A church continuously streaming a sermon recording to YouTube uses about 64.8 decimal GB per day at 6 Mbps or 108 decimal GB per day at 10 Mbps, before protocol overhead. Those are estimates of the encoder’s upload to YouTube, based on YouTube’s recommended H.264 live-ingest bitrates for 720p30 and 1080p30—not a viewer’s download use or a measurement of a particular church’s stream.
Estimated data use for a continuous live stream
For an uninterrupted stream, estimate outbound data with this formula:
Bitrate in Mbps × 10.8 = decimal GB transferred per 24 hours
The calculation assumes the selected bitrate is sustained all day. YouTube recommends constant bitrate encoding for its listed RTMP/RTMPS encoder settings. Actual traffic can differ because of bitrate variation and protocol overhead.
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| Live-ingest setting | YouTube-recommended bitrate | Estimated encoder upload per day | Estimated encoder upload per 30-day month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps, H.264 | 6 Mbps | 64.8 decimal GB | 1.944 decimal TB |
| 1080p at 30 fps, H.264 | 10 Mbps | 108 decimal GB | 3.24 decimal TB |
The monthly figures assume a 30-day month. YouTube’s bitrate recommendations are settings guidance, not a guarantee that a particular church’s encoder will transfer exactly these amounts. See YouTube’s live encoder settings.
What the estimate counts—and what it does not
The church’s encoder upload
The figures above count data sent from the church’s encoder upstream to YouTube. If a prerecorded sermon is played into an encoder that stays live, the encoder continues sending a live feed for as long as the stream runs. Looping the same recording does not make the stream’s network use equal to the recording’s file size or turn it into a one-time upload.
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Viewers’ data use is different
These estimates do not describe how much data viewers download. YouTube transcodes live streams into multiple playback formats; viewer consumption varies with the playback format and how long each person watches. YouTube says it transcodes streams so viewers on different devices and networks can watch. Without the viewer’s playback bitrate and watch duration, there is no single accurate per-viewer data total.
Uploading sermons as ordinary on-demand videos and embedding or playlisting them is a different workflow from continuously encoding a live stream. The estimates here apply to the latter.
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Plan enough upload bandwidth for a stable stream
Data allowance and upload speed are separate constraints. The connection must sustain the stream’s outgoing bitrate, and YouTube recommends leaving 20% upload headroom over the total stream bitrate. For one stream at the example rates, that means planning for approximately:
- 720p30 at 6 Mbps: 7.2 Mbps of available upload bandwidth.
- 1080p30 at 10 Mbps: 12 Mbps of available upload bandwidth.
Account for other simultaneous streams and network traffic too. YouTube recommends Ethernet when streaming from a computer; it may improve connection reliability, but it does not reduce the bitrate or the data transferred. See YouTube’s live streaming tips and network troubleshooting guidance.
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Practical checks for a church looping sermons
- Confirm the workflow: These numbers are for a live encoder sending continuously, not for viewers watching a normal uploaded sermon.
- Use the encoder’s actual bitrate: Multiply its sustained Mbps setting by 10.8 for an approximate decimal GB per day, then by the number of streaming days.
- Check the internet plan’s limits: If the church connection has a monthly data allowance, compare it with the encoder’s projected upload plus other internet use. Local provider caps and plan terms vary.
- Monitor stream health: A connection that cannot sustain the outgoing bitrate can interrupt or degrade a stream; reserve the recommended headroom and check other traffic on the network.
Or let it run in the cloud
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