Cutting the Cord: Cable Alternatives 145 Harlow St, Bangor, ME 04401 207-947-8336 ext 120 www.bangorpubliclibrary.org
[email protected] What do you need to cut the cord? ● Sufficiently fast internet connection ● Device capable of streaming ● Subscription(s) to streaming services Streaming is a method of transmitting or receiving data (especially video and audio material) over a computer network as a steady, continuous flow, allowing playback to start while the rest of the data is still being received. 2 Internet connection: how fast is fast enough? Netflix recommends the following 1.5 Megabits per second - Recommended broadband connection speed 3.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for SD quality (standard definition) 5.0 Megabits per second - Recommended for HD quality (high definition) 25 Megabits per second - Recommended for Ultra HD quality 3 Internet speed continued Hulu recommends: 6mb for regular plan 8mb for live tv 4 How does this work in practice? Your actual download speed is what matters. Experience shows that 5mb/sec actual download speed will allow streaming with minimal interruption. Higher speeds more likely to eliminate most interruption. Note that higher speeds and a more capable router may be necessary to allow for multiple streams at once, e.g. watching two TVs at once or using a computer, smartphone or tablet at the same time. Higher speeds absolutely necessary for ultra high definition/4k streaming. 5 How fast is my internet? If you already have high speed internet (or if you get it in the future) you can test the speed by going to http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest or another online service.