Streaming / Downloading / Bandwidth

[Anonymous]

If you watch a film via a smart box to TV, then I think it’s streaming? do you use the same bandwidth as you do downloading the same film.

The same goes for Sky on demand, while it downloads it shows you how heavy it is (mb-gb)

So with the two am I using a lot of bandwidth, is it more-less or the same use of bandwidth streaming.

Although I have unlimited broadband does their become a cut off point, when Richard says no more.

[blacklion1725]

Stand to be corrected on all of this………

 

I think the film would be the same total amount of data, but likely to use different bandwidth….since the film will stream in real time (90 minute film will stream for 90 minutes) but would probably download a lot faster. If it downloaded 4 times faster than real time playback then it would be using 4 times the bandwidth for a quarter of the time. If a data allowance is caped at say 30GB then the impact of watching versus downloading the film would be the same (e.g. 1.5GB or whatever)

Not sure about Virgin they used to have a bad name for “traffic management” – not sure if that still applies or if they have a fair use cap on their unlimited service.

[Anonymous]

Thanks blacklion

So if it is capped on a fair use, using a smart box could quickly eat it up.

[PlaneMan]

John, if they throttle you it’ll be to 25% of your normal speed (or used to be). Ive had Virgin cable for a long time and used to get throttled in the early days, I honestly can’t remember the last time it happened to me and I watch on demand almost exclusively.

In short, don’t worry about it. If it happens you’ll know about.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PM

I was just looking at Virgin Traffic management, but don’t understand it.

Maybe as you say don’t worry, wait and see (if ever)

[The Duke]

Bandwidth is so abundant now, unless your in the top 5 or 10% of abusers your not going to be throttled on an unlimited connection.

I’m with Talk Talk and hover around 1000GB (1TB) per month and never been throttled. I’d imagine Virgin unlimited would be similar. But even at a quarter of the cap, your unlikely to get near 250GB, given your not a family of 7 and (big and) have access to television, somthing we don’t have.

 

BL mentioned being ‘throttled’ daily at one point, this was not throttling because of his over use but because Virgin had over subscribed in his area. They call that “traffic shaping” , basically throttleing all for the communal good. Ie cos they are greedy.

So i wouldn’t worry. Also when streaming you will download the video to Cache within the 1st quater of the film, or most services do. You can test this by turning your Internet off halfway through the movie,  I found this out by accident, but I’ve found it rings true with most serices. Not sure about sky though.

Ether way the film size is going to be about the same, if you measure  apples to apples, through I find you can get the same films in different sizes, if your willing to a drop in resolution. I personally always opt for 720p when given the choice, as it’s about half that of a full HD.

a 4k film will be in the region of 15 to 25GB in size, 720p about 700Mb-GB, 1080 about 1.5GB to 2.5Gb bit rate and video lenght depending.

 

[Robin Long]

Assuming I believe the BT Router I’m hovering about 1000gb per month to the biggest culprits being my daughter’s tablet at 158gb her phone at 290gb she streams everything and the android box used for alternative media at 331gb.  Interestingly the sky box which downloads quite a lot of catchup has only munched 30gb of data, both NowTV boxes just list NaN next to their downloads. So I’d say that streaming uses far more data than downloads.

Cheers Knight,

RIP Spike09 Your Missed
If I'm not here, I'm there.

Finally joined Twitter! longr79

[blacklion1725]

Fair play for how much data you use each month – I’m impressed 🙂 but not sure I follow your reasoning….

If you stream a 2GB film it will use 2GB of data, and if you download it it will use 2GB of data (probably in a shorter time). As Duke says streaming is downloading, but stored/cached only temporarily.

If you stream a lot more than you d/l, then that will account for a bigger bite out of your total data usage, but surely if you downloaded all that streamed content the data usage would be the same?

Only applying my layman’s logic here (so could have it all wrong)

[Drezha]

Virgin just sent me a “value statement” today. Looks like I’ve used over 1.5TB in about 4 months

1526GB of data between July and November.

