic resolution settings and the best use cases for common stream resolutions, even for the least tech-savvy broadcasters.

Learning the basics of the inner workings of video resolution can enable content creators to troubleshoot and resolve common live streaming issues. Broadcasters must get familiar with encoders and their various settings to achieve the desired streaming resolution settings. One of the encoders that broadcasters need to learn about is the H.264 streaming encoder.

Learning the best streaming resolution is one of the fundamental basics to help make your content look more polished, professional, and high-end. We’ve also simplified why the 720p live stream resolution is currently every broadcaster’s favorite.

In this post, we will discuss the best resolution for streaming for high-quality live streaming. We’ll also cover what an encoder is, how encoder settings relate to internet speed, and other suggested encoder settings for streaming. That’ll allow you to learn about the best resolution for streaming, so your viewers can enjoy the highest possible streaming quality.

What is Video Streaming Resolution?

Streaming resolution is the measurement of your video width by height, measured in pixels. For example, a video with a 2560 x 1440 aspect ratio would measure 2560 pixels along the bottom and 1440 pixels in height. This measurement is also called “spatial resolution.”

When discussing video streaming resolution, it’s important to acknowledge the difference between progressive and interlaced, which determines how the pixels are displayed on the screen. Progressive videos produce a more fluid image, and interlaced videos appear more “pixelated.”

Often, video streaming resolution is called out by just the height of the video. Continuing the example from above, a stream with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 would be referred to as “1440p” or “1440i.” In these resolution examples, “p” stands for “progressive,” and“i” stands for “interlaced.” Most people are used to resolutions starting from 720p live stream quality up to 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p (4K). These resolutions are used for televisions and online video streaming.

The Best Resolution for Live Streaming

When it comes to live streaming, it is typically believed that higher video resolution equates to better streaming quality. That is the main factor in creating a better viewing experience on any live streaming platform. However, this is not entirely true.

Live streaming requires a trade-off between video quality and speed. That has to do with the fact that a higher resolution also requires higher bandwidth to stream the video effectively.

The two most common streaming resolution settings are

Standard definition at 720 x 480 pixels (480p)
High definition at 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p)

In practice, this usually gets sampled down to a lower resolution, 640 x 360 pixels (360p), or smaller.

Please keep in mind that most resolutions are communicated based on their height, which is why it’s common to see HD TVs billed as 1080p.

It’s always necessary to consider data rate and resolution, as one limits the other. Streaming at a higher data rate allows for higher resolution. That means that a viewer’s data capabilities greatly impact streaming resolution.

It’s also important to consider the download rate for viewers. For high-definition streaming, all your viewers should have an effective download rate of at least 5 Mbps.

Higher bandwidth is a good idea. It’s all possible with high-speed internet connections, which typically run at over 100 Mbps. Keep in mind that not all of your viewers have such high internet speeds, which impact their streaming resolution.

Most encoders allow settings of 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, and 240p (height) and corresponding width. Setting this to the highest resolution your internet can handle allows recipients to view the video in the best streaming resolution without buffering.

It’s possible to broadcast simultaneously in SD and HD, but this requires sending two streams to your host service. It does not affect the download bandwidth requirement but does require more upload speed than a single transmission. Sending multiple streams to your streaming service is referred to as multi-bitrate streaming.

The 720p Live Stream

Most broadcasters prefer the 720p live stream [1280×720 pixels] resolution for multiple reasons, making it the most commonly used streaming resolution. The 720p live streaming video quality is also known as HD, HD ready, or standard HD.

This standard live stream configuration quality allows for smooth content delivery while maintaining relatively high video quality. You and your viewers don’t need super high-tech gear or internet connections to view 720p live streams seamlessly.

Another reason is that there is little to no noticeable difference between the 720p live stream quality and 1080p resolution for most small to mid-sized screens. So video content creators can deliver high-end-looking content even with limited bandwidth. That’s partly because the 720p live stream is displayed horizontally across the viewer’s screen.

Ready to start your 720p live stream but wondering if your internet connection is up to mark? Before you tweak your encoder settings, checking if your internet connection can match the streaming resolution you aim for is a good idea. Remember, download speed is not always an accurate indicator of your actual upload speed when it comes to live streaming.

A simple way to have peace of mind, the best streaming resolution, and minimal lag during live streaming is to use the free Google Fiber Speed Test tool to test your bandwidth. Another useful pointer is not to max out your internet speed aiming for the highest streaming resolution.

