Change package? Advice please.
Thanks for replying.
This from Plusnet (edited only for identity):
Quote:
Date: 09/01/10 08:25:09
The following comment was added to the Question [number 31470789 ]
Thanks for getting in touch.
We do traffic shape all traffic but saying that iPlayer is rated the highest but in honesty to stream HD content you need not only a good connection and speed but an excellent I have on one of my connections 7mb throughput and some days HD still does not work great. Please see the link for various traffic shapes on old and new options.
http://www.kitz.co.uk/isp/plusnet_shaping2.htm
Please do not hesitate to get back in touch online at http://contactus.plus.net or by phone on 0845 140 0200 if we can be of further assistance.
Kind regards,
[removed]
End quote.
(I didn't edit for punctuation and grammar.)
As you can see, the Plusnet operative says, "We do traffic shape all traffic ", so I take a weird kind of comfort in knowing that the rubbish comes direct from Plusnet. ;), and his frank reply about shaping corresponds more closely with my experience than the proposition that PAYG is entirely unthrottled.
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by IP profile.
This is what I get when I follow your link:
Estimated line speed:
7Mb (Accurate to within +/- 1Mbit) - Checked on 2011-04-22 03:23:55
Current line speed:
8 Mb
Most of my software updates are for Linux, so possibly the lack of speed is server-end restriction. Nonetheless, very few of my downloads, even in the small hours, come in at anywhere near the 7Mb speed.
However, if you can get HD on Value, whilst I can't get it on PAYG, you've probably answered my question. The only puzzle that remains is why I've been paying the premium price all these years. Maybe it was PAYG dial-up
Thanks.
[Moderator's note by Jim (Oldjim): CSA name removed as per the forum rules.]
This from Plusnet (edited only for identity):
Quote:
Date: 09/01/10 08:25:09
The following comment was added to the Question [number 31470789 ]
Thanks for getting in touch.
We do traffic shape all traffic but saying that iPlayer is rated the highest but in honesty to stream HD content you need not only a good connection and speed but an excellent I have on one of my connections 7mb throughput and some days HD still does not work great. Please see the link for various traffic shapes on old and new options.
http://www.kitz.co.uk/isp/plusnet_shaping2.htm
Please do not hesitate to get back in touch online at http://contactus.plus.net or by phone on 0845 140 0200 if we can be of further assistance.
Kind regards,
[removed]
End quote.
(I didn't edit for punctuation and grammar.)
As you can see, the Plusnet operative says, "We do traffic shape all traffic ", so I take a weird kind of comfort in knowing that the rubbish comes direct from Plusnet. ;), and his frank reply about shaping corresponds more closely with my experience than the proposition that PAYG is entirely unthrottled.
I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by IP profile.
This is what I get when I follow your link:
Estimated line speed:
7Mb (Accurate to within +/- 1Mbit) - Checked on 2011-04-22 03:23:55
Current line speed:
8 Mb
Most of my software updates are for Linux, so possibly the lack of speed is server-end restriction. Nonetheless, very few of my downloads, even in the small hours, come in at anywhere near the 7Mb speed.
However, if you can get HD on Value, whilst I can't get it on PAYG, you've probably answered my question. The only puzzle that remains is why I've been paying the premium price all these years. Maybe it was PAYG dial-up
Thanks.
[Moderator's note by Jim (Oldjim): CSA name removed as per the forum rules.]
Firstly, apologies for naming the Plusnet operative. I didn't realise I shouldn't do that. I've further edited my post to remove the second instance of his name.
This is a hardwired connection. Speedtests show more or less what a 7 Mb connection should, and some things download at full whack (750+ Kb) - just not many.
I have numerous bits of A/V equipment that should theoretically be able to stream from iPlayer, but I have literally not bothered to experiment with them because I assumed that they just wouldn't work (according to Plusnet). I must admit I did wonder if anyone in the country was routinely streaming HD over the Internet.
and why reviews of A/V equipment put iPlayer capability so high in their checklists of desirable options if the bandwidth to run it doesn't exist. Actually, I wondered if some of the BT broadband/TV packages were a joke.
As far as other parts of my setup are concerned, I can watch iPlayer HD - just not uninterrupted. The cache will fill to a certain level, then I get a few moments of the programme, then it stops while the cache refills. I put this down to the stream not downloading fast enough to keep up; I have no problem with standard resolution.
