Video bitrate? Quick question...

Question

Do you guys think a 10 min video with a bitrate of 400kbps is safe to play on most internet connections in today's age? Also it's 60 MB but I should only be concerned about the bitrate correct? Not the file size?
Thanks

Answer 1

I think you need to ask yourself "who is the audience?"
For those with dial up connections, even 400 will be way too much.
DSL typically starts around 750, so 400 should work (assuming little or no network congestion).
Satellite users will be around the same as DSL users.
Broadband (cable and FiOS) have a much larger bandwidth (typically starting at 5,000 and going up from there), so even 700 is far below what they can theoretically handle.
As a reference, Netflix streams HD movies at about 3,200 and Hulu at about 2,500.  So...400 is very low by comparison.
About 80% of U.S households have broadband Internet, so use that when you decide if broadband alone is the market you're after, or if you want to include DSL and sattelite users as well.