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MargaretR · 19-09-2012, 11:18

When I recently upgraded to (lower class type) of BT Infinity, my download/upload limit went up from 10gb to 40gb, and I thought - great! - can now watch films online.

I started with a month free trial at Netflix - watched about 8 films - but after the first 6 was disappointed. Maybe I expected too much, but repeats of TV series aren't my idea of 'film entertainment'. There was nothing left that I was willing to pay for so I cancelled a week before the free month expired.

So I am now on a 'Lovefilm Instant' free trial for a month.
I have watched 2 superb films which I rated 5*, and thought - great ! - this looks worth sticking with, because there were at least another six films that looked potentially enjoyable.

BUT when I checked the BT bandwidth monitor I had a shock. Those two films had taken my bandwidth use to over half of my monthly allowance, and I was only one third way into the month. They were HD films which use far more bandwidth.

I am not fussy about this 'HD thing' - (I can't see the difference in any case), so I wrote to Lovefilm to ask if the HD could be 'switched off' by the user (me), and this is their reply -

"Dear Margaret,
Thank you for your recent email.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Unfortunately, there will be no option for you to select quality yourself. If content is available in HD and the your internet connection is fast enough content will be displayed in HD.
I would also like to inform you that a minimum speed of 4 Mbps (megabits per second) is required to play HD titles in 720p quality. A minimum speed of 12 Mbps is required to play HD titles in 1080p quality. The LOVEFiLM Instant system automatically selects the best quality of playback for uninterrupted viewing. So if your broadband speed drops while viewing, playback will seamlessly switch to, say, 720p or standard definition; it will switch back up, equally seamlessly, when your broadband speed increases. Best possible speed will be achieved by using an Ethernet cable to connect your device to the internet, rather Wi-Fi."

I find that a little ironic - if I didn't have (fast) Infinity, the film would automatically not be viewable in HD.

I am not willing to double what I pay to BT for the privilege of unlimited bandwidth, so I am back to watching youtube style free documentaries - I will be 'educated' rather than 'amused', which maybe is for the best.

19-09-2012, 11:18	#1
MargaretR God Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: c l m Posts: 12,362 Blog Entries: 4 Liked: 518 times Rep Power: 68671	Netflix and Lovefilm When I recently upgraded to (lower class type) of BT Infinity, my download/upload limit went up from 10gb to 40gb, and I thought - great! - can now watch films online. I started with a month free trial at Netflix - watched about 8 films - but after the first 6 was disappointed. Maybe I expected too much, but repeats of TV series aren't my idea of 'film entertainment'. There was nothing left that I was willing to pay for so I cancelled a week before the free month expired. So I am now on a 'Lovefilm Instant' free trial for a month. I have watched 2 superb films which I rated 5*, and thought - great ! - this looks worth sticking with, because there were at least another six films that looked potentially enjoyable. BUT when I checked the BT bandwidth monitor I had a shock. Those two films had taken my bandwidth use to over half of my monthly allowance, and I was only one third way into the month. They were HD films which use far more bandwidth. I am not fussy about this 'HD thing' - (I can't see the difference in any case), so I wrote to Lovefilm to ask if the HD could be 'switched off' by the user (me), and this is their reply - "Dear Margaret, Thank you for your recent email. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. Unfortunately, there will be no option for you to select quality yourself. If content is available in HD and the your internet connection is fast enough content will be displayed in HD. I would also like to inform you that a minimum speed of 4 Mbps (megabits per second) is required to play HD titles in 720p quality. A minimum speed of 12 Mbps is required to play HD titles in 1080p quality. The LOVEFiLM Instant system automatically selects the best quality of playback for uninterrupted viewing. So if your broadband speed drops while viewing, playback will seamlessly switch to, say, 720p or standard definition; it will switch back up, equally seamlessly, when your broadband speed increases. Best possible speed will be achieved by using an Ethernet cable to connect your device to the internet, rather Wi-Fi." I find that a little ironic - if I didn't have (fast) Infinity, the film would automatically not be viewable in HD. I am not willing to double what I pay to BT for the privilege of unlimited bandwidth, so I am back to watching youtube style free documentaries - I will be 'educated' rather than 'amused', which maybe is for the best.