BBC Iplayer and broadband usage.

I hope I am in the right forum
I am using huge amounts of my allocation since I got BBC Iplayer on my Panasonic DMR-BWT700 Freeview DVD recorder. A 1 hour show is using nearly 2GB and smashing my allowance of 30GB. A search on the net says an hour should use approximately 700/800Mb. Has anyone any idea why I use so much. Nothing else is on in the house othe than my Blackberry and the wife's Ipad2 for a few emails. As a result of this I am going to have to leave my ISP, IDNET to get a better allowance. It's a real shame because they have been excellent, but they are too expensive for larger allowances.

Using HD rather than SD streams?

iPlayer does use bandwidth but these days an allowance of 30GB isnt huge if you want to use streaming video

I can't see any facility on the Iplayer to select SD or HD on the DVD player.
I can, of course on the PC

As greenglide says, 2GB/hour sounds like you're watching the HD streams, not a good idea if you've got bandwidth limitations

Try sticking to the SD streams where possible.

On consumer devices iPlayer does not offer the HD streams available using a computer but but it does offer Higher Quality streams. which are halfway between the SD and HD streams. This is presumably because most consumer devices are not powerful enough to handle the full HD streams.

look at this about 1/3rd down. The bit about TV and Radio catch up 10Gb+

Says about 700mb for 1 hour on the better setting, what I use, find the SD version nasty like watching a good old video.

http://www.choose.net/media/guide/faqs/how-much-broa...

Dad has a new bluray recorder/ freeview thing and I have the older model of what you have, dvd recorder/freeview. No I player on mine as did not do on the 2010 stuff, Now dad bought this about 6 weeks ago in readyness of the telly arriving Saturday. All panasonic stuff and 3d. Less than mine was 15 months ago.

The way it goes as good or better and now less than 1/2 price!.

To the point, there was a setting for the sd or HD on the viera cast thing ( or whatever it is called now), as had a play with dads new toy and did some recording and set it up to make sure it works as 6 weeks on now going to be needed in 2 days at last.

Do private message thing and will set up dads if you want and work it out and say or ring if you want.

Did see it but thing was put away weeks ago and mine does not do as older year before model range.

Still 2Gb for 1 hour, not right. Done 1 hours download on computer of the iplayer program and is about 600Mb from memory so Hd wont be 2Gb I would think. Not what the above link web site says.

What you have is not a dvd recorder, (ok it will), as just gone to panasonic site and the items page for the download of the manual, is the same as dads , a Bluray recorder. We got for about £370 on amazon.

Might set up now quickly and work out the steps, is there what you want.

Have you got it with a 3d telly, then does its thing with the daft glasses and disks, I get from Love film, through the door.

Will get the answer now when it is plugged in.

iPlayer HD streams use around the 4Mbps mark data rate wise. Which for an hour works out at 1.8GB per hour so matches nicely with what the user is seeing.

That choose.net site is talking about old style SD streams from iPlayer.

Nice one.

Have kept an eye on my useage as have just the 40Gb limit on the infinity, never noticed that much use.

Maybe the freesat higher quality ( built into the telly on 901), is not the same. My dvd recorder does not do what the new bluray does. So dad will have to be carefull when using every now and then. To be fair he gets 40Gb I think on talk talk and only does the odd program now on the computer upstairs.

New telly on saturday that will have the same internet stuff as the bluray recorder he has ( kept here so mother does not know he spent £370 !).

I have 40Gb, ok for now. not at 2gb almost an hour if you do loads, we are ok . Guess Woodroyd will struggle if he does loads.

Still I was wrong, whoops.
Now back to setting the thing up to see how to turn the setting down, is there as noticed when having a play for the week it was out.

Nice one Andrew, dont want to be giving wrong facts. Did this time.

My allowance is ok but could see at that how TV on the machine he has just bought will cause problems.

her indoors records so much stuff on the 2 tuners, I think it having 3 things done at the same time would not do sometimes. so much easier with a telly that was that and 3 channels or 4 as remember that.

A lot of confusion will arise as different devices may select different streams to playback.

I would expect HDTV appliances to pick the best available stream automatically, only dropping back if they have to.

NetFlix operates in this manner, chewing up to 5Mbps on a good connection, OnPlay is even worse for streamed games, with it using as much as it can i.e. upwards of 8 Mbps

Would not want to much of that on my 40Gb month.

Just fired up dads thing and got the answer, was very easy and I found by having a play 6 weeks ago or so.

Will do that next.

Hello

Fire up the iplayer in the viera cast button as you do and when I just did the wording along the botton was "featured" that was pink, use the round 4 arrow and ok thing on remote to go down and along to settings.

Is there in a cloice of a few settings when opened, Video quality gives HD, SD or lower. See what SD uses in your same test.

On the viera cast main page that fires up when button is pressed is a settings box, in that customise home screen moves around the boxes to but your favourite used things at the front first layer. What I did on our telly and dvd/freeview thing over a year ago and did for dads so he has the few usefull things on the first page.

Always aim for anything with settings on it. What I do and can usually find what you want.

Now to pack it back up.

Have you tried a media server program on the computer. I have a freebee called TVersity. ( run on computer if you want, no links or say do as get moaned at for dodgy links, up to you)

Then get the photos (file structure of the digital camera folder on computer ) show up on the freeview box so then onto the telly.

