12 · Encoding, Bitrate & Colour

Every output is compressed and tagged on its own. Use the per-output Encoder window to set bitrate, codec, profile, bit-depth, chroma, resolution and timecode so each destination gets exactly what it needs. HDR capture is set on the EXT row, and an optional Colourimetry window tags an output's colour metadata.

Global defaults that seed new outputs live in Main Settings > Encoding — see Settings & Configuration.

How to open each window

Encoder — each enabled output shows a coloured codec/bitrate badge on its sub-row (e.g. H264 | Auto, H265 | 3M, Source). Click it. For NDI outputs the badge opens NDI Format (resolution only).

Hardware Settings (HDR capture) — open Hardware Settings on an EXT (hardware capture) row.

Colourimetry — the LUT-icon button on each row. Turn it on first in Main Settings > Beta Features > Colorimetry.

Stop an output before changing its encoder or colour settings — the badge and LUT button are disabled while a row is streaming.

See also Outputs (SRT & NDI) and Hardware Capture.

Setting bitrate

Bitrate controls sit at the top of the Encoder window:

Auto Bitrate — Pulsar picks a sensible bitrate from the resolution and codec. The badge reads Auto, then shows the computed value (e.g. 6M) once you start streaming.
Manual Bitrate slider — turn Auto off and drag to your target in Mbps (0.5M steps). The min/max for that row type appear under the slider.

Set a manual bitrate on an SRT output

Click the output's codec/bitrate badge to open the Encoder window.
Turn Auto Bitrate off.
Drag the Manual Bitrate slider to the Mbps you want.
Click Apply — the badge updates to e.g. H264 | 3M.

Choosing how an output is encoded

Below the bitrate, pick the encoding strategy:

Source (SRT-input rows only) — forward the input straight through, no re-encode. Bitrate and codec match the source.
Global — inherit codec, profile, bit-depth, chroma and resolution from Main Settings > Encoding. A summary line shows what that resolves to.
Custom — override everything for this one output.

Use the global defaults

Open the Encoder window and click Global.
Check the summary line, then Apply. To change what "global" means, edit Main Settings > Encoding.

Pass an SRT input straight through

On an SRT-input row, open Output 1's Encoder window.
Click Source, then Apply — the badge reads Source and no re-encode happens.

Force H.265 with a specific profile

Open the Encoder window and click Custom.
Under Codec, click H.265.
Optionally pick a specific Encoder (or leave it on Auto).
Pick a Profile (e.g. main or main-10) and, if needed, Bit Depth / Chroma (10-bit and 4:2:2 need H.265).
Click Apply — the badge turns orange and reads H265 | <bitrate>.

In Custom mode you can start from a preset card — Standard, High Quality, High Quality 10-bit, 4K Broadcast — to fill every field in one click. Editing any field switches back to Custom.

Change the output resolution

Open the Encoder window and click Custom.
Under Output Resolution, pick Source / 720p / 1080p / 2160p.
Click Apply.

For NDI outputs the window is titled NDI Format and resolution is the only setting that applies.

Custom controls

Control	What it does
Codec	H.264 or H.265. H.265 is needed for 10-bit and 4:2:2.
Encoder	Leave on Auto, or pin a specific hardware/software encoder.
Profile	e.g. main, main-10, high.
Bit Depth	Source / 8-bit / 10-bit (10-bit is H.265 only).
Chroma	Source / 4:2:0 / 4:2:2.
Output Resolution	Source / 720p / 1080p / 2160p.
Rate Control	CBR holds the target bitrate (broadcast-safe); VBR floats with content.
Encoding Mode	Low Latency Live / Broadcast Quality / File Playout / Screen Capture.

If a combination isn't fully supported, a yellow banner explains the issue and some bit-depth/chroma options become unselectable. A Runtime encoder: … line tells you which encoder will actually run.

Per-output timecode

The bottom of the Encoder window stamps timecode onto the output, with a live HH:MM:SS:FF readout top-right.

Timecode Mode:

None — no timecode.
Source Timecode — pass through the input's timecode (available once the row is receiving it).
Global — follow the project-wide timecode default.
App Clock — use the app's clock, with a sub-source: Machine clock, NTP (set an NTP server), Free-run (count from a start value), or Lock to row (mirror another row's timecode).
Generate — free-run from a Start TC you enter.

FPS sets the frame rate used in timecode arithmetic — leave on Inherited or pick an explicit project value.

Stamp timecode on an output

Open the Encoder window; the Timecode section is at the bottom.
Pick a Mode — Source Timecode if the input carries it, otherwise App Clock or Generate.
Set FPS if you're not inheriting it.
Watch the live readout, then click Apply.

NTP shows machine time in the preview; the network offset is applied when streaming starts.

HDR capture from a DeckLink card

Real HDR capture (BT.2020, 10-bit PQ/HLG) is set on the EXT row's Hardware Settings, not the Encoder window.

On the EXT row, open Hardware Settings.
Pick the capture device (Blackmagic DeckLink).
In the HDR section, tick HDR (BT.2020, 10-bit) — this captures 10-bit 4:2:0.
Choose the HDR Transfer: PQ — HDR10 (SMPTE ST 2084) or HLG (ARIB STD-B67).
Click Apply. The SRT/NDI encode is tagged BT.2020 PQ/HLG as HEVC Main10.

With HDR off, the same section offers a plain Bit Depth choice — 8-bit (SDR) or 10-bit.

Orbit output is always BT.709 SDR — see Orbit Streaming. Verify HDR on real hardware before relying on it for a production.

Colour & HDR tagging (BETA)

Turn this on in Main Settings > Beta Features > Colorimetry, then use the LUT-icon button on each row to control how its colour is handled on output.

Colourimetry Mode:

Passthrough — keep the source's colour metadata, no processing.
OCIO — apply an OpenColorIO transform (built-in ACES Studio or your own .ocio config, with input/output transforms and a Fast Render toggle).
3D LUT — apply a file-based LUT (.cube, .clf, .3dl, .csp and more) via Browse.
Metadata Override (HDR/BT.2020) — tag the output's colour primaries/transfer/matrix without converting the pixels.

Tag an output as HDR/BT.2020 without converting pixels

Click the row's LUT-icon button.
Set Mode = Metadata Override (HDR/BT.2020).
Choose Colour Primaries (e.g. BT.2020), Transfer Function (e.g. PQ (HDR10) or HLG) and Colour Matrix.
Check the live Caps: preview line, then click Save.

Setting	Options
Colour Primaries	BT.709 / BT.2020 / SMPTE 170M
Transfer Function	BT.709 (Gamma 2.4) / sRGB / PQ (HDR10) / HLG
Colour Matrix	BT.709 / BT.2020 Non-Constant / BT.2020 Constant

Tips & gotchas

Stop the stream first — the badge and LUT button are disabled while an output is live.
NDI uses only the resolution — codec, bitrate, profile, bit-depth and chroma don't apply to NDI outputs.
Live-capture rows stay on Low Latency Live — NDI, EXT/DeckLink and SRT-in outputs are pinned to it, because other modes add B-frames that some receivers (e.g. Nimble) drop or throttle.
H.264 can't do 10-bit — switch to H.265 for 10-bit or 4:2:2. Switching codec also resets the encoding mode and restores that codec's last encoder/profile.
HDR capture forces 10-bit 4:2:0 and tags HEVC Main10. Orbit output always falls back to BT.709 SDR.
Source Timecode stays disabled until the row is receiving timecode from its input.