Downscale Video Resolution

While Resi’s products and services allow you to broadcast at resolutions up to 4K, in some cases you may want to stream at a lower resolution. This process is known as downscaling, and it isn't done through your encoder, decoder, or Studio. However, you should still have an understanding of what downscaling is, when to use it, and which steps you can take to do it.

Why Should I Downscale My Video?

Streaming to social or web

If you are shooting at 4K resolution and intend on broadcasting to the web or social media, you will need to downscale your video to 1080p or lower in order to comply with the current limitations of both platforms.

Streaming at a lower bandwidth

Network and bandwidth limitations are a good reason to downscale a video. By doing so, you can still broadcast your video over a slow or unreliable network. This will also lower your Resi bandwidth usage.

How Do I Downscale My Video?

There are two ways to downscale a live video broadcast:

• Shoot it at a lower resolution
• Run your signal through a video resolution scaler before it reaches your encoder.

Alternatively, if you want to record at a higher resolution for use later, use a capture card with scaling capabilities in between your camera and switcher/encoder, depending on your setup.

For pre-recorded content that you want to upload to Studio, make sure you downscale your video beforehand. You can do this using a transcoding application, such as HandBrake (free) or Adobe Premiere Pro. For more information read our guide on how to Export or Convert Your Video for Use with Resi.