Netflix Is Being Asked To Switch to SD Streaming to Preserve Internet Access
Netflix is a wonderful distraction in this dark and difficult time, with hundreds and thousands of hours of films and series to binge-watch while you’re staying home. But with so many people staying home watching so much content — and countries like Italy and Spain under total lockdown due to the coronavirus — it puts a strain on the infrastructure of the internet. In fact, European Union Commissioner Theirry Breton tweeted that he had a conversation with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about this issue, asking him to switch from HD to Standard Definition streaming in order to ensure the internet’s overall reliability.
A Netflix spokesperson told CNN that Hastings and Breton will continue speaking on the matter, and noted that the company “already adjusts the quality of streams to available network capacity, and uses a special delivery network that keeps its library closer to users as a way of consuming less bandwidth.”
To date there are no reported internet outages as a result of all the Netflix streaming. (Facebook has also stated that they are dealing with a massive surge in traffic, not just on their main platform, but on related apps like WhatsApp.) For now, just be mindful of your own usage — and maybe switch to SD today rather than later. Do you really need to see Love Is Blind in the highest possible definition? Let’s get real here.
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