The fact that I'm still on PAYG shows that this is not massively important to me, but it was my way of highlighting the limitations of my connection as part of my query about whether I should switch to a more economical package.
My exchange doesn't support ADSL2+, nor is it ever likely to unless Fujitsu take a hand in the matter.
Now I'm interested. Should Plusnet customers expect to be able stream uninterrupted from iPlayer HD? Maybe we need a poll to find out who can and who can't, and if not, why not.
You've lit a (small) fire under me.
This is a hardwired connection. Speedtests show more or less what a 7 Mb connection should, and some things download at full whack (750+ Kb) - just not many.
I have numerous bits of A/V equipment that should theoretically be able to stream from iPlayer, but I have literally not bothered to experiment with them because I assumed that they just wouldn't work (according to Plusnet). I must admit I did wonder if anyone in the country was routinely streaming HD over the Internet.
and why reviews of A/V equipment put iPlayer capability so high in their checklists of desirable options if the bandwidth to run it doesn't exist. Actually, I wondered if some of the BT broadband/TV packages were a joke.As far as other parts of my setup are concerned, I can watch iPlayer HD - just not uninterrupted. The cache will fill to a certain level, then I get a few moments of the programme, then it stops while the cache refills. I put this down to the stream not downloading fast enough to keep up; I have no problem with standard resolution.
The fact that I'm still on PAYG shows that this is not massively important to me, but it was my way of highlighting the limitations of my connection as part of my query about whether I should switch to a more economical package.
My exchange doesn't support ADSL2+, nor is it ever likely to unless Fujitsu take a hand in the matter.
Now I'm interested. Should Plusnet customers expect to be able stream uninterrupted from iPlayer HD? Maybe we need a poll to find out who can and who can't, and if not, why not.
You've lit a (small) fire under me.
@Officerdribble.
I've just been streaming HD on PAYG with a 6Mbps IP Profile (on ADSL2+). No buffering and downloads were at 5.7Mbps.
The BBC IPlayer diagnostic result is attached.
Congestion can sometimes slow down PAYG (as it would Pro). This was pretty bad around 8:15PM on Friday night when mybroadbandspeed gave
Trying to stream HD from iPlayer at that time would almost certainly have lead to buffering.
Present result is
The 8Mb Current line speed value you posted seems wrong. The maximum value for 20CN should be 7.15Mbps. Just wondering if that could point to the performance profile assigned to your connection being incorrect?
I've just been streaming HD on PAYG with a 6Mbps IP Profile (on ADSL2+). No buffering and downloads were at 5.7Mbps.
The BBC IPlayer diagnostic result is attached.
Congestion can sometimes slow down PAYG (as it would Pro). This was pretty bad around 8:15PM on Friday night when mybroadbandspeed gave
Trying to stream HD from iPlayer at that time would almost certainly have lead to buffering.
Present result is
The 8Mb Current line speed value you posted seems wrong. The maximum value for 20CN should be 7.15Mbps. Just wondering if that could point to the performance profile assigned to your connection being incorrect?
If everything on PayG (and Pro) is "Unthrottled", How can some streams be "Prioritised"?
Isn't it impossible to "Prioritise" a stream without "Throttling" everything else?
.... or have I misunderstood something.
Isn't it impossible to "Prioritise" a stream without "Throttling" everything else?
.... or have I misunderstood something.
Everything on PAYG and Pro is gold or titanium (PAYG didn't have titanium at all) but just a few extremely time critical applications are Titanium - these are completely unthrottled but gold could suffer a bit.
As I understand it when a connection is being used for more than one activity such as VPN or VOIP and also streaming for example streaming can take a lower priority to ensure that the really time critical applications still work properly.
I could of course be completely wrong
As I understand it when a connection is being used for more than one activity such as VPN or VOIP and also streaming for example streaming can take a lower priority to ensure that the really time critical applications still work properly.
I could of course be completely wrong
Sounds right to me.
Technically Plusnet have to say that all the traffic is managed because they differentiate between Titanium and Gold. However in practice, because it is very rare for Plusnet to drop Gold packets, Pro and PAYG is actually line speed for all traffic.
Technically Plusnet have to say that all the traffic is managed because they differentiate between Titanium and Gold. However in practice, because it is very rare for Plusnet to drop Gold packets, Pro and PAYG is actually line speed for all traffic.
