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Comcast Will Limit Xfinity Mobile Video Streaming Resolution (engadget.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

Xfinity Mobile customers will soon see a change to their video streams. From a report: In the coming weeks, videos streamed using cellular data will be limited to 480p resolution, a move that other carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint have implemented for certain plans in the past. Videos streamed over WiFi won't be affected by the change and Comcast says that it will offer the option to stream 720p video over cellular data for an added fee later this year. Until that plan becomes available, customers who would like to continue streaming video at 720p will be able to do so for no charge, they'll just have to call the carrier in order to set that up. Additionally, users with an unlimited plan will see their hotspot speeds capped at 600 Kbps.

35 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. People will freak out at this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet they'll not realize that it is essentially pointless because mobiles don't have a decent resolutions for useful HD, it's just crushed in to such a small screen.,
    480p is fine for mobiles.
    Only if you have a >10inch screen would HD make sense to even want.
    Of course, people will say "but I am using my phone as an internet connection for laptop", yeah well pay up bucko, that wasn't in your terms.

    Still a dick move, but this is what you get when you stand back and let your communications regulator fuck your country over instead of taking the incompetent scummy corrupt pricks to supreme court.

    1. Re:People will freak out at this by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      Isn't that what Moses brought down from the mountain? Old tech.

    2. Re:People will freak out at this by MightyYar · · Score: 2

      Honestly this is just Comcast marketing being completely inept. T-Mobile manages to sell this behavior as a feature: Use our amazing video shrinkifyer and save your data! Comcast comes off more like: YOU USE TOO MUCH DATA. COMCAST SMASH. GIVE MORE MONEY.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    3. Re:People will freak out at this by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

      Yet they'll not realize that it is essentially pointless because mobiles don't have a decent resolutions for useful HD, it's just crushed in to such a small screen.,
      480p is fine for mobiles.
      Only if you have a >10inch screen would HD make sense to even want.

      Or using VR lens over your smartphone.

    4. Re: People will freak out at this by fortfive · · Score: 1

      Like the Supreme Court would side with the consumer.

    5. Re:People will freak out at this by Calydor · · Score: 1

      Except not quite. Particularly the water argument suggests you don't consider laws (not just rules from the water provider, but actual legal laws) prohibiting excessive and unnecessary use of water during drought periods for things like washing cars, watering lawns etc.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    6. Re: People will freak out at this by PaulRivers10 · · Score: 1

      I can definitely tell the difference between 480p and 720p on my phone and it's the smaller screened google pixel, not even one of the large screen phones. I'd say about half the videos I'm watching in the browser, it's to grainy, I go through the effory of switching to the youtube app so I can get 720p. My phone would be a lot less useful if capped at 480.

    7. Re:People will freak out at this by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      But that's my point - this is entirely a problem with Comcast's marketing. The bandwidth-saving lower-res video concept is sound and accepted by consumers on other carriers. The way Comcast is rolling this out is completely inept.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    8. Re:People will freak out at this by DarkRookie · · Score: 1

      480p isn't that all that great for most phones now. The base line should now be 720p. Most phone now a days have 1080p panels or higher
      I can tell the difference between 480p, 720p, and 1080p on my phone.

      --
      The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
    9. Re:People will freak out at this by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Yet they'll not realize that it is essentially pointless because mobiles don't have a decent resolutions for useful HD

      Not entirely sure what kind of a shitty backwards phone you have along with your desperate need for an updated prescription but even the difference between 720p and 1080p is easily visible on a mobile phone screen.

    10. Re:People will freak out at this by Lordpidey · · Score: 1

      Having a VR lens won't improve your screen's resolution.

      --
      Some people encrypt by using rot-13 twice. I prefer the more secure method of using rot-1 a total of twenty six times.
    11. Re:People will freak out at this by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

      Having a VR lens won't improve your screen's resolution.

      The point is resolution matters when your smartphone is used in this way. 480 ... 1080.... 2160 ... are all quite noticeable leaps in quality in VR.

      480 looks like total crap in VR. Contrary to OPs assertion 480 is far from sufficient.

    12. Re:People will freak out at this by flargleblarg · · Score: 1

      480p is fine for mobiles. Only if you have a >10inch screen would HD make sense to even want.

      Speak for yourself!

      There is a world of difference between 480p and 720p on an iPhone 6/8 Plus or iPhone X. And you can even tell the difference between 720p and 1080p with most content. The difference between 900p and 1080p is hard to notice, but do not say that it requires a 10" screen to want actual HD content. You must have crummy vision?

  2. Re:Bust out that ol' VPN... by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

    I believe this is only for videos from Xfinity, not all video.

  3. See, we didn't need NN! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "Just look at all of the innovation in service pricing we've unleashed! Clearly, this will lead to better service and consumer experiences. This is the kind of greatness you can have without all of that pesky bad government regulation."

    - Ajit Pai Verizon Lawyer, FCC Chairman.

  4. 600 Kbps? other networks give full speed till 20G by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1, Insightful

    600 Kbps? other networks give full speed till about 20G.

    Any ways what is next at home speeds caped at say 5meg for non Comcast network useless you pay $50/mo month or get multi gig at $300/mo?

