Streaming tech is full of confusing acronyms. Here is the definitive guide to what they all mean.
AV1
AOMedia Video 1. A modern, open-source video codec that is ~40% more efficient than H.264. It provides much higher quality at the same bitrate but requires newer hardware (RTX 40-series / RX 7000-series) to encode.
Bitrate
The "speed" of your video data, measured in Kbps. Think of it like water in a pipe: higher bitrate = larger pipe = better quality. Twitch caps this at 6,000 Kbps.
CBR (Constant Bitrate)
An encoding mode where the data rate stays flat. It's mandatory for live streaming (Twitch/YouTube) because it prevents network instability.
CQP (Constant Quantization Parameter)
A rate control mode based on *quality* rather than bitrate. It tells the encoder: "maintain this level of quality, use as much data as needed." Best for local recording.
Keyframe Interval
How often a complete picture is sent. Streaming platforms require this to be 2 seconds. If set to "auto" or "0", your stream may fail or buffer endlessly.
NVENC
NVIDIA's dedicated physical chip on their GPUs for video encoding. It allows you to stream with high quality without using your CPU or slowing down your game.
VBR (Variable Bitrate)
An encoding mode where bitrate fluctuates based on scene complexity. Great for saving space on local recordings, but bad for streaming.
x264
A software-based encoder that uses your CPU. It can offer slightly better quality per bit than older GPUs, but uses a lot of processing power.
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