Adaptive Bitrate (ABR)
technologyTechnology that automatically adjusts video quality based on connection speed.
Explanation
Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) streaming automatically adjusts the video quality in real-time based on available bandwidth. When your connection slows, the player switches to a lower bitrate; when it speeds up, quality improves. Netflix, YouTube, and virtually all streaming services use ABR. Common standards include HLS and MPEG-DASH.
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Last updated: March 2026