Begin
Alright, so you wanna cut the cord do ya? Well, you can't just cancel your cable, dig out your trusty dial up modem from 1998, give AOL a call and expect HD video and sound. You need to have the right internet speed for the task, and for those of you who unfortunately deal with data caps like myself, a reasonable expectation of what you can do each month without going over budget.
Data and what you are really getting from your ISP
Let's start with a very simple concept. Internet speed is measured in Kilo/Megabits. HDD space and file sizes are measured in Kilo/Megabytes. There are 8 bits in 1 byte. ISPs advertise in Megabits because it gives you a bigger number, and any marketing professional will tell you bigger is better. So, to figure out how many Megabytes you are getting a second, take your advertised ISP speed and divide by 8.
8 Megabits (MBPS from here on out) / 8 = 1 Megabyte (MBS from here on out)
16 MBPS / 8 = 2 MBS
20 MBPS / 8 = 2.5 MBS
100 MBPS / 8 = 12.5 MBS
Okay, so now we know how to get our true internet speed in relation to what every other data storage medium measures in. So, how do we know we are getting this internet speed from our provider? We can use a speed test website.
Speed Testing
Not all websites are created equal. The ones provided by your ISP are calibrated to give you the best possible results, as the communication happens internally within them. But in the real world, not everybody uses the same ISP. AT&T needs to talk to Comcast, who needs to talk to Spectrum (Time Warner), who needs to talk to Netzero, and so on. So I would HIGHLY suggest not using theirs, or using theirs along with the other ones listed below.
So, that leads us to randomized speed tests. Some of the best ones can be found at testmy.net!, and speedof.me!. These are free, fast, and very accurate. All speed test sites will measure in MBPS, so you do not even need to do any calculations to match up the numbers! For best results, you can even run the test on both of these websites and compare results. Please note that there will always be subtle variations between tests, even from the same tester. However, big changes or large gaps usually indicate there is an issue.
There is one speed test website I would not recommend. One of the most popular speed tests is speedtest.net. However, due to their reliance on antiquated Flash technology, it can sometimes be inaccurate or downright wrong. The reason for this is WAY beyond the scope of this post. The other mentioned websites do not use Flash, and therefore are much more accurate.
General App Data Needs
Now that you know what speed internet you generally get, let's see what apps can be run.
NETFLIX:
Good Quality: 310MB per hour
Better Quality (Standard Definition): 720MB per hour
Best Quality (High Definition): 2500MB per hour
Ultra Quality (4K): 6500MB per hour
Source: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/87
NOTE: Many numbers say up to X per hour. I rounded down a little to try and be more accurate.
HULU:
HD: 650MB per hour
Source: http://cordcuttersnews.com/comparing-data-usage-for-netflix-hulu-and-amazon/
NOTE: Hulu apparently does not provide a smaller quality setting anymore, and they do not offer 4K. This currently looks to be the only option. They also do not have a page that releases this information, so it was grabbed from Hulu forums.
AMAZON PRIME: Amazon Prime does not release this information (Which is mind boggling). As such, I would recommend sticking to the Netflix chart provided above.
CRACKLE: Also in the same boat as Amazon Prime.
So, now we have figured out how much data the more popular services will need for varying levels of quality. This information is universal, the varying platforms you can stream on (Roku, Xbox, Playstation, PC, etc) all use the same amount of data + or - a negligable amount. Regardless of what you steam on, the requirements will be the same.
Let's Calculate Needed Speed
Based on the Netflix standard, we will now calculate how fast your internet speed must be to maintain a consistent stream with minimal to no buffering (Playback stopping while it loads).
Good Quality: 310MB an hour / 60 minutes = 5.167 MB a minute
5.167MB / 60 seconds = 86.1 KB a second
86.1 * 8 bits = 688 KBPS per second
For this setting, almost all internet connections can handle. Only Dial up and lower end DSL will struggle at this speed.
Better Quality: 720MB an hour / 60 = 12MB a minute
12MB / 60 = 200 KB a second
200 * 8 bits = 1.6 MBPS a second
For this setting, unless you have very fast DSL, cable or fiber will be needed unless you are okay with some stuttering, or okay with selecting a show, pausing it on start, and waiting a few minutes for it to catch up.
Best Quality: 2500MB / 60 = 41.66MB a minute
41.66 / 60 = 695KB a second
695 * 8 = 5.56MBPS a second
For this setting, DSL is not going to be possibly without heavy stuttering and long load times. A basic cable connection at this point is needed for smoothness.
Ultra Quality: 6500MB / 60 = 108.33MB a minute
108.33 / 60 = 1.081MB a second
1.081 * 8 = 14.44MBPS a second
For this setting, DSL is unusable. Basic cable will definitely struggle. A higher end cable package is needed, and if you have a data cap and watch a lot of 4k content, you will find that you can hit that cap quickly.
Now we know roughly what kind of internet we need to achieve smoothness at the various settings. If you do not use Netlfix, but are on Hulu, you can get away with just a little less as their files are a little smaller than Netflix's.
BUT WAIT!
Multiple Devices / Simultaneous Streaming
The next question is how many devices are you planning to have SIMULTANEOUSLY stream at once?
Let's say you have 2 Roku devices for Netflix, but they only get used one at a time. You would only need the listed internet speeds above.
However, if you have 2 Roku devices and you plan to use both AT THE SAME TIME, you need double that internet bandwidth. So to get best quality on 2 simultaneous streams, you would need around 11 to 12 MBPS internet. Otherwise, stuttering and long load times.
This simple equation will help you figure out how fast your internet speed needs to be to keep up with X devices:
Total needed speed = X * Desired Quality needed speed
Data Cap Calculations
Finally, if you know how many hours a day you watch content, those of you with a data cap can get a rough estimate of how many hours a month you can watch without going over the cap, provided that you do NOTHING else with the internet. That is provided by this equation:
Total hours = Data Cap Size in MB / Desired quality data per hour in MB
NOTE: If you do not know how to convert GB to MB, it is GB * 1000. My data cap of 250 GB a month is 250000 MB a month.
If you do not have a data cap, you are
A: Lucky B: Not in need of this info
Epilogue
And that basically sums up your internet requirements for cutting the cord. If you guys like this guide, I will try to put another one together based on the different devices you can cut the cord with, and possibly a third detailing the various services available. If you see any issues, PM me and I will fix.
EDIT: Thanks you the mods for essentially holding my hand so I do this right. I will be adding later today PSVue, Sling TV, Direct TV now, and any more I can find (considering this is a CORD CUTTING guide, not just movie streaming.
Submitted by domstang68 | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016
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