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Streaming services are frustrating!

SeanB
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎14-04-2012

Streaming services are frustrating!

Why are streaming services treated the same as Peer to Peer/Usenet?
Now that catch-up services and online movie rentals etc. are more common place, should those services not be given at least a minimal speed rating? It defeats the point of those services if I can't watch anything on iPlayer in the evening without it stuttering along (which is very annoying). My recent experience though involves movie rentals, I don't mind having to wait a certain amount of time for the film to buffer enough, but when as is the case this evening, I decided I wanted to watch a film and at 17:50 had less than an hour for it to be ready, which was fine as I was planning on starting it at 8pm, after 18:00 I had a two hour wait which would have been ok, but then at 19:30 it should three hours until it was ready which means not watching it until after 10pm ....this is un-exceptable.
I understand the need for maintaining network quality and I'd be the first to complain if my gaming experience began to suck but, as streaming services are becoming more widely used I feel that the network should be able to deliver those services effectively, at any time of the day.
7 REPLIES 7
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

Quote from: SeanB
Why are streaming services treated the same as Peer to Peer/Usenet?
They aren't
Look here http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/speed_guide/download_speeds.shtml
SeanB
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎14-04-2012

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

Ah well that makes the policy more clear, although the service after 6pm doesn't seem to reflect those policies. I guess until the capacity is increased or management becomes more intelligent the frustrations will continue.
The source of my confusion though was this page, https://portal.plus.net/addons/pro/
The table being fairly simple to follow shows that on the two standard products (Value & Extra) streaming (and Usenet) speeds are "Slowed Down" and with the Pro Add-on become "Managed" as apposed to the "Prioritised", maximum line speed, that the Broadband Download Speed page suggests. Perhaps a revision could be considered  Wink
Thanks for the response though.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

It is clear once you understand how their minds work  Grin
Basically anything which isn't titanium can, in the worst case, be managed
If it says slowed down then there is a speed cap at certain times.
In the case of streaming this covers iPlayer and YouTube. YouTube is limited to 2.5Mb/sec between 8 and 10pm but the other streaming downloads such as iPlayer aren't
It sounds like you have a different problem which is very unlikely to be down to Plusnet but could be down to exchange congestion. What does this say about your exchange http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/
SeanB
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎14-04-2012

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

Last nights experience was more annoying than usual ...incidentally, I didn't get to watch the film  Angry
The BT Checker does show red for my (PEMBROKE) exchange, specifically the 'Virtual Paths', for which it shows no ETA Fix date.
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

"Virtual paths red" makes it look like exchange congestion is the most likely cause of your streaming problems. Since there isn't an estimated fix date for this it looks like Plusnet need to raise the issue with BT. Hopefully staff will pick this up on Monday.
David
jojopillo
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 9,786
Registered: ‎16-06-2010

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

Quote from: spraxyt
it looks like Plusnet need to raise the issue with BT

@SeanB, Thanks spraxyt, that will have to be done as part of the faults process now.
If you raise a fault and show speed tests when it's good then results when it's bad then that's the best way to go.
Jojo Smiley
fishrow
Grafter
Posts: 67
Registered: ‎31-08-2009

Re: Streaming services are frustrating!

Quote from: spraxyt
"Virtual paths red" makes it look like exchange congestion is the most likely cause of your streaming problems.

Well now, seems like a whole bunch of people can't be bothered,  have some more parochial problem, or don't care about quality, or don't know that Personal Video Recording and playback equipment is available to enable watching broadcast material on their high quality widescreen television set!