We’ve come a long way since the days of watching movies on VHS tape and DVDs. Video streaming has become the primary way we rent movies at home. In fact, video streaming has become so popular that more than 30% of Internet traffic during peak periods is from people like you and me watching streaming movies.
While streaming movies is incredibly convenient, it also requires a significant amount of bandwidth to deliver that beautiful, HD picture to your TV. But as more devices in your home are competing for that bandwidth - smartphones, tablets, computers, video game consoles – the picture quality of your streaming movies can be affected, causing the image to drop to a lower resolution, become pixelated or take longer to display.
The most important thing you can do to improve your video streaming quality is ensure you have a fast connection from your broadband provider. I recommend at least 7Mbps if you plan to watch movies in HD.
Then, make sure you optimize the network inside your home by using a router that boasts 802.11n speeds and prioritizes your entertainment traffic. WD’s My Net N900 HD Dual-Band Router with FasTrack Plus technology, automatically recognizes when you’re streaming video and gives that data priority, so the latest Hollywood blockbuster doesn’t need to compete with Internet browsing or file downloads going on elsewhere in your home.
So to get the best video streaming quality, go for a fast broadband connection and a router that puts your movies first. You’ll appreciate the difference.