Verizon to start throttling all video on unlimited plans

[liftedplane]

Big red is at it again, last month they were caught limiting video streams to 10mbps,well now we know why .

Starting tomorrow all video streams on smart phones will be limited to 720p, tablets get 1080p.

New unlimited plans are being rolled out, the lowest unlimited plan is $75 per month, which is $5 less than currently priced, however video streaming is limited to a paltry 480p.

This is all to help "network congestion" they also had this to say

"More than 96 percent of customers have not used 4K video,"

To get bigger get 480p you have to go beyond unlimited and pay $10 more per month for smart phones and $20 for tablets. Current unlimited users are automatically given beyond unlimited at no extra cost.

There will also be a change to mobile Hotspot. The $75 unlimited plan is capped at 600 kbps while the beyond plans get 15gb of 4g and are then throttled to 600 kbps.

The 1080p maximum is also imposed on laptops and any device connected to your mobile hotspot, this means no getting around it to watch 4k on your Android tv device through your phone.

Verizon has also said 720p and higher is indistinguishable on smart phones and by limiting video quality they will better be able to serve their customers.

I personally love the new unlimited plan, I'm not surprised VZW is doing this and frankly I hope the news of T-mobile rolling out their new low band is true and in the next few years I'll have a better option. Nothing can be done to change this unless you're on the old udp, and let's be honest how many still are?

Source: Verizon to start throttling all smartphone videos to 480p or 720p – Ars Technica

 

[lloydstrans]

I'm still tinkering on the original Unlimited plan.

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[kodiak799]

On UDP, also. Been thinking about going to one of these new unlimited plans....I think 720p is just fine on mobile. HOWEVER, since I like to tether then I WOULD want 1080p on my laptop (and I'm guessing you are still restricted to 720p when tethering).

I get they don't want people abusing the data, and I get network optimization....but surely they could do a little better than 600kbps?

 

[markwebb]

After 25+ years with VZW my spouse and I switched to the new 55+ unlimited plan with TMO for $60/2 lines. I'm happy with 480 DVD quality streaming on a phone. I also rarely tether. Saved $1k per year.

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[liftedplane]

On UDP, also. Been thinking about going to one of these new unlimited plans....I think 720p is just fine on mobile. HOWEVER, since I like to tether then I WOULD want 1080p on my laptop (and I'm guessing you are still restricted to 720p when tethering).

I get they don't want people abusing the data, and I get network optimization....but surely they could do a little better than 600kbps?

No it's limited to 10mbps when tethering which is supposed to be 1080p.

Keep in mind though tethered data is capped at 15gb 4g lte then dropped to 600 kbps afterwards, good luck streaming 240p at those speeds.

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[kodiak799]

No it's limited to 10mbps when tethering which is supposed to be 1080p.

Keep in mind though tethered data is capped at 15gb 4g lte then dropped to 600 kbps afterwards, good luck streaming 240p at those speeds.

Well, that's all using "official" tethering apps. So if you only used official tether for video, 15GB is a fairly healthy amount of 1080p, maybe 7-10 hours. But at least you CAN get 1080p on a tablet or laptop when you tether. Otherwise with "unofficial" tethering apps you would be stuck with 720p (which is still decent).

But that plan is only $5 a month cheaper than my current UDP, so why switch?

 

[liftedplane]

Well, that's all using "official" tethering apps. So if you only used official tether for video, 15GB is a fairly healthy amount of 1080p, maybe 7-10 hours. But at least you CAN get 1080p on a tablet or laptop when you tether. Otherwise with "unofficial" tethering apps you would be stuck with 720p (which is still decent).

But that plan is only $5 a month cheaper than my current UDP, so why switch?

I don't think it would be cheaper at all... This all seems like Verizon has been playing the long con on every single one of us.

"hey guys checkout our new unlimited data plans, you'll love it"

Wow this seems to good to be true.

A while later after a most of the old udp holdouts switch

"hey guys, you're using too much of the unlimited data we've given you, so we're going to throttle video streaming and if you want better than 480p quality you'll need to pay extra. Don't worry this is too protect the network we all use ć

I completely disagree, 480p looks great on the cheap 512mb android phones that tracfone sells because the screen basically has that resolution.

480p on a 2k or 4k screen on any of the flagship phones? No... It's artifact city.

720p should be the absolute lowest.

Also if 96% of the customer base has never even attacked 4k why the sudden need to get rid of the ability? Why not make 720p the base, you pay $10 extra for 1080p on phones and tablets and $20 extra for anything above 1080p.

Look I've never streamed 4k on my phone, and I won't be anytime soon. The only reason they've gone with DVD 480p quality as the base is because they know they can make money on 720p or 1080p. This may be too help network congestion, however that isn't the main reason, it's the one they give to us.

The real reason? They want more money and the current unlimited plans were put out there because tmobile was pulling customers away left and right and big red needed to do something quick.

Now that they feel they've got all of us hooked again they pull this bs.

