What Internet Speed Do You Need For Streaming Movies?

In this day and age, people of all ages prefer to stream their favourite content online, instead of downloading it and watching it later. This could be the reason why the number of streaming platforms is increasing day by day. But there is one thing that can ruin your streaming experience, and that is a poor internet connection.

You should not take this lightly because a good internet speed for streaming movies or

TV series is extremely important. Otherwise, you will end up scratching your head due to long buffering times. That's the primary reason why you should go for the best broadband plans.

Through this blog, we not only will tell you about the internet speed you need to stream movies online but also reveal some platforms where you can watch your favourite movies and TV series for free. What's more, we will also talk about the good upload speed you may require (if you are working as a social media influencer) to share your content with your online audience.

Let's get started!

What's the ideal internet speed to stream movies online smoothly?

Well, this question is a bit tricky to answer because the ideal internet speed depends on your requirements and preferences. However, we can give you a fair idea regarding how much internet speed your device needs to give you an awesome experience when watching movies, TV shows, etc.

You should go for a broadband plan that promises somewhere between 3 Mbps and 25 Mbps. Not sure which plan will be ideal for you? Just think about the video quality you prefer to watch your preferred content online.

Here’s how much internet speed you will require according to your preferred video quality:

• 480p (SD): 3+ Mbps
• 720 -1080p (HD): 5~13+ Mbps
• 2160p (UHD): 16~25 Mbps

Please note that the internet speed is measured in MBPS (megabits per second). If you have a good broadband service, you are likely to get an outstanding experience when downloading or uploading data.

It is important to be careful while choosing an internet plan and the broadband service provider because you go wrong in this case. There will be buffering issues if multiple devices are connected to the same network. Let’s take a real-life example of a family in which all members try to use the internet in the evening. Yep, you have guessed it right that you won’t get the suitable internet speed for streaming movies.

Also, keep in mind that activities such as movie streaming, online gaming, downloading heavy software applications, etc. require high speed constantly to keep the buffering problem at bay. This is why opting for the best broadband plans is necessary. So, it is advisable to not ruin your experience at the cost of saving some bucks.

How to Stream Movies Online for Free?

Before telling you about the platforms where you can stream movies online for free, we would like to encourage you to go for subscriptions of platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. The reason is that you can avoid unnecessary advertisements appearing at regular intervals and enjoy your preferred content in a hassle-free manner.

It is highly advisable to not stream movies on any third-party website because there is a possibility that you may end up downloading malware or giving up crucial information about yourself to hackers.

If you feel that you have the required internet speed for streaming movies online for free, these are some platforms that you can check out to watch your preferred movie without worrying about hackers:

YouTube

Irrespective of your broadband service plan, you can watch your favourite movies on YouTube without any hassle because it supports multiple video quality standards to cater to the needs of the masses. There are so many official YouTube channels available on this video streaming platform, which lets you watch movies at no cost.

However, there is a catch that you should be aware of. On YouTube, you hardly find any latest movies because movie producers sell digital rights to OTT platforms that can pay them a good amount of money. This is the major reason why most of the movies you find on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, etc., are not readily available on YouTube.

But, yes, you can watch classic movies without paying any premium. Please note that untimely advertisements may appear, depending on the monetization status of the YouTube channel.

MX Player

MX Player is another platform where you can stream movies for free. Similar to YouTube, you can watch movies on MX Player without shelling out your hard-earned money. The best part of this platform is that you can find more latest movies on YouTube.

However, there is a disheartening fact that you have to bear unskippable and lengthy ads while streaming movies for free. Please note that the frequency of ads is way higher than on YouTube, which will get frustrating for you at some point in time.

How to Stream TV Series Online for Free?

As recommended above, you should go for subscriptions to platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. to stream TV series online. It will not let untimely advertisements ruin your streaming experience and make sure you binge-watch your preferred show as planned.

Here, we would like to repeat what we said above: Don’t trust any third-party website for the sake of watching your favourite show because they may make you click on a few links to steal your data or inject malware to hack your system to get their hands on classified information.

In case you don’t want to go with a paid subscription and visit any third-party website, you can check out the following platforms to make the most out of your broadband service.

MX Player

We have kept the MX platform in the first position because it offers you exclusive TV series at no cost. Yes, you have to deal with ads while watching your favourite show, but it’s worth it since you are streaming it for free. The best part is that you can check out TV series from different regions.

