VBR

What Does VBR Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

VBR (Variable Bit Rate) is a term used in computing and telecommunications which relates to the bitrate used in sound or video encoding.

More Detail...

In contrast to constant bitrate (CBR), VBR files vary the amount of data used throughout a piece of audio or video. VBR uses a higher bitrate (requiring more storage space) for more complex segments of media files, while using a lower bitrate for less complex segments. The average of these rates can be calculated to produce an average bitrate for the file. An advantage of using VBR is that it produces a better quality-to-space ratio compared to a file encoded using CBR. The disadvantages are that it may take more time to encode (as the process is more complex) and that some hardware might not be compatible with VBR files. Variable bit rate encoding is also commonly used on MPEG-2 video, MPEG-4 Part 2 video, MPEG-4 Part 10/H.264 video, Theora, Dirac and other video compression formats. VBR is also routinely used in the Opus, Vorbis, MP3, WMA and AAC audio formats.

Image for VBR

When I write VBR, I mean this:

The image shows encoding software which is using VBR (Variable Bit Rate).

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

VBR
Definition:	Variable Bit Rate
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of VBR in Sentences

Here is an example of VBR in a conversation:

Charlie: That Major Lazer tune you sent me is too big. I haven't enough space on my MP3 player.
Jordan: Okay. Don't worry, I have a VBR version that is smaller.

An Academic Look at VBR

VBR is an initialism abbreviation. This means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Vee Bee Ar). Initialisms contrast with acronyms, which are spoken like words.