How Much Data Does Streaming Movies Use

Watching video is i of the primary ways that people eat through their allowance. So it makes sense to know how much data does streaming video utilize.

After all, for many people in the Usa and beyond, internet information caps are a reality. Worse still, your internet access provider (ISP) can charge you an exorbitant amount of money per gigabyte if and when y'all become over your cap.

Knowing how much information streaming video uses should assist to prevent any nasty surprises when you receive your next nib.

1. YouTube

Permit'southward start with YouTube. Nosotros've already covered how much information YouTube uses in a previous commodity. To sum upward, we discovered that the service uses 562.5MB of information/hour if you stream at 480p resolution (standard definition).

If you want to watch higher resolutions at sixty frames-per-second, the figure jumps to 1.86GB/hour for 720p, 3.04GB/hour at 1080p, and a mammoth fifteen.98GB/hour if y'all want to watch videos in 4K.

Thankfully, we included some tips to help you reduce the amount of data YouTube uses in the same article.

ii. Netflix

Netflix is the world's most popular streaming service by some distance. It has more than 130 1000000 subscribers, many of whom don't necessarily accept high-speed internet.

Therefore, like YouTube, there are a number of unlike quality options bachelor on the app.

According to Netflix'south own information, an hour of streaming video in standard definition volition employ approximately 1GB of data. Watching loftier definition video sees that number rising to 3GB. Ultra-high definition will use 7GB of information/hour.

By default, your account is set to automatically choose which resolution is virtually appropriate for your connection. Even so, if you'd like to save data while watching Netflix, you can override the setting. Become to Account > My Profile > Playback Settings to make your choice. Hit Relieve when you're ready.

iii. Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime is just one of many Amazon services. Information technology went live in 2006 but only became a streaming service in 2011. Nonetheless, in simply half a decade, it's grown to become Netflix'due south biggest competitor.

The service offers iii resolutions to desktop users. They are Skillful, Improve, and Best. Good streams videos at 480p standard definition and uses 800MB of data/60 minutes. Better streams in Hard disk and requires 2GB of data/hour. The ultra-high definition 4K choice (Best) volition consume 6GB of data/hour.

Mobile users as well take a further Data Saver option.

Note: Watching Amazon Prime Video on the mobile app uses slightly less data than watching the aforementioned video via the desktop app.

4. Hulu

Hulu is arguably the third member of the video streaming triumvirate. Just like its rivals, Hulu offers some unmissable Television set shows.

Hulu's data usage while streaming video is slightly lower than Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, making information technology the virtually economical of the three.

On the standard definition option, yous can expect to utilise 680MB/hour. The 720p high definition setting increases the figure to 1.3GB/60 minutes, and the 1080p resolution increases the usage yet further to 2.7GB/hour.

If you sign up to Hulu's $39.99/month plan, you tin besides stream live TV. Hulu merely offers its live channels in 720p HD quality, and so mobile users on capped plans should steer clear.

5. Spotify

Spotify is almost well-known every bit a music streaming service. All the same, since mid-2016, information technology'due south besides offered a video service in selected markets.

Unfortunately, the company is non very forthcoming about how much data its video service uses. On its website, Spotify just says "Videos employ more than data than music due to larger file sizes. But our data usage is comparable to other pop video channels."

Most of the videos on the service are in high definition, so if we accept Spotify's claims at face value, we tin can assume an hour of streaming will use betwixt 1.5GB and 3GB of data (based off data from Netflix et al.).

If you'd like to larn nigh how much data Spotify uses while streaming music, check out our previous article.

six. Vimeo

Like Spotify, Vimeo does not offer any official data usage guidance on its website. However, in third-political party testing, one user establish that standard definition content used 353MB of data/hour and Hard disk videos used two.75GB/60 minutes.

7. Stan

Stan is simply bachelor in Australia and offers a mix of on-need movies and Television receiver shows.

The app offers four tiers of quality. The lowest standard definition setting just uses 570MB of data/hour, making it comparable with Netflix. The medium standard definition uses one.13GB/hour, and the Hard disk drive and 4K use 2.89GB/60 minutes and 7GB/hour, respectively.

8. DirecTV

DirecTV is all the same another company that doesn't offer clear bandwidth usage information on its website.

Its guidelines just say, "If your provider caps your bandwidth or information, change your video quality settings to low or medium."

It's safe to assume DirecTV'due south data usage is in line with the other platforms nosotros have discussed.

9. PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue'due south guidelines are much clearer. Information technology uses 500MB/60 minutes on Depression Quality, 1GB/hr on Medium Quality, and 2GB/hour on High Quality.

Since 2017, the service has also offered a native bandwidth cap. You tin set it to your preferred limit and streaming will automatically cut off when the limit is hit.

10. Sling TV

For Sling TV, we once once again need to turn to third-party research. According to Cord Cutters News, Sling Telly's highest quality streaming will use i.66GB/hr. That drops to 540MB/hour on medium and 360MB/hour on low.

See our comparison of Sling Telly and Philo for some more info on the services.

Go along an Eye on Your Monthly Information Cap

Going over your data cap could be disastrous for your bank account. If y'all're lucky, your ISP volition merely throttle your speed. If you're unlucky, it might charge you a sizable fee for every extra gigabyte over your limit y'all use.

We think it'due south a shame that out of all the services we've discussed, just PlayStation Vue comes with a built-in bandwidth monitor. It should be something that all video streaming services offer as standard.

Thankfully, other companies are cottoning on to the need to assist people keep an eye on their data usage. Larn more than about how to monitor your data usage on Windows 10.

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