YouTube Data Usage Explained
YouTube is now widely used in many households, especially in the 13-25 year old age bracket. It leads to the same question every second visit... How much data does YouTube use? Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer, but we’ll try and explain the best we can.
Data usage varies based on the videos you view. When a YouTube user uploads a video, they can choose to upload it in 5 different resolutions. This basically means quality level. Each video uploaded to youtube can have a resolution of 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p or 1080p. The higher the resolution, the higher the quality and higher data usage will be used. High definition videos can be considered 720p or 1080p.
Here’s an approximate breakdown of data usage based on 1 hours usage resolution listed.
240p - 150 MB
360p - 250 MB
480p - 400 MB
720p - 800-900MB
1080p - 1.2 - 1.4GB
Some videos give you the ability to change the resolution either higher or lower depending on your preference and data allowance.
If you have a low data usage, YouTube can really hurt your cap, be careful watching videos online. If you have a higher data cap, you may be getting closer than you think based on these figures.
With the NBN coming to Ballan, It’s a good idea to know how much data you are currently using. Pick a plan based on that. My experience with some Ballarat customers is, once NBN is installed, data usage increases because there is more speed available so you can do more in less time. Keep this in mind when choosing your NBN plan.
(* We stress that these download numbers are approximate and can vary)
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