As people are sequestered at home due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, usage of streaming services has understandably increased markedly in recent weeks. In order to reduce strain on internet networks, officials in Europe have instructed streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ to reduce the amount of bandwidth in use by their services. Apple’s limiting of streaming quality in Europe is the best way to accomplish the goal of preserving bandwidth for everyone.
All Apple TV+ content is theoretically available in 4K and HD formats.
However, at least for the time being, customers may experience greatly reduced quality. Apple appears to be serving video streams with resolutions as low as 670 pixels tall. In addition to lower resolution, the streams appear heavily compressed with visibly blocky artifacts. The degradation in video quality is very noticeable, and even more so on the >40-inch televisions most people have in their living rooms these days.
European customers are also seeing reduced quality from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, but Apple’s chosen streaming quality sticks out as being particularly aggressive. Amazon Prime and Netflix still seem to be serving HD streams, whereas Apple’s is the kind of quality you would expect from streaming on a phone over a 3G network.
MacDailyNews Take: As Mayo notes, it’s possible Apple will be able to lessen the degradation of quality as bandwidth needs are assessed by ISPs in coming days.
MacDailyNews Note: More info on the Prevention & Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) via the U.S. CDC is here. Track the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) here.
Hmmm…my (rural) internet speed has dropped by 60% from 17 to 12Mb best. Netflix is all but impossible. #stayathomelife
That’s for live streaming. If you play a movie purchased, shouldn’t you get the same high quality, just takes longer to buffer, due to the lower rate?
Most devices (Apple TV, for example) don’t have enough storage for a feature-length UHD film. Purchasing is only different from streaming in that you can stream on demand, rather than being limited by rental limitations. Limiting the download bandwidth will also limit the quality of the product.
To be sure but drop outs make it almost impossible, often it restarts from the beginning ☹️I was really having a gripe about our provider.
Is this the MDN dog whistle for ‘merican rednecks with no competitive broadband options to start badmouthing Europe?
Amen
Xenophobia is all but required loyalty with Trump in charge. Thank the space fairy for a very wide pond between us.
Idiots. What would we do without you?
Actually it was me complaining about my UK rural connection that started this.
One day later and it’s ~5.7Mb down and 0.9 up!
So bad that my tv box had no channels via the router. So transmission signals have been reduced. Just checked…no Freeview either.
We’re fscked.
OK, I’ll ask….why are we told Europe and Asia have better internet access than the United States?
Because the service is faster, cheaper, and more reliable when it isn’t being hammered by 90% of the population trying to stream HD movies at once.
As usual, America Last to you.
Also, you’re full of shit.
We’re doing the same streaming here, Plato.
The reason is because of the vast rural areas in America and distance between major metropolitan areas, both unlike Europe, cause our averages to be lower. AVERAGES!!
When you going to get that knee-jerk checked out…?
Old fashioned people like me with lots of Dvds are laughing their asses off
-Preppers rule
-Gun owners rule—all you stupid fucks who voted for gun control who now want a gun are fucked. Lololol
-DVDs rule
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