From what I've read, you should always use CBR for video use online, which is what I do. VBR is harder to control file sizes.
Constant bit rate (CBR) encoding persists the set data rate to your setting over the whole video clip. Use CBR only if your clip contains a similar motion level across the entire duration. CBR is most commonly used for streaming video content using the Flash Media Server (rtmp)
Variable bit rate (VBR) encoding adjusts the data rate down and to the upper limit you set, based on the data required by the compressor. VBR takes longer to encode but produces the most favorable results. VBR is most commonly used for http delivery if video content (http progressive)
http://help.encoding.com/idx.php/4/0...-encoding.html