How Much Data Does Streaming TV Use?
Cable TV has been declining in popularity over the last few years as streaming TV has become the new primary means of watching TV shows, sports, movies, and more. Streaming TV has almost completely replaced cable TV due to its versatility and accessibility.
But to fully enjoy the benefits that streaming TV provides, you need a fast and stable internet connection. Since streaming can use a lot of data, you have to carefully consider your internet plan, as well as your streaming TV plan. Let’s go over internet data details to help you understand what to consider when moving to streaming TV.
Understanding Data Usage in Streaming
Before understanding how data usage interacts with streaming, it’s important to understand what fiber internet is and its differences from cable internet. Put simply, fiber internet is a newer technology that is considerably faster and more reliable than cable.
The change to faster internet technology from cable to fiber optics enabled streaming services like football streaming to become popular and even overcome regular cable TV views.
However, internet usage is limited by a set data amount set by ISPs. On some plans, excess data usage can be billed separately from your regular contract and can significantly increase your monthly bill. So understanding your data cap to stay within the limit is crucial to enjoying your streaming services without overcharges or throttling.
If you’d like to check if you have fiber internet available in your area to start enjoying streaming services, check for an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) around your home or perform speed tests to gauge how fast your connection runs.
Data Usage for Streaming TV
The data usage for TV streaming services can greatly vary depending on the resolution you decide to watch. The resolution is what changes image quality, so higher resolutions mean higher quality but higher data consumption.
Most TV streaming services, like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Max, and others, use similar resolution settings to help users select their preferences. Common resolutions are, from lowest to highest: SD, HD, Full HD, and UHD/4K.
For reference, here’s the data usage from Netflix for streaming:
- HD: 1GB/hr
- Full HD: 3GB/hr
- UHD/4K: 7GB/hr
Additionally, some smart TVs can have their own internal settings for streaming services that have different quality and data usage. For instance, a Sony Bravia smart TV uses 1.73GB of data per hour to stream YouTube videos.
Other streaming services, like the gaming platform Twitch, have different quality settings and data usage. That’s why it’s important to check how much data each platform you like uses, as well as all devices connected to your WiFi.
If you’re looking for a monthly data usage estimate, simply multiply the data a streaming service uses by the number of hours you expect to watch per month. For example, if you’re watching 10 hours of Netflix per month in Full HD, you’ll be using around 30GB of data.
Starting Your TV Streaming Experience
After you’ve figured out how fast your internet speed is and how much data your streaming service uses, you’re ready to go. Simply pick the best internet plan that’ll fit all of your needs and start watching your favorite shows and sports games.
If you don’t want to worry about any data cap issues, Fidium Fiber offers the best streaming plans, perfect for watching any TV streaming service with your family and friends at any time. Reach out to Fidium Fiber right now and start enjoying the best that fiber internet can offer.