Press function menu, then network, then home network(DLNA), shows computer stuff that you set up in the TVersity program (if you want, up to you). Might already do this but nice to do if not, usefull for film show of camera photos if you have one.

Just a thought.

In reply to a post by gomezz:

On consumer devices iPlayer does not offer the HD streams

Well, iPlayer on my Humax PVR offers what it says is HD, but I haven't checked the data rates... I'll make a point of noting them next time I use it.

And the panasonic machine that started this off and is thew same as dads.

Freesat iplayer on the panasonic 2010 telly gives lower quility and higher. I go for higher as low I think is horrible.

Just had a look in the Help/FAQ for iPlayer on the Humax:

Q: Can I find HD programmes?

A: BBC HD programmes are available in the BBC HD channel if your device supports it. Select TV then BBC HD and you will find the available HD programmes.

If you cannot see the BBC HD logo it means HD programmes are not yet available on your device.

I can see it... and they sure eat bandwidth! I think about 2GB/hour as the OP says, but I'll have to do a proper check to be sure.

In reply to a post by gomezz:

On consumer devices iPlayer does not offer the HD streams available using a computer but but it does offer Higher Quality streams. which are halfway between the SD and HD streams. This is presumably because most consumer devices are not powerful enough to handle the full HD streams.

For non-HD stuff there's also a "normal" or "high quality" setting for faster connections, are you sure you don't mean that?


edit- sp

Edited by billford (Thu 15-Mar-12 16:43:12)

I can confirm that my television, DVD/Bluray player and PCs all have iPlayer at HD available. My phone - which has iplayer does not offer HD.

Thanks.

I wish C4 would do something about their resolution via 4oD... I watched a 2hr 20min programme last night and it only used about half a gig, but it was like watching a movie in CGA

Thanks Daniel-G
I checked the settings on the BBC Iplayer and it was already set to SD, so I still don't know why I use so much.
I do have the DLNA function working and connected up to my PC. I also have Share Manager connected through my Samsung television so I do have 2 routes to view stuff stored. However it is the catchup on Iplayer that I really need to sort out.
I have asked for a MAC code today and will be moving to Goscombe.net that allows me 60GB per month for around the same money. I will run that and see how I get on. If that doesn't work I will have to consider the problem IP's like BT and SKY that have unlimited allowances but seem to have unlimited complaints about their service as well.

Hello at work on the phone so short today. A bit odd. Andrew recons 1.8 for hd. Hour worth. Sure it is on sd. Will set the same thing as you have up tomorrow we new 3d telly arrives. I have 40 gb on the cheap bt infinity. Had a duff phone incoming cable that dragged down the 37.5 top speed but went back up. No complaints from me. Most speed tests are 33mb or more. I think the photos to telly on the dlna is good. Problem now is 6 months ago go the 3d camera so now it will not do them. No 3d function. Works well on the tellys sd fard reader or side by side 3d output on computer, laptop on a hdmi lead

They also have many more customers and hence many more complaints

The vast majority of people are happy with their service

I've had sky for several years and apart from a recent problem it's always been fantastic

I also had a line problem but that would affect any ISP
Just my two cents... To add unlimited usage sounds like something that would really benefit you in terms of peace of mind etc

Hi

Since having dads thing out to try 6 weeks ago, that first day, went into the menu, others (I guess) and did the check for updates, it found and did, then the same week again. nothing yesterday 5 weeks on but maybe the update fixed the iplayer saying SD but is not. The just under 2Gb is 1 hours as people say. My 40Gb a month gone in 20 hours but thats why I have a freeview recorder!.
Dont use much so not a problem.

Check for firmware updates. Does not take long if installing it when it does a few minures at most then turns off then on again or you know when it is done. Says something on the display.

Easy.
just a guess and proberly wrong but latest stuff on it must sort out something, You are not told what just a new version availiable.

What I did anyway, I check the blueray player and telly every now and then as well.
Mine dont bring anything up now as 2010 range and they loose interest or fix it all.

what you just bought and dads being newer bluray recorder/freeview thing I found 2 updates in Jan so a thought.

From daniel

Not lgoged in

Thanks Daniel-g
Checked for updates and it seems I am right up to date.

Hello

Andrew wrote this bit on the zen story, top of the list at the moment.

Zen highlights that its cheapest product with a 20 GB download allowance can play around 60 hours of BBC iPlayer content at standard definition quality level, we should point out that many embedded versions of iPlayer will opt for the best quality level a connection will support, and at its highest quality level BBC iPlayer will use around 2 GB an hour.

So does the panasonic thing take no notice of the settings in the veria cast iplayer and go for Hd if it can.

Got dads telly and the thing you have as well going.
He never will do much of the interactive things or iplayer so the 40Gb he has I think is ok.
A few programs a months, is ok for him

Lets hope your new internet goes ok. Still 2Gb for 1 hours seems a lot but normal so I was wrong.

I remember some internet providers having a 2Gb a month allowance, was some time ago before the faster speeds, we all had uoto 8Mb ( or most of use including me or stuck on 56k dial up). 2Gb is a bit weedy now.

I get 7Gb on a good month and dont do much telly stuff if any some months.