How to Test Internet Speed for Kodi

I assume you mean: I have an internet connection with max 7 mbps download speed ?

Recommended internet speed for kodi

I assume you mean: I have an internet connection with max 7 mbps download speed ?

The answer to your question is not straight forward because all kinds of things can affect streaming.

Some of the most common factors are:

1. Bitrate of the media: Just because the frame SIZE is 1080p it doesn’t mean it’s high bitrate, and vice versa. You can have a 720p video encode at a ridiculously high bitrate that you will have MORE trouble streaming than some 1080p videos.

2. Where you are streaming from: This is a big one. The server hosting the media plays a big role in the quality of the streaming and quality will very depending on how busy that server is, have far away the server is from you geographically speaking (further = more hops and more latency).

3. The type of protocol being used for streaming: There are different ways media can be streamed. Some ways work better than other. Some ways have better buffering systems.

Generally speaking you probably need at least a 10mbps connection to stream 1080p reliably in most cases, but that’s very much a generalization.

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pacemaker1000
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#3
2013-10-29, 13:38 (This post was last modified: 2013-10-29, 13:38 by pacemaker1000.)

Thanks for the answer
Yes I do appreciate the variations that effect streaming but thought I must be close with my bandwidth
I think audio must be a big factor as 720p stuff with AC3 is a problem too.

That said I can get them all to start just they pause a lot to catch up. So is there a way to increase the buffer? I reckon if I was 15 mins behind it would work ok!

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whitebelly
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#4
2013-10-29, 14:08 (This post was last modified: 2013-10-29, 14:09 by whitebelly.)

^of course, your hardware setup can also be a factor. Wireless can be a problem as well. If 720p is a problem with AC3 and not a problem without, I’d look at my hardware.

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pacemaker1000
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#5
2013-10-29, 15:04
Have tried a PC and RPi.
Both the same.
SiliconKid
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SiliconKid
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#6
2013-10-30, 14:58

@Whitebelly: He would seem to be streaming from the internet ?

A 7 mbps connection would be an internet connection, not a LAN connection.

@pacemaker1000: You are correct, the audio does make a difference because it also has an encoded bitrate and AC-3 typically has a far higher bitrate than AAC Stereo for example.

When you stream a movie there are 2 bitrates that combine to give you the total bitrate of the movie:

1. The encoded bitrate of the video stream.

2. The encoded bitrate of the audio stream.

Once again I need to stress that the frame SIZE (720p or 1080p) actually has NOTHING to do with the bitrate.

Typically less bitrate is required to deliver 720p than equally good quality 1080p but that doesn’t mean that all 720p streams are made equal.

One 720p stream may have video encoded at 5mbps while another might be encoded at 2mbps, but they are both 720p because both have a frame size of 1280×720 pixels.

Similarly, the bitrate of the audio can also vary drastically. In the case of audio the number of audio channels comes into play too. A 5.1 surround sound audio track is generally higher bitrate than a stereo 2 channel audio track for example.

Based on the generally accepted norms, 7mbps should be more than enough to stream any normal 720p stream, even with 5.1 AC-3 audio, without issue.

That’s because 720p video isn’t usually encoded at more than around 3.5 mbps or so, if that.

1080p, on the other hand, typically contains video that is encode at around 7mbps to 10 mbps (for internet based streaming), and that’s excluding the overhead of the audio track which could add another 0.6 mbps to that easily.

In general, if you have a 7 mbps internet connection, you should NOT need to buffer and typical 720p stream for more than a few seconds, even if 5.1 surround AC-3 audio in my opinion.