You should be able to stream videos at 4K definition with 30 Mbps. Depending on which streaming service you are using a speed of at least 25 Mbps should provide for smooth 4K streaming. There are always outlier exceptions but overall, you should be good to go with 30 Mbps. But there are a few details that can influence your streaming experience.

Are you using a shared connection with other people in your home online at the same time that you want to stream the content at 4K? For example, if you want to stream a game at 4K, and someone upstairs is also streaming a TV show, then, you won’t get by on 30 Mbps. Additional users streaming at once will reduce the available capacity until or unless someone stops streaming. Regardless of they type of internet connection you have, if you are sharing it, plan to prioritize the most important streaming for each person so everyone gets a turn. Most children’s content does not need to be streamed at 4K when Standard HD or lower will suffice. Disney animation is great at HD or Ultra HD.

Can you get your maximum speed of 30 Mbps at all hours of the day and night? Not necessarily. Your provider may offer you that max of 30 Mbps only during off-peak hours. With Viasat, if your plan offers a max available speed of 30 Mbps, you should be able to get that speed most times prior to hitting your fast-speed threshold at which point your data will be prioritized behind other users at peak hours (generally at night.)

Additionally, video formats are not one-size-fits-all. Formats can come in 10 or more variations. The most common video format is MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14). The abbreviation stands for Moving Picture Expert Group-4. The video format type is indicated in the file extension such as .avi, .MTS, .wmv, .amv, .mpg, .svi and others. WMV is the most compressed video format while MOV is the best video format for iOS devices. Making videos to post online is an everyday (every hour and minute, too) thing today so you may have created your own videos and may already know about these extensions.

All digital video for home use is known as “lossy compressed video” What this means is that certain information is removed by algorithms, to compress the data, and in general you don’t miss it.

Netflix recommends 25 Mbps at a minimum so it’s probably good to have a bit more. However, streaming music requires much less data.