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Ed P]

Virgin may not ‘count’ streaming from their sites when administering caps. I believe BT (when it had its Sky rival) did not count BT TV downloads at all.

[PlaneMan]

Ed P wrote:

Virgin may not ‘count’ streaming from their sites when administering caps.

It’s only uploads that affect and trigger traffic management now.

 

I’ve used 52 gigabytes in 13 days, I’m amazed it’s that little, everything comes via broadband since my aerial  packed up. I’m also re-watching The X-Files via Amazon Prime, lots of episodes a day, all in HD.

[Anonymous]

Since the advice above I found (on virgin) it doesn’t stab you for downs only ups as you say PM.

My original concern was streams – downloads as you say blacklion.

All the info has helped, as a rule I only download and that’s mainly Windows updates.

Now I have a smart box it made me think.

[Bob Williams]

I have Sky Q Box, this desktop, SWMBO’s lappy, two phones and my tablet. Today all of those were in use, off and on. I only have a max of 14Mbps Down, 0.6 up. There does not seem to be a slowdown at all. Earlier I was downloading box sets in Sky, had several queued up at once. It took about 20 minutes to download 3 box sets for watching: I just leave them downloading. I was using a phone, a tablet and this desktop simultaneously at one point, with the desktop downloading music and transferring it to the NAS and our gdaughter on SWMBO’s lappy. The Sky box just kept on downloading.

I have come a long way since I first started with all this tech! Going for a lie down now…. :wacko:  :scratch:  :bye:

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Drezha]

Anonymous wrote:

Since the advice above I found (on virgin) it doesn’t stab you for downs only ups as you say PM. My original concern was streams – downloads as you say blacklion. All the info has helped, as a rule I only download and that’s mainly Windows updates. Now I have a smart box it made me think.

I seem to recall that Windows 10 can send updates to other computers connected to the internet – peer to peer uploads of the updates.

Might want to look into switching it off, as you might be uploading updates to people.

How-To Geek  :good:

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Anonymous]

Nice one Bob sounds good.

As regards Sky Q I looked into it but they wanted over £150 for installation, is it true or did I miss read

Thanks Drezha

It was on and set to send on local network and PCs on the internet.

I turned it off.

[The Duke]

Looks like a £20 set up fee. No way they would charge £150, it would put way to many people off.

I recall moving from sky plus to sky HD, and they wanted to charge £30 in them days. I argued with the sales person, saying I had all the lines in place, she said on, on record, that the sky plus cables needed swapping, I knew they didn’t. So when the guy came, took two seconds to ‘install’ it. I wrote to sky, with a written account of my conversion and they credited my account with the £30 a few months later.

If she would never of said that about my wires not being compatible and needed a swap, I’d of not had a leg to stand on, as he did come and ‘insall’ my box. So I was lucky, bit I was pressing the girl in the phone what justifies the £30 when I had already paid £30 for sky installation, then £30 to upgrade from sky to sky+ (as you need an extra line per room), so she then said I need ‘high definition’ wires, mine was the old ‘low def’ wires. Which made me chuckle inside.

[Ed P]

The costs for 4K are high, and usually involve an extra LNB and a new cable run. Probably where John’s £150 originated. If the existing LNB/cable is old/corroded this may well have to be replaced as well as the band-width is well outside the old hdmi cables. Without the 4K £50 is a more reasonable charge.

[Anonymous]

That’s it Duke & Ed you just don’t know till you get the bill. a bit like BT.

I opted out of that gamble, when they find it not selling and they give it away.

I might wait till contract is up and start as a new customer, you get better deals being new.

[Ed P]

John SkyQ has two deals. One the expensive 4K big storage deal at £120-150. The other is a non-4K package for around £50-£60. I am not sure of the value of this as the new SkyQ box eliminates ALL the old RF distribution options, but you do get pad reception options.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Ed I will look into the non 4k soon.

One by one Sky eliminates the bits I use ie Phono sockets for SPIDF.

That’s a thought do you still get a scart socket with Q box.

[Author]

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