cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

cheeser
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎12-12-2007

LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

By necessity, what follows is a bit long winded, but please bear with me, especially Plusnet personell.
I should stress that this is definately NOT a complaint against Plusnet, but I would like to make everyone aware of my findings.
I like to watch BBC iPlayer occasionally, when there's nothing else on.

While I have access via other machines, I would like to make more use of my TV which has a BBC iPlayer widget.
My TV is a LG 42LE5900 and I have always been concerned with the Broadband Usage it consumed, as it seemed excessive in comparison with the BBC iPlayer file sizes
per hour, of approximately 650MB and 1.3GB for SD and HD respectively.
With this in mind I decided to do some testing/monitoring, as follows:
My first test was performed on 25/01/12, that of viewing "BBC Click", which was in Standard Quality and 24 Min. 15 Sec. long:
Via the LG 42LE5900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 972.52 MB . . . (40.10 MB/Min) . . and very excessive.
Via Laptop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  272.26 MB . . . (11.23 MB/Min)
Download for iPlayer Desktop . . .  . . . . .. 262 MB  . . . . (10.80 MB/Min)
The above test was carried out while on my old "Plusnet Option 3" Package with 30 GB Usage allowance, when I usually managed speeds of between 5 and 6 Mb/s.
I have since upgraded to Plusnet's Fibre Extra Package with 120 GB Usage Allowance, and usual speed of about 32.5 Mb/s.
Although I have performed several additional tests, I will just quote the results from one performed on 17/02/12.
Again using SD BBC iPlayer content, of approx. 125 Min long the resulting usage was a colossal 11GB, trust me, this is not a typo.
This gives a usage of 90.11 MB/Min.

The original 40.10 MB/Min is equivalent to a download speed of 5.347 Mb/s,
and the new  90.11 MB/Min is equivalent to a download speed of 12.01 Mb/s.

My initial thoughts were that the LG connection was max'ing-out whatever streaming bandwidth was available to it.
That is, until I did a 10 Minute test with HD content which used 1196MB, or 119.6 MB/Min and an equivalent download speed of 15.95 Mb/s.

I sincerely hope that I'm not the only person that finds these statistics totally rediculous and unaceptable.

I would be interested to hear other user's experiences on similar equipment.

Also, is there anything that Plusnet can do to determine just what LG are doing with the stream between the BBC's servers and the TV?, and dissuade them from doing it,
in favour of leaving the stream unmodified.
I have no doubt that a more fully equipt router would help, i.e to knobble the streaming bandwith available to specific MAC addresses.
The way it is now, makes the LG BBC iPlayer unusable at worst, and extremely wasteful of resources at best, both with respect to users allowances and to the valuable
bandwidth that Plusnet and other ISPs have to purchase/provide.

I was considering raising a ticket to highlight this situation, but feel that the wider community needs to be made aware also, and of course there's the fact that it isn't any
fault of Plusnet.

Mal.
16 REPLIES 16
Kelly
Hero
Posts: 5,497
Thanks: 380
Fixes: 9
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

woah.
So, it's an HD TV, and is downloading the content at HD rates, but displaying in SD?
Kelly Dorset
Ex-Broadband Service Manager
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

and is it P2P?
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

That's streaming for you.
A programme (streaming size unknown) requires 1100 MBytes to store as a mp4 file; it is 1 hour long and stored as 1280 x 720, 25 fps "HD" definition.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

cheeser
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎12-12-2007

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

@Kelly
Yes, it is a HD TV
Yes it is SD BBC iPlayer content, in the most part that I have tested with, but it's impossible for me to tell what processing, if any, that LG are doing to the stream.
It does display as SD as far as I'm concerned, there is no discernible up scaling that I can see, or want.
I have also tested with HD, which is worse again, usage wise, great picture though.
Mal
cheeser
Newbie
Posts: 10
Registered: ‎12-12-2007

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

@Kelly
Sorry I just thought I'd add,
BBC iPlayer SD content should stream at about 11 MB/Min or 1.5 Mb/s
and                HD content should stream at about 22 MB/Min or 3 Mb/s
These are the rates you get to a laptop or PC browser.
All the Best
Mal
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

Slightly off topic:
I use BBC iPlayer a lot, series auto downloading, to my iMac, not TV,  most days as backup to TV, then wiped if recorded OK on PVR.
A couple of days ago, I got a BBC iPlayer pop-up, warning me that at 18gb I "may be approaching the download limit set by some ISP's "
I should have screen grabbed it, to show you.
Nice considerate BBC.
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

Quote from: cheeser
@Kelly
Sorry I just thought I'd add,
BBC iPlayer SD content should stream at about 11 MB/Min or 1.5 Mb/s
and                HD content should stream at about 22 MB/Min or 3 Mb/s
These are the rates you get to a laptop or PC browser.
All the Best
Mal

My stats, downloading, not viewing.

My download speed (not streaming) for both SD and HD of BBC iPlayer content is around 15mb/s which is probably more a function of my usual PlusNet download speed of 16.6mb/s
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics


Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

BBC iPlayer is slow tonight, despite Speedtests.
Download speed one item usually 9-15mb/s




Back to high speed 16mb/s download after midnight !


Speedtest wasn't a fluke, it's repeatable 8 hours later
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

Hi PlusComUK,
Have you noticed this any other nights or just last night? Will you let us know if you see any funkiness over the weekend?
Jojo Smiley
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

It has happened a few times before, seems to be ok after midnight ish...

Quote from: PlusComUK
Most of the day of Saturday 11th, BBC iPlayer has been downloading at pitiful speed, 125kb/s, even though Speedtest shows 16.6mb/s all day!
Suddenly, at Midnight Saturday, my BBC iPlayer download speed has shot up to 15mb/s, as usual !
(No, I don't have preferences set for midnight download)
PlusNet Maintenance work ?



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Is this why ?
Albeit a few days later than mentioned...
""" Service: Broadband
Posted: Wed, Feb 08 2012 at 13:14:17
Subject: Peak-time broadband speeds/performance (70143) - UPDATE
This is an update to yesterday's post regarding problems with our traffic management platform.
We believe the changes that our engineers made yesterday have resolved the issue of slow speed during peak times. If you experience a reduced performance during peak times then we would suggest raising a fault via the normal channels."""

jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

Yes, there were some related issues at that time. This would be something different.
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

Hi PlusComUK.
upon further investigation it will be because you are on unlimited where iPlayer desktop is limited to 2Mbps between 6pm-midnight.
Jojo Smiley
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: LG BBC iPlayer Excessive Usage Statistics

I never knew that !!
Now I do.