Streaming online video generally needs constant 3 Megabits/second or more of available bandwidth. Watching videos in standard quality uses about 1 Gigabyte per hour, while HD quality uses about 3 Gigabytes per hour.
Many broadband users are cutting ties with traditional TV and replacing it with online streaming services like Sling TV, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, etc. Because of this ever-increasing streaming trend, broadband users are reaching their home internet and mobile data caps faster than ever before. High-definition video streaming and ultra-high definition in particular can be a huge bandwidth hog. Until "unlimited" data really becomes such, we should be aware of the actual numbers to make informed decisions. So how much bandwidth/data does streaming actually use ?
It really depends on quality and content, here are some general
sustained bandwidth guidelines:
1 Mbps - minimum recommended bandwidth for streaming video.
3 Mbps - recommended for streaming standard definition (480p) video
5 Mbps - minimum recommended for streaming high definition (720p/1080p) video
25 Mbps - recommended for streaming ultra-high definition (4K) video
Sling TVIt uses between 3 and 5 Mbps if streaming in HD depending on content, with sports channels like ESPN with a lot of movement requiring higher bandwidth, but it can be reduced to less than a gigabyte per hour. The user-defined quality settings are as follows:
"Best Quality" - uses ~3-5 GB of data per hour (no bandwidth limit)
"High Quality" - ~2 GB of data per hour (1.5 Mbps limit)
"Medium Quality" - ~ 1 GB of data per hour (800 Kbps limit)
"Low Quality" - ~500-700 MB per hour (500 Kbps limit)
NetflixNetflix uses between 400MB and 4.7GB per hour, averaging about 1-2GB/hour in our experience. The bandwidth requirement depends on the watched content quality and the data usage settings. The service allows for four data usage settings, as follows:
"Low" data usage mode - 0.3 GB per hour
"Medium" - 0.7 GB to 1 GB per hour, standard definition video
"High" - up to 3 GB per hour for HD, 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD or 3D.
"Auto" - adjusts bandwidth usage automatically based on what your connection can handle
HuluUses about 1 Mbps for SD video streaming, ~2Mbps for 720p HD video streaming.
Amazon Prime Uses ~0.9GB per hour for SD video streaming, 2GB/hr for HD streaming.
YouTubeYouTube bandwidth can vary depending on the source. It is mostly dependent on the video resolution, but also on the bitrate of the source video. YouTube streams at up to 4.5Mbps for 1080p videos. Below is average bandwidth consumed per hour of streaming at different resolutions:
480p - ~400MB per hour
720p - 800MB to 1GB per hour.
1080p - 1.3GB to 1.5GB per hour
Notes:
As a general rule, live streaming services like Sling TV have a bit higher bandwidth requirement than on-demand streaming video like Netflix.
If your target video streaming requires a sustained bandwidth of 3 Mbps, a 5+ Mbps internet connection is more realistic to be able to reach that goal consistently.See Also:
What internet speed is needed for video conferencing with Zoom, Skype, or Teams?
