Explanation of setting

[nagetech 69]

Under settings -> Playback -> Streaming

 

Internet Streaming BitRate Limit

 

 

Just to make sure I understand it properly, does this mean if I set it to let's say 5Mbps, is that a hard limit imposed per user/stream (as in every user is capped at 5Mbps) or is it globally (doesnt matter how many users are on at any given time, everyone is forced to share a 5Mbps pool)

 

Please let me know

 

Thanks Luke for all your hard work!

[Luke 42078]

How are you understanding it right now?

[nagetech 69]

I'm not lol, that's why I reached out to you guys to help me understand.

[Luke 42078]

Which do you think it is?

[nagetech 69]

I want to say global....... I think the server wont allow more than 5Mbps upload globally capped and wont allow users to ask for a movie quality that is too high.

 

I feel I am way off.

[Luke 42078]

Thanks, it is per individual connection.

[nagetech 69]

May I ask why you wanted to hear my interpretation of it? Just curious

 

so my Internet connection is 25Mbps upload.

 

I have about 15 users.

 

In your professional opinion, what do you feel is the proper setting? Just curious to know what you would do.

[Luke 42078]

Because when users can't understand something I want to know why so that the interface can do a better job of making it more clear.

 

Yes it would be better to have the setting be global and dynamically adjust each stream as users come and go. That's not an easy thing to do. Since the current version of the setting was something that could be done easily, we thought it would have value to some people.

[nagetech 69]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

What do you think would be a good idea to have my setting at? Just curious to know your opinion on that.

[Luke 42078]

I think you probably want to set it to 4mbps and in the future if we make it a global bandwidth setting then it will work better for you. Just be aware that reducing the bitrate will cause more server transcoding to happen if users try to play something that is higher than the value you set.

[nagetech 69]

So that means if it set it to 4, and lets say I have 8 users login at the same time and each streamed at the highest quality, which is capped at 4Mbps, that is 32Mbps, would that saturate my connection?

 

Just trying to make sure I understand it all right

[Luke 42078]

Yes, but that might be better than not having any limit at all, but that's your choice.

[nagetech 69]

Last stupid question.

 

So by saying 4Mbps, and someone asks for something way higher than that, the server will just give them 4Mbps right? no matter their request.

[Luke 42078]

Correct, although Emby for Kodi, the Samsung Smart TV app (not Tizen), and the old windows phone app are still on older api's that are not enforcing it, just be aware. it will work with all other apps.

[nagetech 69]

Thank you for your time!

[Guest asrequested]

That's interesting. Even I thought it was global. What a great question that was. My understanding was that it was so you could adjust it based on how much upload bandwidth was available. So now then is the global bandwidth adjusted at all, based on how much demand there is?

Edited August 24, 2016 by Doofus

[Guest asrequested]

So is the dynamic adjustment the hard part to accomplish? What about putting a limit setting in the individual user settings, with the overall allowance according to a global setting? Or do you think that's gonna be too complicated for a lot of people. I know I would like those settings.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Doofus

[ebr 16182]

The problem with a global or "pool" setting is this:

 

- you set limit to 20

- person starts a 10Mb stream

- second person starts 10Mb stream

- third person requests (any)Mb stream

 

What happens now?  The streams are requested by the individual apps and are already in process.  How do we tell the two existing streams that they now need to stop and re-start at 6Mb?

 

This could be done but it would require a very coordinated effort on the part of every single app and we couldn't guarantee that it would be enforced by all of them.  Plus, your folks who were happily watching their stream now have the quality dumbed down for no apparent reason...

 

So, instead, you as an administrator of the service needs to know that you have x number of users and you expect an average of y simultaneous ones and can then calculate easily the proper value for this setting on a per-user basis.

[Guest asrequested]

I totally agree, ebr. I completely understand how complicated the process could. What about if we set a global limit, then that is divided equally among the remote users that are registered in the server, regardless of whether they are online or not. So to be clear, if I set my global to 8 and I have 2 remote users, then they are allocated 4 Max. If I have 4 remote users, then they have 2 max, and so on. And new users won't have any until there is nobody online and the server then automatically recalculates and applies. Or the server can instantly adjust?

[Luke 42078]

You can already do that. Just enter the value you want per user and adjust it anytime you add or remove a user.

[Guest asrequested]

Oh! I guess I missed that

 

Wait...are you talking about we make our own calculation? So if I know my bandwidth is 8 and I have 4 users I just set it 2? Well yeah, what a radical idea! Lol... I'm a little slow, today. A bit distracted. But still it's great to understand that it's not global

Edited August 24, 2016 by Doofus

[JeremyFr79 228]

I to thought it was global, good to know......

[Luke 42078]

True global would result in on the fly switching between direct stream and transcoding. Most would hate that I think. More likely we would just do a cheap global where it would be based on available bandwidth at the time playback is started.

[Guest asrequested]

Why not just have it automatically calculated based on registered users? And it changes when you add or remove a user.

[Luke 42078]

that doesn't really make any sense to limit artificially when only one person is using the server. that will cause extra transcoding and users will complain about that.