A digital video communication system for bidirectional communication between a first station and a second station is disclosed. The first station, which may be a camera head unit, includes a first transmitting portion and a first receiving portion. The first transmitting portion has a video data processing unit supplied with video data and adapted for outputting processed video data at a variable transmission bit rate controlled by a first rate controlling signal, and a first multiplexing unit for multiplexing audio data and an error detection signal on the processed video data. The first receiving portion has a separating unit for separating video data, a control signal and audio data from received multiplexed data, a generating unit for generating the rate control signal from the control signal and a unit for supplying the rate signal to the video data processing unit. The second station, which may be a camera control unit, includes a second receiving portion and a second transmitting portion, with the second receiving portion having a separating unit for separating the video data, the audio data and the error detecting signal from the multiplexed data and error detecting means supplied with the error detecting signal for detecting the error rate and generating error rate detecting signal. The second transmitting portion has a control signal generating unit supplied with the error rate detecting signal and adapted for generating the control signal, and a second multiplexing unit for multiplexing the video data, audio data and the control signal.