Your computer system and internet connection multitask during live streams other than just uploading. So if you’re putting out a 1080p stream while running other programs on your system simultaneously, it might cause you to lose frames. That’s another reason the 720p live stream resolution is ideal for most use cases.

Using 720p live streaming resolution lets you ensure excellent stream configuration quality while freeing up enough processing power and internet to run other programs. The 720p live stream resolution is also ideal for broadcasters with shared internet connections. Uploading a 720p live stream lets you maintain great streaming quality while building in a buffer in case someone else is browsing.

What is an Encoder and What Does it Do?

An encoder is an essential tool for professional live streaming. It takes the RAW video files from your camera and converts them to files suitable for streaming over the internet. With streaming video size, the smaller the files, the better.

There are both hardware and software encoders. Each of these options comes with its pros and cons. Generally, software encoders are much cheaper and easier to use. On the other hand, hardware encoders are dedicated devices, so they tend to be better at their job.

We recommend starting with a free encoder, such as OBS Studio, to familiarize yourself with the different encoding features before making a larger investment in an encoder with advanced capabilities. The best encoder for streaming is one that you can easily work with.

As we mentioned, the settings we review in this post are specifically for H.264 streaming encoding. H.264 is the optimal codec for live video streaming, so we will discuss encoders compatible with video streaming protocols. H.264 bitrate is great for live streaming and video-on-demand.

Choosing Encoder Settings Based on Internet Speed

The average download speed in the United States varies widely by state. Even within one state, individuals likely have different live streaming internet speeds depending on their service for internet connection. That is why it is important to offer a range of resolutions to viewers, such as 720p live stream resolution and higher and lower resolution streaming settings.

It is important to remember that many people will view your broadcast from free WiFi connections or over cellular data on their smartphones. Those tend to be a bit slower than high-speed home connections.

With more and more people using mobile devices for viewing content online, you want to ensure you have the correct resolution streaming settings for your content.

You should be streaming with the video resolution and other encoder settings that will work best for the upload and download speed that your viewers have access to. To determine which settings are best, you should identify where your viewers live and what kind of connection and hardware they’ll use. That’ll help you establish your video streaming settings.

However, suppose you know that your audience has the technical ability to handle HD-quality broadcasting. In that case, it’s also a good idea to know what settings will optimize that experience for them.

Suggested Streaming Resolution and Bitrate Settings for Different Video Qualities

To control your video’s streaming quality, you will need to choose the proper combination of streaming resolution and bitrate settings.

Here are the suggested streaming resolution settings for ultra-low definition, low definition, standard definition, high definition, and full high definition. As you will see, we’ve also listed the video bitrates and H.246 profile that corresponds with each resolution. That’ll help you choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.

ULD	LD	SD	HD	FHD

Name	Ultra-Low Definition	Low Definition	Standard Definition	High Definition	Full High Definition
Video Bitrate (kbps)	350	350 – 800	800 – 1200	1200 – 1900	1900 – 4500
Resolution Width (px)	426	640	854	1280	1920
Resolution Height (px)	240	360	480	720	1080
H.264 Profile	Main	Main	High	High	High

Videos may look like smooth-moving images, but they are a series of still shots that are presented to your eyes at a rapid speed to create the illusion of motion.

That is where the other main variable setting, frame rate, comes into play. Frame rate is the number of “frames,” or still images that are transmitted each second and measured in frames per second (fps).

As with streaming configuration quality, there’s a trade-off between higher frame rates, which improve video quality, and higher video bandwidth requirements.

Most streaming video today has a frame rate of 24 fps or higher, with video running at 60 fps is at the very high end and rarely used. Dropping it below 24 fps results in significant choppiness, especially when fast motion is shown.

That said, 30 fps is the standard, often called a full-frame. It’s the general frame rate seen for a lot of televised content. Therefore 30 fps works as a good base, and if the motion does not look as smooth as desired, it can be slowly adjusted until the playback is optimal.

You can use a feature called “variable bitrate streaming” to adjust the rate automatically to have the best image, even if a lot is happening on the screen.

A related setting is keyframe frequency or keyframe interval. That should be set to 2 or 3 seconds in every scenario.

Additional Encoder Settings

Besides resolution and frame rate, your encoding software allows you to choose the streaming protocol, video codec, audio codec, and other parameters for how the video and audio content is encoded and broadcast.

Most of these other settings don’t affect video quality or bandwidth requirements in the same way as resolution and frame rate. Instead, they should be set to whatever your video platform requires.

Please check out our dedicated guide to live streaming encoder configurations for more information on encoder settings.