For example, you can watch the best Marathi content, Bengali content, etc. of your favourite genre for free. The icing on the cake is that the MX Player supports accurate captions to make sure that language barriers don’t force you to miss out on your favourite content.

The jaw-dropping fact is that you can find more latest TV shows on the MX Player platform as compared to YouTube. This should be enough to understand why this platform deserves the first place on our list. The only drawback of this platform is unskippable and lengthy ads, which you can either bear or go for the paid plan of this platform.

YouTube

Yes, YouTube doesn’t get the first place in our list, but it doesn't mean you can ignore it completely and roam the internet to watch TV series for free. Indeed, YouTube doesn’t have a recently released series on its platform for free as compared to MX Player. However, it does have some exciting and interesting series to entertain you. Many YouTube channels like BB ki vines, TVF, etc. release the episode of their series at no cost.

Since multiple video quality standards are available, you can stream series according to your broadband service. However, if your selected YouTube channel is monetised, you have to watch some ads in between episodes. Don’t worry, there’s good news for you, and that is the frequency of ads on YouTube is quite less than on MX Player.

Does higher Internet speed reduce buffering?

There could be several reasons for buffering issues like too many active downloads, outdated Wi-Fi routers, etc. Besides, there is a possibility that multiple family members are connected at the same time to the internet and streaming high-quality movies or TV series. And the one-stop solution to buffering issues is switching to a strong broadband service connection.

The best broadband plans need you to invest some extra money, but they offer you a hassle-free experience. When you go with the best plan, you are likely to have a whale of a time while streaming your favourite content online.

An awesome internet speed makes sure that factors like the number of active downloads/uploads, connected devices, etc. don’t put a spanner in the works. So, choose the best broadband service provider to keep the buffering issues at bay. Seeking a suggestion? You can contact ACT Fibernet by dialling 18001022836.

What is a Good Internet Upload Speed for Live Streaming?

Doing live streaming is not an easy task to do because it requires powerful hardware and a high internet upload speed.

A good upload speed lets you stream online on the platform of your choice smoothly and ensures that streamers enjoy your content without dealing with any major issues. You should not take this lightly because you will lose your followers if you fail to deliver your content of high quality. It is important, especially if you are into game streaming.

Of course, you can upgrade your hardware as per your requirements to handle encoding for live video seamlessly. For example, you can switch to a smartphone that offers high specifications or increase the ram of your computer. However, zeroing in on a good upload speed for live streaming is a bit tricky. The reason is the quality in which you want to stream your video online.

So, contact your broadband service provider and choose a plan that promises an upload speed between 672 Kbps and 61.5 Mbps.

Let’s assume that you want to stream a video in 720p, the upload speed is likely to vary according to your selected platform. For example:

Facebook Live suggests having a max bitrate for a video of 4,000 kbps. As far as audio is concerned, it recommends a max bitrate of 128 kbps.

YouTube Live requires a bitrate ranging from 1,500 to 4,000 kbps for video, while 128 kbps is required for audio.

Twitch recommends a bitrate ranging from 2,500 and 4,000 kbps for video, while 160 kbps is required for audio.

We hope this should be enough to understand how much upload speed you require to stream your content online.

Final Words

In this internet-driven era, it is imperative to choose the right broadband plan because you will face unnecessary hassle while doing your office work or enjoying online content. In case you have a gaming channel on YouTube or work as a social media influencer, going for the best broadband plan is a necessity for you. The major reason for this is to offer an outstanding experience to your followers who wait for you to come in a live video session. You should not take this for granted because buffering or poor video quality can force your followers to leave your channel and join some other.

Besides this, if you are a movie reviewer or simply love to stream movies online, having a good internet speed is a must. With the help of this blog, we have discussed the ideal internet speed that is generally required to stream movies online smoothly. In addition, we talked about a few platforms where you can watch movies and TV series for free without worrying about hackers. We have also tried to shed light on the upload internet speed you may need if you want to showcase your content on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc.

We have provided a button at the bottom of this blog to let you share it with your friends through channels like WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. It will help your friends to make the right move for themselves if they generally struggle to stream movies online.

Join hands with a trustworthy broadband service provider like ACT Fibernet and stream all the movies you dream to watch in HD quality!