  5. Quick question by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 1

    So not only does a mobile user need to pay T-Mobile, Sprint, etc for data, but then they need pay Comcast for the ability to use that data if it's >480p?!

    Wow. Good thing the FCC / FTC / current administration all have the consumers back.........

    Okay, so quick question: would the Net Neutrality rules, as implemented by the FCC before the recent walk-back, have prevented this?

    Asking for a friend...

    1. Re:Quick question by r_naked · · Score: 2

      Probably not. They could probably use the "reasonable network management" clause to justify this.

      However, what Title II would have prevented was what is going to come next: "Pay $XX.YY and get the Comcast Streaming Service(c) package! Stream in GLORIOUS HD! Package includes Netfix, and HBO. Package subject to change without notice."

      Paid fast lanes.....

      -- Brian

      --
      -- http://anonet.org -- The internet the way it was meant to be. Check it out, you may be surprised.
    2. Re:Quick question by Pubstar · · Score: 1

      TFA already said they are going to charge extra for 720p streaming.

    3. Re:Quick question by r_naked · · Score: 1

      TFA already said they are going to charge extra for 720p streaming.

      If that is across the board, then that STILL would fall under the guise of network management.

      When they charge extra for specific services, THAT is NOT network management.

      Now, do I know that they are going to do this -- nope. However, if anyone here thinks that Comcast ISN'T going to do that -- you are on crack.

      -- Brian

      --
      -- http://anonet.org -- The internet the way it was meant to be. Check it out, you may be surprised.
  6. Why should Comcast get a say? by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    I predict sometime soon as fragmentation of video services and content continue we will start to see video services changing their systems to prevent providers from screwing with them to gain competitive advantage.

  7. Re:600 Kbps? other networks give full speed till 2 by msauve · · Score: 1

    Yea, "users with an unlimited plan will see their hotspot speeds capped at 600 Kbps." So, IOW, it is not unlimited, there being a very strict and specific limit.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  8. Re: Does quality matter on a smartphone? by PaulRivers10 · · Score: 1

    I go to the effort of switching from youtube in the browser (which almost always defaults to 480) to opening the same video in the youtube app (which usually defaults to 720) becaise I'm watching a video and realize I can't quite see what's going on. And I only have the smaller 5" pixel phone.

  9. the USA are the laughing stock of the Internet by loufoque · · Score: 1

    Even in Africa they have unlimited 2Mbps connections

    1. Re:the USA are the laughing stock of the Internet by _Sharp'r_ · · Score: 1

      Since I'm posting this from an inexpensive symmetrical Gigabit connection at my house in the USA, pretty sure you meant to say Comcast mobile video, not USA as a whole.

      --
      The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
  10. Tethering caps by sconeu · · Score: 1

    Additionally, users with an unlimited plan will see their hotspot speeds capped at 600 Kbps

    But didn't the FCC say that we didn't need a higher definition of broadband because people could use mobile for high speed access?

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  11. My prediction by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

    This is going into play so that, later on, they will announce this ' limitation ' will not impact customers who are streaming from Xfinity's own video services.

  12. Xfinity - cellular - laptop = low res service by hAckz0r · · Score: 1

    So, if I got this straight,in order to get a decent resolution on a cellular connected laptop or tablet, one now needs to first stream it to their desktop at home, and then through a VPN it to another endpoint site, and then finally to their laptop. Yes, I can really see this improving service quality. Thanks Comcast. /s

    1. Re:Xfinity - cellular - laptop = low res service by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      You think that Xfinity is still going to allow VPNs or uploading enough data from your desktop to stream? That's cute.

      But in all seriousness, your solution probably will work until just after the 2020 election. After all, why risk making it a voting issue?

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    2. Re: Xfinity - cellular - laptop = low res service by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      He never talked about downloading recordings. He talked about proxying it through your home network. And by limiting the upload speed (cable modems are asymmetric) Comcast can prevent that.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  13. Re:Wow... Another double whamy by TFlan91 · · Score: 1

    https://arstechnica.com/inform...

  14. HTTPS Should Make this Hard by jaa101 · · Score: 1

    If the streaming is over HTTPS they shouldn't be able to throttle based on video resolution. Yes, they can throttle based on data rates and the source network address but that's still going to be a crude mechanism. Constant quality video should have variable bitrates anyway.

  15. Yeha. by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 1

    For people who believe these guys when they offer something... this is a bit like going to a buffet where they offer "all you can eat," and "unlimited numbers of trips to the buffet line," but you can only use one plate at a time, the plates are handed out at the end of a long line and only one at a time, after the person handing the plates out verifies that you paid for the buffet by checking your receipt, (and does this each time, and marks down the time and checks your ID, so no receipt, no plate, and if someone ELSE besides you comes up with your receipt, they simply take your receipt away, meaning no more buffet,) and also the plates are actually saucers normally used with teacups. Kinda sucks the fun out of the whole experience. That said, of course, fuck Comcast.

    --
    Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
  16. Re:Xfinity Mobile limits by flargleblarg · · Score: 1

    Who are these people who are trying to stream 720p or 1080p video on their 5" phone screen?

    People with decent visual acuity.

  17. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2

    Comment removed based on user account deletion