What's the difference between streaming and downloading a video, and how does it impact the limits my ISP imposes?

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I am on mobile broadband dongle at home (uk). For a certain amount of money, I can have various amounts of data usage. I have noticed as you are downloading/streaming, you are not only taking data down, you are also putting data up. If you are on a limited budget with your ISP, then I would suggest trying to get a program which wil let you see how much data thruput you have. For every 20mb coming down, about 2-3mb is going back up.
The program I am thinking about is Networx. I hope Leo lets this thru as it's not advertising in this sense. A very useful little free program for those with limited budget and, limited internet connection data rate.

Is there a way to tell how many mg it takes to see a youtube video lasting maybe 5 minutes?

that was simlpy brilliant leo. you explained that very well. i'm not a techie/geek but i do believe i learnt something today, and understood it!..... very informative.thank you
regards
john devaney

Wilma, the size of a 5 min video can vary between 500kB (usually on YouTube the lowest quality ones are around 3MB) and 1GB for an uncompressed DV (usually on YouTube the HQ quality ones are around 25MB). There isn't anything you can do to find the real size of the video apart viewing it - better the image and sound, bigger the file.

I think that the asker was really trying to say.
I can download a file and view it or make a link to the file and view it, what is the difference for my limits.

Really good detective work on the YouTube information.

For the asker: There is software out there that will capture the files for videos. If you do that, you can download the video one time and then view the file that is on your hard drive instead of downloading it (anything you view on the internet is downloading information from the server to your computer) again when you want to see it again.

Well,
I do not agree with Leo. Youtube does provide option to remember the downloaded video. See (+) sign on video click on it and you can view it even when you are offline.

Unfortunately that option is rarely available in that way - certainly not on all videos, and perhaps not for all users. In my tests it just re-downloads the video if it's not in your cache.

02-Sep-2009

Hi, You might mention that to change cache size in Firefox, you can go to Tools then Options, and then go to the Advanced tab, Select Network. You can increase cache size there.

Many thanks for another clear and comprehensive answer to my question. ( A latte is on its way .)

May I suggest a program such as Video Cache Viewer. Such utilities simply weed out the videos (in any format) you have viewed since you last cleared your browser. There will be many, but you can just ignore/delete any shockwave .swf files right off the bat, they are always ads. Then just look through what's left, and you should find the one/s you want. Select them, and save or copy to a pre-designated folder. U-Tube vids are .flv, usually quite tidy in size.
There you go!

Here in Australia our ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) promotes its iView link at which viewers can catch up with programmes we might have missed. The programmes are streamed, most are available for fourteen days, and iView is unmetered with five ISPs. ("The ABC is in negotiation with other ISPs to offer ABC iView unmetered to their customers.") I am fortunate to be with one of the five.

When one starts iView, the site contains a box indicating whether usage will be metered or unmetered, a graph from "Poor quality" to "High quality," and the following text: "Your internet connection can stream video at ____ . We recommend 1.1 Mbps (1126 kbps) or above for optimum viewing."

In my case the graph shows me just about in the middle between "Poor quality" and "High quality" -- I am just below the middle line. The text currently reads "... can stream video at 421 kbps". On the occasions I have used iView there has not been much of a variation from that figure. That quality and speed mean that when I try to use iView, the programme stutters. It runs for a minute or two and then pauses as the streaming "catches up" with what I am viewing. The first couple of times I tried to watch something, I gave up very quickly. However, eventually the day came when I REALLY wanted to see a programme and didn't want to give up. I also REALLY didn't want to put up with the stuttering / buffering.

I had found in the past that I could solve the problem with YouTube videos by noting their length when starting them, then muting my PC's sound and going to another browser window (or playing Hearts or doing emails) until just about the time the video was due to end. I would then go back to it, turn my sound back on, and use the "Replay" option to watch the YouTube video without experiencing the stuttering. This method, however, did not work with iView's streaming video (as I found to my dismay when I tried it and after the half hour or more of the programme's time had expired -- in comparison to usually much shorter waiting times for YouTube videos -- I could only start it again complete with stuttering).

Since then I have experimented and found a solution. I start iView and then go to the programme I want to watch and start it. As soon as it has started to play, I click on the Play/Pause button. Then I do something else for ten to fifteen minutes (emails, surf in another window, put a load of washing in the machine, rake a few leaves, etc.). When I come back and click on the Play/Pause button again, the programme plays without stutter for some time. Eventually it begins to stutter again, and I use the Play/Pause button again.

Of course, if I were watching the programme on the ABC on TV, there wouldn't be these interruptions. To "console" myself about them, I think of them as "commercial breaks" (albeit extended ones) when I would most likely get up and do something else anyway. (For readers not familiar with Australia's ABC, it has no commercials. The only things it screens other than programmes are promos and previews for its own content.)

I discovered the BBC has a similar programme when I was trying to find a BBC production that was no longer on iView. I also learned that content agreements and/or management rights dictate the length of time the programmes remain available for online viewing at both sites. I have not provided a link for iView because it is for domestic consumption only (as is the BBC link).

As I cannot utilise the BBC link, I have not checked whether the BBC has any "free content" arrangement with any ISPs. Neither have I checked whether any American networks have comparable arrangements, for domestic or other viewers. Perhaps American viewers could enlighten me / us about whether any exist.

Merna B.

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