Lockdowns worldwide have lead streaming platforms to temporarily throttle their streaming quality in order to keep up with high demand, so everyone can quarantine and chill.
Popular sites such as Netflix and YouTube, as well as Amazone Prime and more, have had to sacrifice streaming quality as more and more people are confining themselves indoors while the virus runs loose.
This decision has been taken in response to European Commissioner Theirry Breton’s call to lower bandwidth amid COVID-19.
Netflix has already reduced bit rates in Europe for a month, and now YouTube will reduce its steaming quality, not only in the EU but all over the world.
So if you’ve noticed that your YouTube video quality is not the same, you’re not alone. The default video quality is now standard definition, (however, you can manually switch it to HD).
In addition, Sony just announced on its blog that it is working with internet service providers in Europe to manage download traffic. They say that users may experience slower PlayStation game downloads in Europe, but that gameplay will not be compromised.
Low-quality videos and slow download speeds are a small price to pay in the face of everything medical workers are going through every day of this pandemic.
We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.
