---
title: "Adaptive video bitrate | PrimalDesk Docs"
description: "How PrimalDesk balances video detail and responsiveness as network conditions change."
url: "https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/adaptive-video-bitrate"
---

# Adaptive video bitrate

How PrimalDesk balances video detail and responsiveness as network conditions change.

PrimalDesk adjusts the amount of data used for a video stream while a session is running. It responds to delivery feedback and changing network capacity instead of assuming that the connection can always carry a fixed rate.

## What changes

When the network becomes congested, sending more video can build up a queue and make input feel delayed. PrimalDesk reduces the video bitrate to help keep delivery responsive. As conditions improve, the target can rise again within the configured limits. Busy scenes need more data than static ones, so the actual send rate also depends on what is on screen.

A lower bitrate can make fine detail or rapid motion look softer. This is a tradeoff between image detail and timely frames, not a change to the files or application running on the host. Adaptation does not remove physical network delay or guarantee uninterrupted playback.

## Desktop and Apps

Desktop streams and Apps windows using video benefit from adaptation. Apps can also use **pixel updates**, which transmit changed image regions using compression such as QOI or JPEG. QOI is lossless; JPEG is lossy. This mixed mode is separate from video bitrate adaptation and does not guarantee exact pixels. When a window switches to video, motion and fine detail can look different.

## Choosing settings

Treat a bitrate setting as a budget or limit, not a promise that the stream will continuously use that amount. Raising it cannot create bandwidth or remove congestion. Higher resolution and frame rate increase the work required of the host, client and network.

For persistently poor quality, compare wired networking with Wi-Fi, pause competing uploads, and check host/client load. Try a lower resolution or frame rate before increasing the bitrate limit. A direct route and a relay route can have different capacity and delay; neither is automatically fault-free.

See [network quality and frame rate](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/network-quality.md) for help distinguishing delay, jitter, loss and rendering load.

This guide describes the current development and testing phase.

[Back to documentation](https://docs.primaldesk.com/docs.md)

## Explore PrimalDesk

- [PrimalDesk Docs: all pages](https://docs.primaldesk.com/llms.txt)
- [PrimalDesk: all pages](https://primaldesk.com/llms.txt)
- [Product overview](https://primaldesk.com/index.md)
- [Documentation](https://docs.primaldesk.com/docs.md)
- [Help center](https://docs.primaldesk.com/help-center.md)

## Other pages on this site

- [PrimalDesk Docs | Multi-user Windows remote desktop](https://docs.primaldesk.com/index.md)
- [Adaptive video bitrate | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/adaptive-video-bitrate.md)
- [Connection overview | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/connection-overview.md)
- [Desktop or Apps: which mode should I choose? | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/desktop-vs-apps.md)
- [Make your first connection | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/first-connection.md)
- [GDPR and data requests | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/gdpr.md)
- [Windows compatibility | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/host-compatibility.md)
- [Firewall and ports | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/host-firewall.md)
- [Technical requirements | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/host-requirements.md)
- [Install and manage a Windows host | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/install-and-manage-host.md)
- [Mouse and keyboard controls | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/mouse-keyboard.md)
- [Work with multiple monitors | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/multiple-monitors.md)
- [Connect across different networks | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/nat-traversal.md)
- [Network quality and frame rate | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/network-quality.md)
- [RDS role and licensing | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/rds-licensing.md)
- [Fullscreen | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-fullscreen.md)
- [Integration | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-integration.md)
- [Overview | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-overview.md)
- [Apps publishing | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-publishing.md)
- [Rendering | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-rendering.md)
- [Apps restrictions | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-restrictions.md)
- [Session types | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-session-types.md)
- [Version support | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/remote-apps-version-support.md)
- [Audio | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/session-audio.md)
- [Clipboard | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/session-clipboard.md)
- [Input | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/session-input.md)
- [Third-party notices | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/third-party-notices.md)
- [Connection security | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/transport-security.md)
- [TURN relay | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/turn-relay.md)
- [Why does video quality change? | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/video-quality-changes.md)
- [Windows sessions | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/windows-sessions.md)
- [Workspace: connect from your browser | PrimalDesk Docs](https://docs.primaldesk.com/articles/workspace.md)
- [Windows host setup and network documentation | PrimalDesk](https://docs.primaldesk.com/docs.md)
- [Remote desktop help center | PrimalDesk](https://docs.primaldesk.com/help-center.md)