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The modern world wide web has opened many doors to improve the quality of life. Recreation has changed with connectivity. Streaming videos for entertainment is now a common activity. Many people are still addicted to the “boob tube” but receiving content online rather than from TV stations.
As the technology to stream videos has improved so has the quality of the videos. Many video streaming sites are designed to deliver content at the highest resolution possible. This is all done automatically. The faster the connection the higher the resolution.
Higher resolutions are not a simple case of linear mathematics. Increasing the size of the resolution means an exponential increase in the number of pixels being streamed.
Therefore streaming high definition (HD) videos comes with a caveat: many of these streaming services ignore the reality that many people have data usage caps.
High definition comes in two basic resolutions: 1080p/1080i and 720p. Standard definition (SD) is 480p.
To further understand the difference, videos on Blu-Ray optical disks are classified as high definition. Videos on traditional DVDs are classified as standard definition.
Remember some of those “back of the napkin” numbers we shared for video bandwidth usage. A 720p HD video requires approximately 2.7 GB for 30 minutes, 5.4 GB for 1 hour, 10.9 GB for 2 hours, and 16.3 GB for 3 hours. Comparatively, 480p SD video requires approximately 664 MB for 30 minutes, 1.3 GB for 1 hour, 2.6 GB for 2 hours, and 4 GB for 3 hours.
Since the shift to digital TV several years ago, the same resolution standards are used with TV stations. Some channels are broadcast at 1080p/1080i, some at 720p, and others at 480p.
Yes, watching a video at high definition resolution is stunning. Yet reducing a stream to standard definition resolution or even 360p is more than acceptable for most people and avoids stress about exceeding data usage caps.
Some people do not care about the cost. They want to pay for high definition. For everybody else, a bit of knowledge and nominal sweat equity eliminates needing to think about caps. Controlling the amount of data used used when streaming online videos is possible.
While not directly related to dedicated video streaming services, remember that advertisers hog considerable bandwidth with video advertising. Configure web browsers to use “click-to-play” features to prevent these types of videos from automatically playing until actually clicked or selected to play.
Paying customers of video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and AppleTV sometimes can limit bandwidth usage by logging into their accounts and choosing a lower quality streaming resolution.
Netflix customers will find this option in their account Playback Settings section.
AppleTV customers can modify their accounts by choosing between high definition and standard definition.
Some services, such as Amazon Prime, might allow users to control resolution by offering separate links for standard or high definition streams. Yet often Amazon Prime offers no choice. The default resolution is HD and users have no control.
Anybody using a network enabled TV to stream videos should check the settings of every app that is used to play the videos. The generally accepted convention with most video players is to use a gear icon for the option to control resolution.
Similar to network enabled TVs, hand-held devices such as tablets and smart phones all use apps to stream videos. Check the settings of each app to control the resolution.
There are options for people using general computers for video streaming.
Many online videos are only a few minutes long. Video quality normally is not important. With smaller monitors for computers versus large TVs in the family room, high definition on general computers is less critical. From a practical perspective, there is no significant reason to view such videos at high definitions. Most streaming sites such as Youtube have options in the video window to change the resolution. For Youtube videos this option is located in lower right of the video. Much like TV apps, look for the gear icon.
This lower resolution has to be manually set for each video or for each browsing session. For common sites such as Youtube where many users do not have an account, cookies can be used to remember the preferred resolution. Using cookies in this manner might not be a palatable solution for those folks concerned about privacy.
Youtube account holders will find the settings in the account Playback section. Set the option to never play high quality video.
The same technique works for people using the Hulu player on a general computer. Use the gear icon to change the resolution.
With general computers an option for non paid accounts is to use an external video player, much like network enabled TVs. Not only does this avoid the exploit prone Flash, but allows controlling the video resolution. An excellent such player is SMPlayer, mentioned in last month’s Tech Talk. SMPlayer comes with a Youtube browser as well. The Preferences in SMPlayer supports limiting videos to lower resolutions.
VLC is another great external app for playing online videos.
There are some “sledge hammer” approaches too.
One way to use less bandwidth with video streaming services is to decrease the speed of your connection. That is, pay for a lower ISP connection speed. With a lower connection speed, video streaming sites detect this limitation and automatically stream at lower resolutions. Paying for a plan with a lower speed does not affect the monthly data usage cap.
A similar approach, for those who have routers, is to use the router’s Quality of Service (QoS) features. This approach requires technical savvy to limit the speeds for various devices, protocols, and IP addresses.
Another twist on the previous approach is to buy a managed switch. If you are using a network enabled TV to stream videos, then connect the TV to the switch and limit the bandwidth on the respective port. The streaming service will see the slower connection and stream at a lower resolution. This approach too requires technical savvy.
Fast-Air customers can check monthly bandwidth usage by logging into the Data Usage Portal at the Fast-Air web site. Fast-Air customers also receive email notifications when exceeding 75% of the usage cap, currently at 60 GB per month.
Technical trivia: The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” infers that with incorrect data the results also will be incorrect. The roots of the phrase are found when Charles Babbage first conceived his Analytical Engine. As shared by Babbage in his Passages from the Life of a Philosopher, “On two occasions I have been asked, ‘Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?’ . . . I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”
Next issue: Computer Keyboard Shortcuts
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