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--- ffprobe:bitrate [2025/01/12 22:17] – created peter
+++ ffprobe:bitrate [2025/01/12 23:00] (current) – peter
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== ffprobe - Bitrate ======
+The bit rate of a video influences both the video quality and file size.
+  * Understanding the bit rate of a video is critical for encoding decisions, ensuring compatibility with bandwidth limits, or addressing quality issues caused by insufficient bit rates.
+  * It also helps when re-encoding videos for specific distribution channels.
+----
+===== Determine the bit rate =====
+<code bash>
+# For MP4
+ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=bit_rate -of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1 input.mp4
+# For MKV
+ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries format=bit_rate -of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1 input.mkv
+</code>
+returns:
+<code bash>
+4717811
+</code>
+<WRAP info>
+**NOTE:** The output will be in bits.
+  * To get this as Kbps divide by 1024.
+  * To get this as Kbps divide by 1048576.
+That data is not required to be written to the stream, and MKV does not support it.
+  * MKV stores that info in the container, meaning you need to replace **stream=bit_rate** with **format=bit_rate** for MKV containers.
+Options:
+  * **-v quiet**: sets the log level as quiet meaning show no logs.
+  * **-v error**: Limits output to errors to avoid any unnecessary information display.
+  * **-select_streams v:0**: selects the first video stream, if you have multiple video streams use this to target the one you want.
+    * Removing this means the bitrate will be shown for all video streams.
+  * **-show_entries stream=bit_rate**: shows the bitrate value for the specified stream (for MP4 files).
+  * **-show_entries format=bit_rate**: shows the bitrate value for the specified stream (for MKV files).
+  * **-of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1**: Formats the output to not print the header and section information.
+  * **input.mp4**: The file under examination.
+</WRAP>
+----
+===== Determine the bit rate manually =====
 <code bash>
@@ Line 14: / Line 65: @@
 </code>
+----
+===== References =====
+https://ffmpeg.org/ffprobe.html