FACEBOOK CUTS VIDEO QUALITY TO EASE NET STRAIN DUE TO CORONA VIRUS.
FACEBOOK CUTS VIDEO QUALITY TO EASE NET STRAIN DUE TO
CORONA VIRUS.
Demand
for streaming has increased while large parts of Europe are self-isolating at
home due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The
change means each video will use less data, but viewers are unlikely to see a
major change in picture quality.
Amazon,
Apple TV+, Disney+ and Netflix have also announced similar measures.
Facebook's
change will apply to both its main service and Instagram.
Video
quality
Several
factors influence how much data is used when streaming a video online.
One
of them is video resolution. High-definition (HD) and ultra-high definition 4K
videos use more data than standard-definition videos.
Another
factor is bitrate, which is the amount of data streamed per second. Videos with
a higher bitrate tend to look less "blocky" or pixelated - especially
if there is a lot of motion in a scene - but use more data.
Amazon's
Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Netflix have all lowered their streaming bitrates
but left their range of resolutions unaltered.
Netflix
said its European viewers would use 25% less data when watching films as a
consequence.
Disney+
said it would have slightly lower bitrates in Europe when the service launches
on Tuesday in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
However,
it said it had delayed its French launch until 7 April at the request of the
country's government.
By
contrast, Google's YouTube said it would switch viewers in Europe to its
standard-definition (480p) video mode by default. However, viewers will still
be able to switch back to high-definition if they wish.
The
change will roll out gradually over the next few days.
The
BBC also said it would no longer try programs in ultra-high definition 4K on
BBC iPlayer as a "precautionary measure". "We will automatically
reduce the data used if networks are congested," the BBC added in a
statement.
Comments
Post a Comment