Definition

The bit rate (also called data rate) is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time, most often (but not exclusively) employed when discussing time-based media like sound or video.

Overview

A bit rate is usually measured in some multiple of bits per second — for example, kilobits (or thousands of bits per second), kilobits per second, (kbit/s or kbps (10³)); megabits per second, (Mbit/s or Mbps (10⁶); or gigabits per second, (Gbit/s or Gbps (10⁹)).