According to multiple reports from Reuters, both Youtube and Netflix are changing the way their streaming service works quality-wise in order to not waste too muchbandwidth as more and more people either work from home or are confined to their home in these trying times.
Netflix has reduced all of its bitrates, cutting bandwidth usage by 25%. This came after talks between EU industry chief Thierry Breton, and Netflix CEP Reed Hastings.
Gamereactor would like to point out that this should have been followed by a price reduction, as those who pay for a 4K Netflix subscription are no longer able to stream 4K when we tried today.
Youtube will likewise reduce streaming quality, despite only experiencing minor peaks. In more practical terms, this means all streaming is by default SD (720p) instead of HD, 1080P. However, when Gamereactor checked, all suggested Youtube videos were still 1080P, and 4K could easily be chosen as an option.
The quality reduction for both is said to last 30 days.
Are you willing to sacrifice streaming quality to avoid peaks in internet usage?