compare ascii-chat's data's bandwidth usage to 1080p video

ascii-chat-bandwidth-comparison.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import zlib

width = 203
height = 64
fps = 60  # 60 fps

# Test different scenarios
scenarios = []

# 1. Best case - mostly spaces and simple patterns
simple_frame = (' ' * width + '\n') * (height // 2) + ('=' * width + '\n') * (height // 2)
scenarios.append(("Simple/static", simple_frame))

# 2. Typical ASCII art - mix of characters
typical = []
chars = " .'`^\",:;Il!i><~+_-?][}{1)(|/tfjrxnuvczXYUJCLQ0OZmwqpdbkhao*#MW&8%B@$"
for y in range(height):
    row = ''.join(chars[(x+y*2) % len(chars)] for x in range(width))
    typical.append(row)
scenarios.append(("Typical ASCII art", '\n'.join(typical)))

# 3. Colored with smart optimization (only change color when needed)
colored = []
for y in range(height):
    row = []
    for x in range(width):
        # Only add color codes every ~20 chars (when color actually changes)
        if x % 20 == 0:
            # Average ANSI code is ~14 bytes: \033[38;2;RRR;GGG;BBBm
            row.append(f"\033[38;2;{100+x%155};{100+y%155};{150}m")
        row.append(chars[(x+y) % len(chars)])
    row.append("\033[0m")  # Reset at end
    colored.append(''.join(row))
scenarios.append(("Smart colored", '\n'.join(colored)))

# 4. Worst case - every character has unique color
worst = []
for y in range(height):
    row = []
    for x in range(width):
        # Every char gets a color code
        row.append(f"\033[38;2;{x%256};{y%256};{(x+y)%256}m")
        row.append(chars[(x+y) % len(chars)])
    row.append("\033[0m")
    worst.append(''.join(row))
scenarios.append(("Worst case (every char colored)", '\n'.join(worst)))

print("=== Realistic Bandwidth Analysis @ 60 FPS ===\n")
print(f"Frame: {width}x{height} chars @ {fps} fps")
print(f"Total characters per frame: {width*height:,}\n")

for name, frame in scenarios:
    frame_bytes = frame.encode('utf-8')
    compressed = zlib.compress(frame_bytes, level=6)

    bandwidth_bps = len(compressed) * fps * 8
    bandwidth_kbps = bandwidth_bps / 1000
    bandwidth_mbps = bandwidth_bps / 1_000_000

    print(f"{name}:")
    print(f"  Uncompressed: {len(frame_bytes):,} bytes/frame")
    print(f"  Compressed:   {len(compressed):,} bytes/frame ({len(compressed)/len(frame_bytes):.1%})")
    print(f"  Bandwidth:    {bandwidth_kbps:.1f} kbps ({bandwidth_mbps:.3f} Mbps)")
    print()

print("=== Video Comparison ===")
print("1080p60 H.264 typical bitrates:")
print("  Low quality:     6.0 Mbps")
print("  Medium quality:  10.0 Mbps")
print("  High quality:    15.0 Mbps")
print("  Twitch 1080p60:  6.0 Mbps")
print("  YouTube 1080p60: 12.0 Mbps")

print("\n=== Bandwidth Savings vs 10 Mbps 1080p60 video ===")
for name, frame in scenarios:
    compressed = zlib.compress(frame.encode('utf-8'), level=6)
    bandwidth_mbps = (len(compressed) * fps * 8) / 1_000_000
    savings = (1 - bandwidth_mbps/10.0) * 100
    ratio = 10.0 / bandwidth_mbps if bandwidth_mbps > 0 else float('inf')
    print(f"{name:30s}: {savings:+6.1f}% {'(saves)' if savings > 0 else '(uses more)'} | Video is {ratio:.1f}x larger")

=== Realistic Bandwidth Analysis @ 60 FPS ===

Frame: 203x64 chars @ 60 fps
Total characters per frame: 12,992

Simple/static:
Uncompressed: 13,056 bytes/frame
Compressed: 104 bytes/frame (0.8%)
Bandwidth: 49.9 kbps (0.050 Mbps)

Typical ASCII art:
Uncompressed: 13,055 bytes/frame
Compressed: 340 bytes/frame (2.6%)
Bandwidth: 163.2 kbps (0.163 Mbps)

Smart colored:
Uncompressed: 26,687 bytes/frame
Compressed: 3,283 bytes/frame (12.3%)
Bandwidth: 1575.8 kbps (1.576 Mbps)

Worst case (every char colored):
Uncompressed: 233,548 bytes/frame
Compressed: 44,019 bytes/frame (18.8%)
Bandwidth: 21129.1 kbps (21.129 Mbps)

=== Video Comparison ===
1080p60 H.264 typical bitrates:
Low quality: 6.0 Mbps
Medium quality: 10.0 Mbps
High quality: 15.0 Mbps
Twitch 1080p60: 6.0 Mbps
YouTube 1080p60: 12.0 Mbps

=== Bandwidth Savings vs 10 Mbps 1080p60 video ===
Simple/static : +99.5% (saves) | Video is 200.3x larger
Typical ASCII art : +98.4% (saves) | Video is 61.3x larger
Smart colored : +84.2% (saves) | Video is 6.3x larger
Worst case (every char colored): -111.3% (uses more) | Video is 0.5x larger