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FFmpeg

How to Change SRS YouTube Stream Resolution and Bitrate

Use SRS’s FFmpeg transcoding controls to change output dimensions, frame rate, and bitrate. Learn how pass-through differs and how to align the result with YouTube Live.

By VGSources Team 5 min read
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To change the resolution or bitrate that SRS sends to YouTube, configure an active SRS/FFmpeg transcode: set the output dimensions with vwidth and vheight, the frame rate with vfps, and the video bitrate with vbitrate. If SRS is only forwarding or copying the incoming stream, those settings cannot change its encoded video; change the upstream encoder or enable transcoding.

First determine whether SRS is transcoding

Resolution and bitrate belong to the encoded video. A pass-through setup forwards the existing encoded stream, so changing output options that only apply to FFmpeg transcoding will not resize or re-encode it. To alter the output, either configure the source encoder to produce the desired stream or have SRS use FFmpeg to transcode it. SRS’s parameter mapping documents how its transcoding options map to FFmpeg controls: SRS v3 FFmpeg parameter mapping.

  • Pass-through/copy: avoids an additional encode, but preserves the source video’s dimensions, frame rate, and bitrate.
  • Transcoding: gives you control over output dimensions, frame rate, and bitrate, but requires an FFmpeg encoding process and the compute capacity to run it.

SRS documentation describes using FFmpeg to transcode a live stream and send it to another RTMP server. That describes the general workflow, not a complete, version-independent YouTube deployment recipe. See SRS Transcode Deploy, and check the syntax against the SRS release you actually run.

Set the transcoded output in SRS

When FFmpeg transcoding is active, SRS documents these controls for the output video:

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Output setting SRS parameter What it controls
Width vwidth Output width in pixels.
Height vheight Output height in pixels.
Frame rate vfps Output frames per second.
Video bitrate vbitrate Output video bitrate. SRS documents this value in kbps; the corresponding FFmpeg value is in bps.

Choose dimensions and frame rate that match the output you intend to send. For example, a 1920×1080 output at 30 fps is a different ingest target from 1920×1080 at 60 fps, and YouTube’s recommended H.264 bitrate differs accordingly. Do not copy a value between SRS and an FFmpeg command without accounting for the units: SRS documents kbps, while FFmpeg uses bps.

The available SRS documentation here covers a v3 wiki mapping and a v4 deployment example; it does not establish a single current configuration block or defaults that apply to every release. Treat the parameter names as a guide to the relevant controls and consult documentation for your deployed version before editing its configuration. Restart or reload only as that version’s documentation directs, then verify the actual output rather than assuming a config change took effect.

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Choose an ingest target that fits YouTube and your connection

YouTube Help recommends selecting resolution, frame rate, and bitrate in the encoder, and choosing a quality your connection can reliably sustain. Its current encoder-settings guidance, accessed in 2026, lists the following values. The H.264 figures are recommendations; AV1/H.265 figures are a separate minimum–maximum range, not interchangeable with the H.264 recommendations.

Codec guidance in YouTube Help Resolution and frame rate Video bitrate guidance
H.264 recommended 1080p, 30 fps 10 Mbps
H.264 recommended 1080p, 60 fps 12 Mbps
H.264 recommended 720p, 60 fps 6 Mbps
H.264 recommended 240p–720p, 30 fps 4 Mbps
AV1/H.265 range 1080p, 30 fps 3–8 Mbps
AV1/H.265 range 1080p, 60 fps 4–10 Mbps

These are YouTube Help recommendations, not independent test results or a guarantee that a particular connection will be stable. The Help page does not state a publication date; 2026 refers to when the page was accessed, not when it was published. For the complete guidance and other codec and resolution combinations, see YouTube’s live encoder settings.

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Leave enough upload capacity for a stable stream rather than choosing a target that consumes all available upstream bandwidth. If SRS is on a server, assess the server’s available network capacity as well as the source-to-SRS connection; the stream must reach YouTube from the point that forwards or encodes it. The suitable target depends on codec, output resolution and frame rate, available upload bandwidth, and connection reliability.

Match YouTube Live settings to the stream SRS actually sends

  1. Configure SRS’s transcode output for the width, height, frame rate, and bitrate you intend to ingest. If you are not transcoding, inspect or change the upstream encoder instead.
  2. Set the YouTube encoder or Live Control Room options to agree with that output. YouTube normally detects incoming resolution and frame rate. To select them manually, YouTube says to use a custom stream key and the manual settings in Live Control Room.
  3. Start a test stream before an important broadcast. Use representative motion and audio; a static screen alone may not reveal how the chosen settings behave during gameplay or other fast movement.
  4. Check stream health while testing and during the event. If the connection is unstable, reduce the output target or address the network bottleneck before relying on it live.

YouTube transcodes an incoming live stream into multiple formats for viewers. The resolution you send is therefore the ingest resolution; it does not mean every viewer receives that exact resolution. For platform-specific guidance, use YouTube Help.

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Troubleshoot resolution and bitrate changes

  • The YouTube stream still has the old resolution: confirm that an FFmpeg transcode is active. In pass-through mode, change the source encoder or enable transcoding. Also verify the dimensions of the stream reaching YouTube.
  • The output is the right size but the bitrate is wrong: check that you changed the transcoded output rather than an unrelated input setting, and check units. SRS documents vbitrate in kbps; the mapped FFmpeg value is in bps.
  • YouTube detects a different resolution or frame rate: inspect the actual encoded output from SRS and compare it with the manual Live Control Room selection. YouTube can detect those values automatically; manual selection requires a custom stream key.
  • The stream is unstable at the chosen target: lower the resolution, frame rate, or bitrate to a level the connection can sustain, then test again. A bitrate recommendation is not evidence that your available upload capacity can support it reliably.
  • A configuration edit has no effect or fails to start: check the syntax and supported options for your installed SRS version. The cited parameter map is specifically for SRS v3, while the deployment example is for v4; neither establishes universal current syntax.

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