Netflix Reducing Video Quality Across Europe Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

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Zepanda66

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#268445 20-Mar-2020 08:11

Apparently Europe is struggling for bandwidth with everyone staying home. So netflix will be reducing quality for a month. Will this effect us?

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/netflix-reducing-video-quality-across-europe-due-t/1100-6474974/

http://www.speedtest.net/result/7315955530.png

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#2441883 20-Mar-2020 08:20

Hi, as you are probably aware in NZ we are way ahead of most of the world except purhaps Northern Europe and South Korea in fibre roll out and uncontended backhaul from Chorus.

Where as most of central/mid europe is still more reliant on HFC and DSL tails, and as such probably have not invested as much in backhaul.

my 2c

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robjg63

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#2441982 20-Mar-2020 11:18

Better they drop the quality back a bit to ensure it keeps working than it fail.

I see Microsoft and google are both tweaking their online office/storage facilities due to massive load from people deploying to the cloud.

Busy times for big IT.

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hio77

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#2442113 20-Mar-2020 12:35

I've seen no real impact that would require such a change in nz....

Chorus have a 'congestion free network' as do many other RSP's etc.

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2442117 20-Mar-2020 12:44

Zepanda66: So netflix will be reducing quality for a month. Will this effect us?

Yes. People won't complain and the reduced quality will become the new norm.

vexxxboy

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#2442120 20-Mar-2020 12:48

as long as they drop the price as well

Common sense is not as common as you think.

BarTender

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#2442279 20-Mar-2020 16:04

Seriously folks I can't see this *ever* being a problem in NZ.

All the big ISPs have local CDNs with plenty of capacity (or the capacity planners in there are doing their jobs wrong)

Smaller ISPs peer into the IXs and they have CDNs.

Chorus for the most part have a congestion free network, and the peak is Saturday / Sunday... So now that peak will just be during the week as well.

We have over 50% broadband connections via UFB, so those with poor performance would already have poor performance.

I'm calling fake news on this one.

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Zepanda66

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#2442286 20-Mar-2020 16:13

BarTender:

I'm calling fake news on this one.

Nope was confirmed by the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51968302

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djtOtago

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#2442401 20-Mar-2020 18:46

This only applies to Europe.

NOT NEW ZEALAND.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2446481 25-Mar-2020 17:00

Told you so =P

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12319805

Sky does it, why not Netflix? Hard drives may be cheaper than satellite services, but a dollar saved is a dollar more profit. Given the number of people who still buy DVDs and watch them on their 4k TVs, complaints will be minimal and Netflix et al will just use it as justification to keep the quality low.

smcc

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#2446503 25-Mar-2020 17:36

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Told you so =P

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12319805

Sky does it, why not Netflix? Hard drives may be cheaper than satellite services, but a dollar saved is a dollar more profit. Given the number of people who still buy DVDs and watch them on their 4k TVs, complaints will be minimal and Netflix et al will just use it as justification to keep the quality low.

So who asked them to do this? I didn't see in the article, or have they just lumped us in with Australia? unfortunate because as far as I am aware our networks have been coping fine!

rugrat

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#2446505 25-Mar-2020 17:39

" reduce Netflix's traffic on telecommunications networks by 25 per cent while also maintaining the quality of our service," a spokesperson said."

Don't see how a 25% drop in data won't make hardly a difference to quality.

Will have a look to night, if not impressed will go down to HD or cancel.

To my knowledge still working, hours may go down or up, not sure. Have heaps of other interests to watching TV.

Edit Netflix canceled, don't wish for 25% drop to be new norm if people except it. Less data should be lower prices. Think it'll be more then 30 days.

Have Disney +, couple fresh movies, and don't mind watching older content.

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afe66

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#2446579 25-Mar-2020 19:12

What are they going on about?

What congested networks?

If Chorus can still has 40% capacity isnt that another way of saying we are only just above 50% of our capacity.

I expect Netflix has just assumed everywhere in the world needs to have a 25% reduction and is worried that networks will start throttling which would definitely cause people to drop plans.

If the quality drops, I'll reduce my plan from 4k

Delphinus

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#2446717 25-Mar-2020 22:12

Watched a TV ep on netflix tonight (in NZ). We're on 900/400 2degrees fibre and the quality was variable between terrible and bad. Fast.com still showing plenty of speed.

Dratsab

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#2446736 25-Mar-2020 23:04

On the same plan as Delphinus with a speedtest showing 824.8Mbps up. According to Netflix my connection is 3.35Mbps.

vexxxboy

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#2446738 25-Mar-2020 23:11

my connection was running at 240 170Kbps for 30 minutes then lurched to 348 270Kbps and after a couple of hours it struggled to 1.70 Mbps. Again on the fastest Fibre connection.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

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