Adaptive Bitrate (ABR)

technology

Technology 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.

Last updated: March 2026