Minimum ADSL Line Speed for Netflix/Hulu

I'm thinking of ditching DSTV soon, and getting a Netflix and Hulu account instead. I don't really watch sport, and mainly have it these days just so my kid can watch Disney Junior. I figure I can use the extra money to upgrade my ADSL line. Currently, I'm on a 1Mbps Uncapped account from MWEB, which is working fantastically, but I assume it might not be good enough for streaming SD Netflix or Hulu. I just want to find out if a 2Mbps uncapped line would be sufficient. I'm not too worried about HD content off there. SD is fine for me to watch. Would a 2Mbps line do the job, or will I have to go 4 or 10 ?

Hi

I'm using both on a 2Mbps line, with MWeb uncapped. Hulu can be a bit choppy at times on our SmartTV (don't even think about watching it during business hours), but Netflix has no issues any time of day. My husband can watch Netflix on the SmartTV and I can watch using another profile on my iPad. Hulu doesn't allow for multiple profiles, but I can still watch Hulu on the iPad while he watches Netflix on the SmartTV.

Netflix Requirements

shanezn said:

I'm thinking of ditching DSTV soon, and getting a Netflix and Hulu account instead. I don't really watch sport, and mainly have it these days just so my kid can watch Disney Junior. I figure I can use the extra money to upgrade my ADSL line. Currently, I'm on a 1Mbps Uncapped account from MWEB, which is working fantastically, but I assume it might not be good enough for streaming SD Netflix or Hulu. I just want to find out if a 2Mbps uncapped line would be sufficient. I'm not too worried about HD content off there. SD is fine for me to watch. Would a 2Mbps line do the job, or will I have to go 4 or 10 ?

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Hi There,

To watch Netflix in SD you need a constant 2.2Mb stream. Any HD content you need at least 5.5Mb constant stream.
Netflix automatically checks your connection speed all of the time and actually adjust the quality accordingly. I used to watch Netflix on my 55inch LG with a 4Mb line and had no problems whatsoever! I have since upgraded to 10Mb in order to watch Netflix shows in HD.

But to get back to the original question. If on a budget, 2Mb will still allow you to watch Netflix in SD with no buffering although you might get some quality drops during the show due to low bandwidth or line speed dropping below 1Mb.

But with the recent price cuts, just go for a 4Mb uncapped and you will be fine!

I watch Hulu just fine on my 4Mbps line. It's in 720p. Could also be due to my Internet spike at 5Mbps. I sometimes get 7Mbps, weird for a 4Mbps line that can't be upgraded.

Thanks for the answers, guys. I am on a budget for the next few months, but I will try it out on a 2mbps connection first. It won't be used during business hours, as both my wife and I are at work, and my kid is in play school. Just after hours and weekends. Like I said, I'm not too fussed about HD at the moment. If the 2mbps connection doesn't suffice, I'll up to a 4MB later this year.

SD = 360p/480p = 100 - 150 KBps
HD l = 720p = 190 -230KBps
HD h = 1080p = 280 - 400KBps depending on audio

I have a 6 Meg line and I get good Netflix HD no problem. I have tried it on a 1Meg line and its very low quality but it still works.

I tend to agree with sburrell
The thing I find is a large amount of bandwith is used at the beginning but once the stream starts and gets going it barely uses 3 megs even with HD movies. You will find the beginning of the movie is a bit pixilated but as it settles down the quality keeps getting better till you get pretty close to HD

I did not bother with Hulu I did not like there selection of series

I use the Apple TV at the moment to watch this but I just got a smart TV so I will see how that works

I am a big fan of netflix when I canciled my DSTV one thing I lost is Kids shows but Netflix has got loads of them.

I have been DSTV free for over a year now I don't even think about it anymore.