Many people have noticed the lower quality of Netflix streaming in recent days, but this is not the end. YouTube also turns the tap on, though in a much less invasive way.
The outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic and the subsequent recommendation to stay at home has unexpected consequences for the internet. More time spent at home translated into a greater load on network traffic, which can overload the infrastructure.
"Streaming platforms, telecommunications operators and users - we all have a shared responsibility to take steps to ensure the smooth operation of the internet while fighting the spread of viruses," said Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market.
Netflix has followed these recommendations, which will result in reduced material bitrate . Yes, if you see the poorer quality of the series on Netflix, you don't think so. This is the effect of lower material bitrate. This is to translate into a reduction of traffic generated by Netflix by as much as 25 percent. This state of affairs will last for 30 days.
YouTube will also limit the transfer, though in a less invasive way
The first articles criticizing YouTube for reducing video quality have already started appearing on the web. This is not entirely true. As we read in the official announcement:
After meeting Google CEO, Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki with Commissioner Breton, we've committed ourselves to temporarily defaulting all YouTube traffic in the EU to default resolution (SD) by default. We will continue to cooperate with EU Member State governments and network operators to minimize system load while ensuring the best quality of use.
The only change will therefore be to change the default quality to SD. Each time we will have to force 1080p, 1440p or 2160p resolution if we want higher quality material. It will be quite troublesome, but in the case of YouTube we have a choice. For this, the compression rate and bitrate of the materials do not change. It is therefore a less invasive solution than in Netfliks, which limits the quality of streaming without the user being able to change the settings.
YouTube is responsible for a significant proportion of internet traffic in Europe
Although we do not have data on landline connections, European data from mobile operators clearly show that YouTube is responsible for the most used transfer in Europe. In total, YouTube in Europe accounts for 25% network traffic generated by operators. Netflix is 4.06 percent, but remember that we use the latter service more often at home on TV.
According to a report from 2019 , the video accounts for an average of 65 percent. global data transfer on the internet.
YouTube will propose lower quality videos because the internet in Europe can't
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