how much data does Twitch use
Data usage when streaming on Twitch is something most people have never understood. Streamers always want to know how much bandwidth or data a stream consumes. Many do not know how to calculate data usage. And indeed, the calculation is not straightforward due to the many variables involved. One thing for sure is that streaming on Twitch uses a lot of data. In most cases, it depends on video quality, streaming duration, and whether you are streaming audio only. But how much data does Twitch streaming use?
Several factors can answer the question of how much data does Twitch use. Two of these include:
- Bitrate
Bitrate refers to the number of bits of data that are being processed within a unit of time. A crucial factor to remember is 1 byte has 8 bits. Data rates for a video are measured in bits per second. That means the data rate for any video is the bitrate. If a video file is running at 1 megabyte per second, its bitrate would be eight megabits per second. A higher bitrate means higher image quality.
- Resolution
In terms of a video file, resolution refers to the image size. Resolution affects picture size and not picture clarity. A video file with a higher resolution gives you greater viewing distance. But that does not mean a high-resolution image is a high-quality image. The resolution of an image is measured in pixels.
Bringing it all together
If you are watching Twitch videos with a resolution of 240p at a bitrate of 0.5mbps, you will use 225MB of data per hour. The following Twitch bitrate chart shows how much data (in MB) you will use in one hour of streaming.
Bitrate (kbps) Resolution (p) Data usage per hour (MB)
800 360 360
1200 480 540
2500 720 1125
3500 1080 1575
Note that there is no exact way of answering the question of how much data does 360p use per hour. It depends on many factors including bandwidth, internet speed, and frame rate. But you can also get a rough estimate by using an online Twitch bandwidth calculator.
How to reduce data usage on Twitch
There are several ways of reducing mobile data usage when streaming on Twitch. You can save internet data while using Twitch through:
- Changing video quality settings
You should change the video quality to a lower setting to save data on Twitch. A lower quality video means lower data usage.
- Compress your data
Compressing data helps to optimize it. When you compress data, you lower consumption. Also, this helps to speed up the loading time of website pages on the internet without changing your video content or quality.
- Limit the time you spend streaming on Twitch
The more time you spend streaming on Twitch, the more data you use. Instead of spending three hours streaming a video game, consider reducing the number to two hours. Such a strategy will allow you to reduce streaming data usage on Twitch.
Conclusion
So, how much data does Twitch streaming use? The answer is not simple because of many variables. In most cases, it depends on video quality, length, and elements you put in the video. But if you want to reduce Twitch live streaming data use, consider watching videos in low resolution, preferably 360p.