As I requested on the Vizio support site, someone called me and we spoke about the factors required for viewing 4K streaming video on my TV. Among them is the need for sufficient internet bandwidth on my AT&T Internet DSL connection, which is rated at 45 Mbps.
The support person said that a 100-200 Mbps connection is required for 4K video streaming in part because in his experience the bandwidth will be split among all the connected devices.
I did various Internet searches to determine the bandwidth required for streaming 4K video; at the low end was was 15 Mbps according to Netflix and Amazon but most sources claim that 25 Mbps is the minimum.
Using the Ooklaâs Speedtest on my iPhone, my WiFi download speed is usually 25-30 Mbps but in some remote corners of the house it is below 20 Mbps.
The terminal command networkquality running on my iMac with an Ethernet connection indicates a much better bandwidth:
The Vizio tech is right in that 4K streaming uses a lot of bandwidth, but 200Mbps is a bit excessive. He is assuming that you wonât actually be getting the bandwidth youâre paying for and that other devices in your home will be consuming just as much.
I think you may be able to get 4K on your network (although you may want to use an Ethernet connection to your router, if possible, to avoid Wi-Fi interference), depending on whether or not anybody else in your home is streaming media at the same time.
And keep in mind that an Apple TV 4K isnât only 4K. If you donât have enough bandwidth, your streaming apps will fall back to lower bit-rates, which the Apple TV will then upscale to 4K. In other words, youâll be seeing the best your network can deliver.
Netflix charges extra for 4K streaming, but I know that Amazon does not. So you may want to test your system with them before deciding whether or not to upgrade Netflix.
In short, donât worry about it that much. Just connect everything and see what it looks like.
Excellent point, David. Re. that, Iâd be curious to know more about DSL, which Iâve never had any experience with but many, like Nello and my brother (in darkest Vermont), still use. Is there a universal bandwidth standard, for instance, or does that depend on your local TelCo?
DSL comes in many flavors and speeds, which will depend on who your service provider is and how far (wireline-distance) you are from the digital part of the network.
At one extreme, thereâs first-generation ADSL. This, under ideal conditions, would provide about 1.5Mbit/s, if you were close to your phone companyâs central office, and less (down to a minimum of 128Kbit/s) if you were at a maximum distance.
At the other end, VDSL can go up to 300Mbit/s over short distances. This is frequently deployed in fiber-to-the-curb scenarios, where fiber is run into a neighborhood, terminating at a DSLAM with traditional copper lines running the (relatively short) distances from there to subscriber homes. The DSL can reach such high speeds because the analog copper (âlocal loopâ) only runs a short distane to the DSLAM, and the data is carried over fiber from there to the central office.
The bandwidth available for you will depend on what specific technology has been deployed to your neighborhood and where key pieces of equipment (e.g. DSLAMs) are located relative to your home. This is why service providers always require your address in order to determine what speeds you can get - a customer who is 500â further away (again, wire-line distance, which isnât always a straight line) from the DSLAM than another customer may be more limited in available speeds than the closer customer.