1080p Vs. 720p — Is A Bigger Resolution Always Better For HD Live Streaming?

This post explains why a 1080p video stream does not always look better than a 720p stream. It's the main post in our series on HD live streaming.

The common belief is that more pixels means a higher-quality picture for viewers. But this isn't necessarily ture,thanks to the video compression process.

When encoding for live streaming, hardware and software encoders compress raw video using techniques like chroma subsampling, spatial image compression, and temporal motion compensation to reduce the bandwidth of the original video to about 1/1000th of its original size.

Does a higher resolution actually provide higher subjective quality?

For a given encoded video bit rate, the compression algorithm will be able to achieve a better encoded video on a smaller video than on a larger video. In other words, the number of “encoded bits per pixel” is higher for lower resolutions. What this means is that, depending on your video content (is it very static, like a conference speaker, or more dynamic, like a basketball game?) and video bit rate, your video may actually look better to viewers at 720p than at 1080p.