Amount of Data and Bandwidth Required for Streaming Video | GoBrolly (2024)

Streaming Video is the culprit that eats up your data and bandwidth within your Internet plan. We refer to it as the Internet Hog of data.

So what is streaming video? It is any video you watch through the Internet on your television, monitor or mobile device. This includes watching movies and TV shows on Netflix or Hulu, YouTube or other social media like TikTok and Facebook. In tech terms, it is the continuous transmission of video files from a server to a client.

Streaming video also includes the monitoring of security surveillance that a security camera records.

We’ll discuss how streaming video actually works, but for those wanting to get right to the heart of things, here are some calculations to help with your Internet plan selection.

Streaming Movies or TV

Average movie sizes and their data usage:

FPS = Frames-Per-Second
P = Progressive Scan
HD = High Definition
SD = Standard Definition

  • A 4K 30 fps 2-hour movie averages 14 GB in file size. (30 fps is the standard frame rate for most movies in the United States.)
  • A 1080p HD 60 fps 2-hour movie averages 6 GB in file size.
  • A 1080p HD 30 fps 2-hour movie averages 3 GB in file size.
  • A 720p HD 2-hour movie averages 2 GB in file size.
  • A Standard Definition (SD) 2-hour movie averages 1 GB in file size.

Note: read more about how to monitor your data by changing your video playback settings.

To turn those numbers into the up and down speed you need, consider the following scenarios if you watch 8 hours of movies or television a day:

  • 4K video at 30 fps, for 8 hours, or 4 movies a day:
    • You would need 56 GB per day x 30 days = 1,680 GB per month. (1.7 TB)
    • You will need a 30 Mbps download x 10 Mbps upload to make it run without buffering.
  • 1080p HD video at 60 fps, for 8 hours, or 4 movies a day:
    • You would need 24 GB x 30 days = 720 GB per month.
    • You would need 4 Mbps download with a 1.5 Mbps upload speed.
  • 1080p HD video at 30 fps, for 8 hours, or 4 movies a day:
    • You would need 12 GB x 30 days = 360 GB per month.
    • You would need 4 Mbps download with a 1.5 Mbps upload speed.
  • 720p HD for 8 hours, or 4 movies of 720p HD video a day:
    • You would need 8 GB of data x 30 days = 180 GB of data per month.
    • You would need at least 3 Mbps download with a 1.5 upload bandwidth.
  • Standard Video (SD) for 8 hours, or 4 movies of SD a day:
    • 4 GB of data x 30 days = 120 GB of data per month.
    • You would need at least a 2 Mbps download with a 1.5 upload bandwidth.

How Streaming Video Works

When streaming a movie or surveillance footage, you do not receive the whole file at once. Due to capacity restraints of hardware systems, the files are broken up and sent in small pieces, or frames, in consecutive order. (This is where the frames-per-second, or FPS, terminology comes in.) The hope is that you receive those frames before the video advances to them.

However, if the video timeline gets to those frames prior to your screen receiving them, then buffering occurs. This means your broadband connection is too slow to stream the video. So the system buffers, or holds, the video data, only to start playback when enough frames are loaded.

While the system buffers and waits for the video data, it displays a spinning buffering symbol recognized by many.

When you become a GoBrolly Customer, that symbol will become a ghost of your Internet past.

Updated February 2024
Updated November 2022

Brolly Blogger2024-03-19T12:31:14-05:00August 15th, 2022|Categories: Data and Bandwidth|Comments Off on The Amount of Data and Bandwidth Required for Streaming Video

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FAQs

How much data is enough for streaming? ›

On average, streaming video data usage for SD quality is around 0.7 to 1 GB of data per hour, while HD streaming can use approximately 1.5 to 2.5 GB of data per hour. UHD or 4K streaming typically consumes even more data, with estimates ranging from 7 to 10 GB per hour.

What is optimal bandwidth for streaming? ›

As a general rule of thumb, the best streaming speed is usually between 3 and 12 megabits per second (Mbps). Unless you're streaming at ultra-high definition resolutions (or very low resolutions), this is a comfortable range for most live streams.

What is the minimum internet speed needed for streaming TV? ›

8 Mbps is a decent speed for standard HD streaming, but it should be noted that ultra-high definition is usually synonymous with 4k resolution, which needs much more bandwidth. We recommend a connection with at least 25Mbps to get the best quality video.

What are the bandwidth requirements? ›

Bandwidth requirement refers to the need for a high amount of data transmission capacity in order to relay real-time images or videos with high resolution in a timely manner, while considering various constraints such as communication channel capacity, UAV speed, wireless link reliability, and security concerns.

How to calculate data usage for streaming video? ›

For On-Demand video, the amount of bandwidth required will depend on the size of a video and how many times it is viewed. Each time a video is viewed the video is transmitted to the viewer. So, if a video is 10MB and it is viewed 100 times it will use 1GB of bandwidth.

How much data do I need to stream TV for a month? ›

How much internet data you need
Internet activityMinimum recommended data per month
Streaming video in HD300GB
Making video calls on Zoom60GB
Running home security cameras30GB–300GB (depending on video resolution and frequency of activity captured by the cameras)
Online gaming30GB
2 more rows
Jul 1, 2024

How much bandwidth does a smart TV use? ›

Streaming standard definition video content uses about 1-2GB of data per hour, while high definition content can eat approximately 3-4GB of data per hour and streaming the ultra HD (4K and beyond) stuff can chew through as much as 10GB of data per hour.

What counts as streaming data? ›

Streaming data is data that is emitted at high volume in a continuous, incremental manner with the goal of low-latency processing. Organizations have thousands of data sources that typically simultaneously emit messages, records, or data ranging in size from a few bytes to several megabytes (MB).

How do I know if my internet is good enough for streaming? ›

For a 720p resolution stream at 30 frames per second, you'll need a minimum of 3-6 Mbps of internet speed. For a 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second, you'll need a minimum of 6-9 Mbps. For 1080p at a higher frame rate of 60 frames per second, you'll need at least 9-12 Mbps.

How much bandwidth is enough? ›

40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.

How do I reduce bandwidth while streaming? ›

Tip 1: Reduce Video Quality

Most streaming apps let you change the video quality right in the settings menu. Just a few clicks, and you're good to go! Most streaming services allow you to adjust the video quality. Lowering the resolution, especially on mobile devices, can significantly reduce data usage.

What internet speed do I need to avoid buffering? ›

Your network should have a download speed of around 25-30 Mbps to reduce or even avoid buffering. Besides slow speeds, dead spots are common problems in home WiFi networks.

What is the slowest internet speed for streaming? ›

How many Mbps you need per device for common internet activities
MinimumRecommended
Streaming HD video5Mbps25Mbps
Streaming 4K video25Mbps100Mbps
Online gaming5Mbps100Mbps
Streaming music1Mbps5Mbps
6 more rows

How much bandwidth is needed for 4K streaming? ›

A 4K stream uses around 25 Mbps of bandwidth, which is much higher than standard or high-definition streams. For smooth streaming, a stable internet connection with at least 50 Mbps download speed is recommended. Bandwidth usage can vary based on factors like video length and the platform used for streaming.

Is 20 Mbps fast enough for Netflix? ›

Netflix recommended minimum speed for optimal streaming quality. Netflix recommends a minimum speed of 3 Mbps for SD quality (standard definition) and 5 Mbps for HD quality (high definition). However, if you're watching in Ultra HD, or 4K, then Netflix recommends a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps.

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