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YouTube Issuing "Report Cards" On Carriers' Streaming Speeds

Posted by Unknown on from the not-like-you-can-do-anything dept.

OakDragon (885217) writes In the shadow of the "Net Neutrality" debate, Google's YouTube has created a service to report on your carrier's usage and speed, summarizing the data in a "Lower/Standard/High Definition" graph. You may see the service offered when a video buffers or stutters. A message could display under the video asking "Experiencing interruptions? Find out why." Find your own provider's grade here.

8 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Dupe... by by+(1706743) · · Score: 4, Informative

    Posted by samzenpus on Thursday May 29, 2014 @10:04PM from the how-do-you-stack-up? dept.

    http://tech.slashdot.org/story...

  2. Re:Good idea, but terrible implementation by mythosaz · · Score: 4, Informative

    No such button on my view of the page, which includes "Results from my location are not yet available, check back later."

  3. Some Problems by DERoss · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The vertical scale in the charts has no indices or any indication of what is measured. I see the statement to the right "Daily video activity is averaged
    over 30 days.", but it does not say what is really averaged. Is this MB/sec, percentage of available bandwidth, or what?

    In any case, the throughput of a broadband connection is not the only issue in moving large amounts of bytes. I am having a problem with software for an HP printer. Today, HP advised me to download the entire software package for that printer, approximately 1.4 GB. However, HP's server could not deliver event 300 KB/sec into my 15 MB/sec broadband connection. There are servers delivering video that cannot keep up with playback speeds.

    When I cannot get downloads a MB/sec rates, I generally blame the server at the other end and not my broadband provider. After all, I can immediately try a different download from a different source, and get my full 15 MB/sec.

    1. Re:Some Problems by swillden · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'd say it's actually a little more complex than that. It depends not just on the source server but on every point between the source server and your machine. In the case of the Netflix/Comcast spat a while ago, for example, the problem wasn't Comcast's network, or Netflix, or the network between them, but Comcast's connection to the network between them -- so it was Comcast's fault, but not in a way that would show up with connections to other servers that took a different path.

      And regardless of whether or not *you* blame YouTube when it's slow, many users do, which is why Google is doing this.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  4. Great, but.... by countach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I had a look at them a few days ago, and I had no idea how to interpret the graphs. If I'm tech savvy and I don't know what they mean, God help the average person.

  5. Re:Swap DASH for HTTP by sir-gold · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is a plugin for firefox (no idea why it needs a plugin, but whatever) that allows you to access the "hidden" youtube settings. One of these settings allows you to disable dash entirely. There are also settings to disable auto-quality, and to set a default quality level.

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-...

  6. Re:Good idea, but terrible implementation by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not intended to help you switch. It appears intended to send you running to your ISP to complain...

    If you are not going to switch, why should your ISP care if you complain?

  7. Re:Time Warner cable is actually better? by D'Sphitz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There's something fishy with these results. The Google report rates the connection from my small, local ISP at "Standard Definition", and then when I compare providers in my area apparently Comcast is "HD Verified". This just doesn't add up.

    The problem with this is that I have available, and pay for, fiber broadband advertised at 90mbps, and speedtest.net concludes that I am getting what I pay for (92 up/35 down). I have a Roku or other streaming media player in every room and it's not unusual to have multiple HD movies streaming at the same time in different rooms, in addition to tablets, xbox, and other internet activity.

    So I have to conclude that either Google isn't testing my actual connection as it appears to and is instead showing an average from my ISP, or the results are fixed and the big, shitty cable companies have "sponsored" their own "HD Verified" results. The latter seems more likely, I've had Comcast internet in this area before fiber became available and it doesn't compare, and even the cheapest packages at my ISP are pretty quick.