--- title: "What Is Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR)? | RentAnOTT" description: "Adaptive bitrate streaming switches video quality during playback to match each viewer's connection. See how it works and how to build a bitrate ladder." url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/adaptive-bitrate-streaming" markdown_url: "https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/adaptive-bitrate-streaming.md" category: "Streaming technology" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # What is adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR)? Adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) is a delivery method in which a video is encoded at several quality levels and the player switches between them during playback, choosing the highest quality the viewer's connection can sustain without stalling. ## How adaptive bitrate streaming works The video is encoded into a set of versions, called renditions, at different resolutions and bitrates. Each rendition is cut into short segments of a few seconds, aligned so that a switch can happen at any segment boundary. A manifest file lists what is available. The player measures how fast segments are arriving and how much video it has buffered. If the connection is strong it requests the next segment from a higher rendition; if it weakens, a lower one. The viewer sees a change in sharpness instead of a spinning wheel. ## The bitrate ladder The set of renditions is called a bitrate ladder. An example for a film in H.264 might be: - 1080p at about 5 Mbps - 720p at about 3 Mbps - 480p at about 1.5 Mbps - 360p at about 0.8 Mbps - 240p at about 0.4 Mbps ## Why it matters - Fewer stalls: playback continues when a connection dips - Faster starts: the player can begin on a low rung and step up - One set of files serves every device, from a phone on mobile data to a 4K television - Lower delivery cost: viewers on small screens are not sent more data than they can use ## Protocols that use it HLS and MPEG-DASH are the two adaptive streaming protocols in general use. Both work over ordinary web servers and CDNs, which is what makes large-scale streaming affordable. ## Adaptive bitrate streaming on RentAnOTT RentAnOTT encodes each upload for adaptive delivery, up to 1080p on Launch and up to 4K on Growth and Scale. Use the bitrate calculator to plan a ladder for your content. [Try the bitrate calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/video-bitrate-calculator). ## Related terms - [Bitrate](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/bitrate) — Bitrate is the amount of data used to represent one second of video or audio, measured in kilobits or megabits per second (kbps or Mbps). A higher bitrate carries more detail and produces larger files and higher delivery costs. - [Bitrate ladder](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/bitrate-ladder) — A bitrate ladder, or encoding ladder, is the list of versions a video is encoded into for adaptive streaming. Each rung pairs a resolution with a bitrate, and the player moves up and down the rungs as the viewer's connection changes. - [HLS](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/hls) — HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is a streaming protocol created by Apple that delivers video as a series of short segments over ordinary web servers, listed in playlist files with the .m3u8 extension. It is the most widely supported way to stream both live and on-demand video. - [MPEG-DASH](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/mpeg-dash) — MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) is an international standard for adaptive bitrate streaming. Like HLS, it delivers video as short segments over ordinary web servers, described by a manifest file, here called an MPD. - [Transcoding](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/transcoding) — Transcoding is converting a video from one encoded format into another. On a streaming platform it means taking an uploaded file or a live feed and producing the several resolutions and bitrates needed for adaptive playback on every device. - [Video encoding](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-encoding) — Video encoding is compressing video with a codec, such as H.264, H.265 or AV1, so that it is small enough to store and stream. It removes detail the eye will not miss and describes each frame by how it differs from its neighbors. - [Buffering](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/buffering) — Buffering is the interruption that occurs when a video player runs out of downloaded video and has to pause, usually showing a spinner, until more arrives. The technical term for a pause after playback has started is rebuffering. - [Video player](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/video-player) — A video player is the software on a viewer's device that requests a stream, decodes it and displays it, and provides the controls for watching. In a streaming service it also handles adaptive quality, DRM, subtitles, advertising and analytics. - [CDN](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary/cdn) — A CDN (content delivery network) is a network of servers spread across many locations that stores copies of content and delivers each request from a server near the viewer. For streaming, it is what carries the video segments from the platform to the audience. ## Further reading - [Choosing a live streaming player](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/live-streaming-player) - [Streaming bandwidth cost calculator](https://www.rentanott.com/tools/streaming-bandwidth-cost-calculator) - [2K video resolution explained](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs/2k-video-resolution) ## Frequently asked questions ### What does ABR stand for? In streaming, ABR stands for adaptive bitrate. In encoding, the same letters can mean average bitrate, a rate-control setting, so check the context. ### How many renditions should a ladder have? Four to seven is typical. Too few and the jumps in quality are obvious; too many adds encoding and storage cost with little visible benefit. ### Does adaptive bitrate streaming work for live video? Yes. The live feed is transcoded into the ladder in real time and the player adapts exactly as it does for on-demand. All 163 terms: [Streaming and OTT glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary). ## Book a demo Tell RentAnOTT what you are launching. The team walks through the platform and maps the path to go-live around your catalog, markets and revenue model. Book a demo: https://www.rentanott.com/contact ## More from RentAnOTT - [Home](https://www.rentanott.com/index.md) — What RentAnOTT is, what every plan includes, and how launch works - [Features](https://www.rentanott.com/features.md) — Every core feature and optional add-on - [Pricing](https://www.rentanott.com/pricing.md) — Platform tiers, apps, add-ons, usage rates and example bills in INR and USD - [Free tools](https://www.rentanott.com/tools.md) — OTT app builder and calculators for streaming revenue, bandwidth, bitrate and pricing - [Insights](https://www.rentanott.com/blogs.md) — All streaming business articles - [Glossary](https://www.rentanott.com/glossary.md) — Definitions of streaming and OTT terms - [Book a demo](https://www.rentanott.com/contact.md) — Talk to RentAnOTT about your launch Full site in one file: https://www.rentanott.com/llms-full.txt