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Old 05-21-2012, 04:33 PM
 
674 posts, read 1,158,551 times
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I currently have 16MB with Pro Boost with Comcast that comes as a package with basic TV package.

The problem I have is I want to cancel my TV portion (since I never watch TV, I download shows) and possibly invest in Netflix streaming for less than $10 a month.

The next step down from what I have is 6Megs and the Comcast rep is telling me that the connection won't be stable enough for one person and probably won't be able to stream movies very well. I don't know if I believe that. I've streamed with less, my last place I test connected and I had 1Meg and it was fine.

Cost for 16Megs with Pro Boost Internet = $69

Cost for 6Megs NO Pro Boost Internet = $25

Can just one person with wireless internet for a computer, ipad2, and ps3 be okay. I'd stream netflix through the PS3 or laptop. I do some PC gaming on the internet but not too hardcore and I download movies/shows but I don't care about if it's 20 min vs an hour to download it.

What do you guys think? Is 6Megs enough for me? I can't help but think Comcast is full of it and trying to screw me in to thinking I need the more expensive package.
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Old 05-21-2012, 05:11 PM
 
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I think 6MB will be just fine, the good thing is you can try it and see, and if you don't like it upgrade to the 16MB.
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Old 05-21-2012, 05:15 PM
 
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Should be sufficient.
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Old 05-21-2012, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Texas State Fair
8,560 posts, read 11,174,837 times
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Yes, I have a 10meg download thru Roadrunner (TimeWarner). It usually speed tests at less than 8 meg. I stream thru a Roku to my TV and sometimes stream YouTube to PC at the same time with no issues.

Give it a try. They'll always be glad to upgrade your speed.
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Old 05-21-2012, 06:32 PM
 
24,488 posts, read 41,005,852 times
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6MB is extremely fast. I have Comcast and get about half of that.
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Old 05-21-2012, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Jacksonville, FL
11,068 posts, read 10,624,696 times
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6 megs will be plenty for your uses. You may see an issue if you are streaming/downloading and playing online at the same time, but not much of one.
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Old 05-21-2012, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,395 posts, read 25,658,877 times
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6 is enough for download speed. If you need good upload speeds for something then pay attention to upload number as well. For streaming only, though, I don't think it matters.
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Old 05-22-2012, 01:51 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,816,457 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chi-turtle View Post
The next step down from what I have is 6Megs and the Comcast rep is telling me that the connection won't be stable enough for one person and probably won't be able to stream movies very well. I don't know if I believe that. I've streamed with less, my last place I test connected and I had 1Meg and it was fine.
Depends on what you're streaming. It's actually very easy to compare because the both video and your ISP speed is given as a data rate. For example your Comcast plan is 6Mbps. Here's some typical video data rates, approximate values:

Youtube : .5Mbps to 1Mbps
DVD quality: 1.5Mbps to 2Mbps
"hd" quality: 4mbps + *
True HD on bluray: 25Mbps

*You're going to get varying speed for "hd", that's probably about the minimum and I believe most of these services test your speed and will stream what is appropriate. The other thing to keep in mind is not a whole lot of services offer really high bitrate video to begin with.
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Old 05-22-2012, 01:56 AM
 
Location: Chicago
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6MB isn't enough to consistently stream HD content. Since your internet connection is going to become your primary source of televised entertainment, go with at least 10MB.
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Old 05-22-2012, 09:26 AM
 
674 posts, read 1,158,551 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
6MB isn't enough to consistently stream HD content. Since your internet connection is going to become your primary source of televised entertainment, go with at least 10MB.
Many of the television shows and movies that I watch are actually downloaded first. So I'm not as concerned about streaming, but I would like ability to play games on the internet, wireless connection for devices like a laptop, ipad, and iphone and PS3.

Sounds like 6MB should be enough for that...
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