More internet streaming services downgrade video quality

More internet television services are placing limits on video streaming quality, easing pressure on local telco networks in the midst of quarantine measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The National Telecommunications Commission said streaming platforms YouTube, iWant and iFlix agreed to its request to reduce their streaming bitrate, which would lessen video quality.

Days earlier, Netflix announced similar caps on its platform at the request of the NTC.

“This means more bandwidth will be freed up to ease data congestion due to the work-from-home arrangements as well as increased government, private and education demands during the enhanced community quarantine,” the NTC said in a statement.

According to the regulator, ABS-CBN’s iWant started to reduce its streaming bitrate by 33 percent last March 27.

iWant saw a 300-percent viewership increase from March 15 to 21 this year as it released free movies while millions of Filipinos were confined to their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Rest assured, our viewers will still continue to enjoy quality streaming service on iWant with minimal impact as we remain committed to providing information and entertainment to Filipinos,” iWant said in a statement.

iFlix had also set a cap on its streaming service with no content being streamed at 4k resolution.

“iFlix will continuously balance bandwidth usage to use as little data as possible while optimizing resolution for its users,” the NTC said.

YouTube owner Google implemented caps in a different way.

It adjusted YouTube’s default definition setting from High Definition (HD) to Standard Definition on all types of network connections whether mobile or broadband.

In cases where HD makes an important difference to users like in some learning contexts (reading text written on a whiteboard), Google will allow users to switch to HD.

The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) earlier warned that their networks could become “strained quickly” as data usage surges.

To alleviate the pressure on their networks, PCTO advised users to stream entertainment content during off-peak hours.

Moreover, users were told to limit downloads to urgent documents and to use sharing services to transfer large digital files instead of email attachments. They also requested those with landlines to use wired services instead of mobile devices to decongest call traffic.

The NTC’s request to video streaming platforms, however, suggested those measures were not enough. INQ