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