I can't switch for another 18 months, I'm hoping things get better before then, I'm not holding my breathe. I'll be keeping an eye on t-mobile

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[me just sayin]

the change was no surprised for that money grubbing company

 

[TisMyDroid]

I don't think it would be cheaper at all... This all seems like Verizon has been playing the long con on every single one of us.

"hey guys checkout our new unlimited data plans, you'll love it"

Wow this seems to good to be true.

A while later after a most of the old udp holdouts switch

"hey guys, you're using too much of the unlimited data we've given you, so we're going to throttle video streaming and if you want better than 480p quality you'll need to pay extra. Don't worry this is too protect the network we all use ć

I completely disagree, 480p looks great on the cheap 512mb android phones that tracfone sells because the screen basically has that resolution.

480p on a 2k or 4k screen on any of the flagship phones? No... It's artifact city.

720p should be the absolute lowest.

Also if 96% of the customer base has never even attacked 4k why the sudden need to get rid of the ability? Why not make 720p the base, you pay $10 extra for 1080p on phones and tablets and $20 extra for anything above 1080p.

Look I've never streamed 4k on my phone, and I won't be anytime soon. The only reason they've gone with DVD 480p quality as the base is because they know they can make money on 720p or 1080p. This may be too help network congestion, however that isn't the main reason, it's the one they give to us.

The real reason? They want more money and the current unlimited plans were put out there because tmobile was pulling customers away left and right and big red needed to do something quick.

Now that they feel they've got all of us hooked again they pull this bs.

I can't switch for another 18 months, I'm hoping things get better before then, I'm not holding my breathe. I'll be keeping an eye on t-mobile

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I have to agree with you 100%, liftedplane. The only reason they're doing this is for the $$$$. Congested network excuse is BS. If I switched from the original UDP plan to this, I'd be po-ed!

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[Sajo]

Here's my question, as someone who switched to a new Unlimited Plan....can you really, really tell the difference on these 5 - 6 " screens? I don't watch any movies on my phone so I don't know if I would ever notice the difference.

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[liftedplane]

Here's my question, as someone who switched to a new Unlimited Plan....can you really, really tell the difference on these 5 - 6 " screens? I don't watch any movies on my phone so I don't know if I would ever notice the difference.

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Between 480 and 1080 yes, between 1080 and 4k, not really

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[kodiak799]

...can you really, really tell the difference on these 5 - 6 " screens?

480, probably. 720p? I'd guess that's about like trying to tell the difference between a 256kbps mp3 and lossless....many people claim they can, but few actually pass the blind test.

 

[liftedplane]

One thing alot of people seem to forget is that dvd is 480p,that p stands for progressive scan. This means that each pixel is changed.

First gen hd basically, and 480p does look much better than 720i,where the i stands for interlaced. This means alternating lines of pixels are changed together. Not one single phone out there would be in the i category as that's not how our screens work anymore. 480p is probably better than even 1080i (I've not seen a 1080i or 720i tv picture in a long time)

That's probably how Verizon made their decision even though interlaced televisions and phones don't really exist anymore.

Vzw director of poor excuses: "well 480p is technically better looking than 1080i"

Ceo: "but phone screens are all...."

Vdope: hush, people don't know that, this will work. "

Ceo: "/sigh... Okay..."

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[liftedplane]

Just got an email from Verizon. They've made my plan.... Better. Sure 5gb more of tethering data... They make zero mention of the capped streaming resolution. Oh and the new rewards garbage to steal all my data.

Dear customer,
Thanks for being an Unlimited customer. To show our appreciation, we’d like to tell you about two ways we’re making your plan even better.

First, we are introducing a different kind of rewards program called Verizon Up. How is it different? It’s super simple and gives you rewards you’ll actually want. The way it should be.

Verizon Up offers rewards that range from everyday treats like music subscriptions to once-in-a-lifetimeexperiences like VIP passes to exclusive concerts and sporting events. To enroll, just download the My Verizon app.

Second, as part of our new Unlimited plan choices, we are introducing Beyond Unlimited. This plan has all the benefits of your current plan, plus an increase to 15GB of Hotspot usage at 4G LTE speeds. So you can do even more with your unlimited data across all your devices. And because you’ve been with us from the beginning, we’re upgrading your plan to include the additional Beyond Unlimited plan benefits at no additional cost. We’ve already updated your plan; there’s nothing you need to do!

So, enjoy your new upgraded unlimited plan and Verizon Up rewards on the network that just keeps getting better.

RootMetrics, the largest independent study, just ranked Verizon the nation’s #1 network. Now 8 times in a row.

Because there’s no such thing as “good enough” in our vocabulary.

Thanks again for the opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Ronan Dunne
President, Verizon Wireless

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[Sajo]

I got that email ^^^ earlier today. An extra 5GB of tethering data is cool, but yes...no mention of the video restrictions and after reading what privacy you sign away for Up, I will pass.

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