Rocky4510 Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I've just brought my first house and currently deciding which broardband/TV package to get. Soon I'll be purchasing a 4k TV mainly to watch the 4k bits and pieces on Netflix.. I'm just wondering will I need fibre optic broadband (38mbs+) to keep up with the streaming or will a normal broadband line (17mbs) be good enough? Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
un1eash Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Check the speed you can get. 17mbs is the max, you may get alot less then that. I'd go fibre if you download alot or game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 The answer is that it depends on the quality of what you're trying to stream. Netflix ask for a minimum of 25meg, which you're never going to get on ADSL so yes, you will need fibre. However, I would suggest that you'll actually want double speed fibre (76meg and up) for a reliable service. I would also suggest that buying a 4K TV specifically for 4K stuff is a bad idea until we see just how/if it ever takes off. My gut feeling is that it's just another 3D, a gimmick to convince up to keep buying new TVs when the content isn't even there yet. Also bear in mind how far you sit from the TV, as unless you're up close you won't actually see much benefit of 4K at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GizmoGold Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I'd definitely recommend getting fibre, I'm on 35mbs atm and it never really drops below 20 so it's perfect for streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veeg33 Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 (edited) Fibre optic if you can. My broadband advertised as 16Mbps but I only max 4.5Mbps. Go for highest possible now to stream best quality, 4K in your case...... Edited February 22, 2016 by veeg33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I have fiber at just over 37mbs, and stream UHD/4K from Netflix with no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4510 Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 Great info/advice, I'll stick with fibre then. Unfortunately I can't seem to get anything over 38mbs in my area so hopefully that will be enough for what I need. Cheers guys Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Remember you'll need a good quality network as well, wifi probably won't cut it for 4K with surround sound... as it's a house you've just bought, you may want to think about chasing cables in to the walls if you're doing any decorating work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimboy2 Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Defiantly recommend running cables. I hard wired my house with cat 6. Everything I watch on tv is streamed and I have never had it buffer. If you can do it, it's so worth doing. Won't be long till all tv is able to be streamed. Edited February 23, 2016 by jimboy2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 TV streaming over wifi is not the issue really, it's more down to the quality of the stream. Right now all online content in both HD and 4K is of such a low bitrate that wifi has no issues streaming it whatsoever (signal strength allowing, of course). It's when you want to watch something in genuine full-bitrate HD with DTS-HD sound that you'll struggle. A wifi connection or even a 10/100 Ethernet connection simply doesn't have the bandwidth to carry the data, so you end up with buffering/stuttering problems. Granted, for most people who are happy to watch in stereo with a compressed image that's okay, but if you really want to make the most of the format (or may want to in the future) then you really will need gig Ethernet at the very least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 TV streaming over wifi is not the issue really, it's more down to the quality of the stream. Even a 1080p with DTS surround sound will buffer occasionally over Wireless G, if someone's going through the effort of streaming 4K then I would've thought the bitrate would be high enough to actually make the most of the 4K? Anyway, if I'd just bought the house, I'd chase network, speaker and cable (sky/virgin whatever) cables in to the walls before decorating, it doesn't take too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delz0r Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Im on virgin media in Ireland. I have 240mb connected to the TV via cat 5e cable and speedtest confirms that I'm getting the full 240.... However, virgin are throttling connections to netflix leaving me sometimes to not even get 1080p Edited February 23, 2016 by delz0r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 How far are you from your exchange? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryjackson Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Virgin is far superior to anyone else id say. My brother signed up for the fastest internet. 3 months later they put the speeds up from 100 to 150mbps. No extra cost just upgrading the area. Never has a problem with his TiVo box. When I eventually move into my house I'll be getting Virgin and using the PlayStation, TV straight from the router via CAT6a cable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4510 Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 By 'exchange' do you mean the green box? If so, it's literally right across the road from my house lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 No, the exchange is the big building which distributes to the green cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choptop Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Just changed from ADSL2 to Fibre Broadband. Massive difference in my opinion. Go for Fibre if you can. Use some of the comparison sites Uswitch, Moneysupermarket etc. They will work out who offers the best deal for you in your local area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 By 'exchange' do you mean the green box? If so, it's literally right across the road from my house lol How far are you from that green box too? they will run fiber to that green box and then copper from that to your home, the more copper, the more the speed is impacted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 And it will be even worse if they used an alloy based cable, which apparently they did a lot, according to the engineer of 30 years experience that rewired my lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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