Netflix to Offer 1080p and 3D Streaming... For Select ISPs

[Guest]

Netflix is offering "Super HD" and 3D streaming for certain ISPs.

Netflix to Offer 1080p and 3D Streaming... For Select ISPs : Read more

 

[merikafyeah]

Only direct-to-the-home fiber or minimum 50mb/s (sustained) connections could support such bandwidth for streaming 1080p 3D content, and only from ISPs without caps, since otherwise it'd be pointless if you stream a few movies and use up all your bandwidth.
Not many people have access to such ISPs, since they're only common in tightly packed urban areas where buildings are all squeezed together to make laying cables easier, like New York City or y'know, most of modern Eurasia.

Streaming still doesn't compare in quality to Blu-ray though, so I don't give a damn either way.

 

[hero1]

I have TekSavvy and I think it's owned by Rogers now and I have a 50" Panasonic Plasma 3D Smart TV and I now have the Netflix 3D and "SuperHD". So kudos to us Canadians!

 

[ddpruitt]

But it's not Netflix's fault. In 2012, Netflix launched Open Connect, allowing ISPs to manage the flow of content to their customers. So, for now, Cablevision and Google Fiber are the only ISPs that have opted to support "Super HD" and 3D streaming.

BBUUUUULLLLLLLSSSSHHHHIIIITTTTT

If they wanted to they could support it on any connection that has the speed like they do now. Saying it's not Netflix's fault is like saying a you can't buy premium gas because your car company won't opt-in to their "fuel delivery" plan .

And what's up with only supporting Win8?

 

[CaedenV]

In my home with a 20MB/s connection we can stream 3 720p movies from Netflix at once with no problem... I am pretty sure we could handle 1080p on our modest internet connection.

Anywho, data caps are a problem for those who have them. I remember there was a month where my family was really into a few HD shows on netflix and we managed to hit nearly 2TB of usage that month (this according to the reporting on my router). I just kept thinking "Man, if we had data caps we would be broke!"

 

[grokem]

Major ISPs don't really have bandwidth costs, more like physical maintenance and equipment costs. Either way, scaling up the core network is a trivial cost to them. What costs is the infamous "last mile" but that isn't really the problem here. A major ISP could do this by eating the rack and power cost of installing the Netflix equipment in each of their data centers. While yes this costs real money, most is already sunk costs and adds only trivial incremental costs.

Now Netflix could just push out 1080p to everyone but given that they use L3 to push their content out to the "edge of the network" it would cost them a good bit. BTW, L3 does what Netflix does and has major ISPs give them rack, power and port space in their data centers. While I don't know the arrangements they have, this is typically done at trivial cost to either side because it benefits both. L3 and Akamai just do it on a more generic basis and it's part of their core business so they have more leverage than Netflix does.

To go back to the last mile, 720p typically takes 3-6mbits/sec on my online streaming services. 1080p takes 6-12mbits/sec. I think Blue-Ray has a max cap of 40mb/sec to give you a rough idea how much extra these streams are compressed. As long as you connection can handle it there is no reason you can't stream it.

 

[therabiddeer]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]You'll never see this on the major ISPs, Comcast, Cox, etc. Their backbones would charge them up the ass for all the added bandwidth usage. L3 already went after Comcast for more money because of the all the bandwidth Netflix subscribers were sucking up.[/citation]
You realize the major ISP's: Comcast, AT&T, etc are all delivering their 1080p TV media through the internet right now, right?

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]ddpruitt[/nom]BBUUUUULLLLLLLSSSSHHHHIIIITTTTTIf they wanted to they could support it on any connection that has the speed like they do now. Saying it's not Netflix's fault is like saying a you can't buy premium gas because your car company won't opt-in to their "fuel delivery" plan .And what's up with only supporting Win8?[/citation]


honestly its probably NOT netflix fault , most likely other isp's don't support open internet streaming for 1080p because they instead have their own "closed" service that streams 1080p , look at direct TV for instance and their cinema now. granted direct tv has nothing to do with internet service , but it's likely the big cable companies have their own system for delivering 1080 p over the internet , and wont allow such a huge signal to cross their servers from the open web, which is how netflix packets are delivered.

 

[k7mm]

Select ISPs = Google Fiber

 

[jerrspud]

1080p with 2-channel audio will be.. awesome?

 

[upgrade_1977]

Thats to bad, cuz I have a 3D setup, and I have a 25mb comcast connection. Less money for them I guess.

 

[roalith]

Not sure about the accuracy of this. We use Suddenlink Communications as our ISP and Battlestar Galactica went from the usual "HD" to "Super HD" last night when we were watching, so pretty sure Suddenlink supports it!

 

[Guest]

Jerrspud, the 2 channel audio thing isn't necessarily true. Right now if you stream through your PS3 (can't comment on other "boxes") you can get 5.1 with your HD stream.

While I can't see 7.1 Tru Audio, I think that allowing 5.1 shouldn't be too difficult.