Bitrates are the measurement of the amount of data as transmitted over a network such as the Internet. The unit is kbps or kilobits per second.

The table below lists the most common bitrates. However, these are not absolute numbers as every Internet user's bitrate goes up and down depending upon what they are also using their connection for (surfing other pages, email, etc.) and fluctuations in the Internet between their computer and yours.

Paying for bandwidth is among the highest expenses for a commercial website. The web host for video or audio content must pay not only for data storage but for the amount of data streamed by visitors. At the same time the operator has concerns over the fidelity of their content. Therefore, the operator must provide the best quality content but at lowest bitrate.

However, the operator must also ensure that all likely visitor's bandwidths are covered from a dial-up modem user to a broadband user. Site visitors expect to receive instant playback from media.

Clipstream™ Audio 3 outputs to: 32kbps (mono only), 44 (mono only), 64 (mono or stereo), 96 (mono or stereo), 128, 256 and 512kbps.

This depends upon your content, webhosting and on your perceived audience.

On the content side, if you have an audio clip that is only voice, you might consider outputting just a dial-up clip at 32kbps and a high speed clip at 64kbps mono. However, if you have a music clip then you should consider also outputting clips in the 128kbps - 512kbps range and use the stereo features

If your audience is primarily comprised of modem, then naturally you may consider aiming only for the lower bitrates. If you know that your audience is mainly broadband, then you might disregard the dial-up speed. However, a modem user might not appreciate waiting to buffer a large clip intended for a DSL user. Clipstream Audio will check the listener's bandwidth and provide the appropriate speed so offering a range is often the best delivery.

Your webhost is also an important determiner. If space is a concern, then instead of outputting to a wide range of bitrates, you can pick the most likely bitrates. From a quality stand-point, 256kbps is nearly as good as a 512kbps to the human ear. Whereas a 96kbps mono sample is a large improvement over 32kbps mono. The dial-up speeds take up very little space so including one is generally a good idea. If space is a real concern, a single 64 kbps mono file will perform well with good sound for most and will only require periodic buffering for a dial-up listener. As well as space, bandwidth at the webhost should be considered... if your download speed is not large then you should not offer the higher speed files.