Minimum download speed for Netflix, etc

cnh
cnh Posts: 13,284
edited May 2011 in Electronics
This question is a bit premature...but I'll be home in several months and I will need to restore my cable and DSL, services, etc.

What I'd like someone to tell me is what is the minimum download speed that would allow me to stream video, let's say from an XBOX or a server to HDTV....or even SD movies on a hardrive to a PS3 using google's Media server!

I need to have an idea for how much I should pay and for what kind of service.....because my old service was too slow for anything but music!

Thanks..

cnh
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 7,797
    edited March 2010
    With DSL, I would get at least 3.0Mbps if you want to stream Netflix, but 6.0 will give you better quality. If you do cable, then just about any cable internet speeds will be sufficient.
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  • MANSKITO
    MANSKITO Posts: 295
    edited March 2010
    I m not sure where you live but where i live 6Mbs down coast roughly $40 a month, its well worth it.

    Don't short change your self on something that is becoming ever more important to your every day life. Get the best package that the DSL/cable company will offer to a residential address if you can get higher then 6Mbs go for it. But bill is right you can swing it on 3.0Mbs a second.
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  • jimbo1421
    jimbo1421 Posts: 772
    edited March 2010
    I have the nominal 1.5 Mbps DSL (about 1.3Mbps measured) which gets me 360p from Hulu.com. I assume it is about the same for Netflix. It is definitely not enough for 480p; lots of stuttering.

    Jim
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  • mu1166
    mu1166 Posts: 172
    edited March 2010
    I have a 7 Mbps Cable connection. I have no problem streaming from Netflix. I have yet to get any stuttering streaming the HD (not sure if it's just 480p or what not) content yet.
    AVR: Pioneer Elite SC-67
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  • polktiger
    polktiger Posts: 556
    edited March 2010
    cnh wrote: »
    This question is a bit premature...but I'll be home in several months and I will need to restore my cable and DSL, services, etc.

    What I'd like someone to tell me is what is the minimum download speed that would allow me to stream video, let's say from an XBOX or a server to HDTV....or even SD movies on a hardrive to a PS3 using google's Media server!

    I need to have an idea for how much I should pay and for what kind of service.....because my old service was too slow for anything but music!

    Thanks..

    cnh

    some of what you describe is really based on the speed of your home network, not internet speeds. Anything on a HD going to Xbox or Ps3 can be done with no internet connection as that is all LAN activity. You will just need internet for the netflix piece. Before you get too hyped up, take a look at the quality of the netflix product. The handfull of movies I have seen (via 8mb cable interent) with netflix to my ps3 is significantly inferior to having the actual DVD.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,497
    edited March 2010
    Have you checked with Netflix...........I bet they can tell you want the minimum is.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Puritan Audio PSM136 Pwr Condtioner & Classic PC's | Legend L600 | Roon Nucleus 1 w/LPS - Tubes add soul!
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  • bluecomet
    bluecomet Posts: 1,118
    edited March 2010
    I get netflix thru my new PS3 250 gb and have had no problems with picture quality. I have DSL thru Verizon.
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited March 2010
    Well whatever you do cnh, be sure to check around for new options in your area. Competition like ATT Uverse etc., have made companies more willing to cut special deals to get customers. If you play one company's offers off another, you may get them to give you something they don't advertise.
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited March 2010
    Also, Uverse actually depends on 'streaming' a 'cable' channel to their box using internet protocols. I find the quality a little less than what you can get over cable currently. But they have every incentive to improve the Uverse internet capabilities with every 'cable' upgrade since their TV stuff and internet stuff are all basically the same thing.
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  • MADGSF
    MADGSF Posts: 603
    edited March 2010
    Can you get Verizon Fios in your area? I just upgraded to get all the standard channels in HD and it came with a 25M synchronous connection. I don't stream video to my TV but have no issues with network latency with this setup!
    AVR: Elite VSX-21TXH
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  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,798
    edited May 2011
    I stream Hulu Plus and Netflix to my PS3 and I have zero trouble with Netflix, even the HD stuff they offer.

    I have a Cable connection that I get anywhere from 7mbs to 18mbs...

    When my connection speed slows to 7mbs (heavy local usage times) I have had trouble with Hulu Plus, it will stutter A LOT. I got a new faster modem (giving me the newly clocked speeds of 18mbs) and I really wanted to try it out with Hulu Plus, however PSN network went down the day after I got the new modem. :rolleyes:

    The stuttering only happens on my PS3, never on my Laptop. However, the MAX resolutions I can get from Hulu Plus on my Laptop are 480p. My PS3 seems to stream in 720p which would explain the difference.
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