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Novel Adventurer
ren_achjian
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎07-05-2012

Video Call Data Usage

Can someone please clearly answer whether video calling consumes any of your internet data usage?

 

Much thanks.

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Super User
g4pilut
Posts: 12,934
Registered: ‎27-06-2011

Re: Video Call Data Usage

Yes, it clearly does. 




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Novel Adventurer
ren_achjian
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎07-05-2012

Re: Video Call Data Usage

Could someone then please advise how many MB per minute or any useful example.

 

Much thanks

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Super User
g4pilut
Posts: 12,934
Registered: ‎27-06-2011

Re: Video Call Data Usage

See this FAQ for Skype bandwidth requirements:

 

https://support.skype.com/en-us/faq/FA1417/How-much-bandwidth-does-Skype-need




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Novel Tourist
Neale
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎15-12-2012

Re: Video Call Data Usage

The question was, how much data does a call use, not bandwidth.  These are two different, but related things.  Bandwidth is how big of a pipe you need to sustain a good quality, call.  Data is the number of bits or bytes you move through that pipe.  The call may only use the full bandwidth every once in a while, e.g. if there is a lot of movement in the picture.  Skype recommends 300kbps for a video call, both up and down.  If you use the full bandwidth, that would consume 60x300k = 18Mb of data in a minute, or 1.08Gb in an hour.  And that's only one way, so a two-way video call would use 2.16Gb per hour maximum.  That's the theoretical maximum. Is there anyone that knows what a typical video call would use, e.g. average of half the bandwidth?  A quarter?

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Super User
g4pilut
Posts: 12,934
Registered: ‎27-06-2011

Re: Video Call Data Usage

I would suggest that you've disproved your own argument that knowing how much bandwidth is required doesn't tell you how much data will be used.  You simply multiple the bandwidth by the amount of time you want to reference and come up with data use for that time period.

 

I agree with your math but I think it worth mentioned that the 2.16 Gb you calculated is gigabits.  Data plans are typical in bytes, not bits, and the 2.16 Gb is .27 GB, or gigaytes. It may be more meaniful yet to state that as 276 megabytes per hour.

 

Now that we've crunched the math, let me speak of real world experience.  The fact is that video call data use will vary tremendously depending on a numer of factors, those including actual bandwidth available and both ends of the call, the quality of the connection between the contacts on the call, the specific webcams in use and the amount of processing power that's available. 

 

When I'm on a 1920x1080p HD call the typical bandwidth used is ~650 kB/s.  A 720p call will run around 350 kB/s, and a good 640x480 SD call ~150 kB/s.  I've also had calls where conditions only allow 320x240 and data used can be as litle as 15-20 kB/s.   You can do the math if you want data use per minute or hour.

 

Here's the bottom line....the bandwidth requirements outlined by Skype will tell someone what kind of results they can expect with bandwidth they have available.  You can't expect HD video if you only have a .2 mb/s upload connection to the Internet.  But to know how much you actually use, I suggest a utility like DU Meter.  It will let you monitor your data throughput real time, and also keep track of how much you've used over a given time period. 

 

Let's see....thus far this month I've used 35.64 GB upload @ download; 2.11 GB in the past 24 hours; and 12.8 mB so far today.   It's clear as a bell.   :wink:

 

 




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Novel Tourist
niklac
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎12-03-2013

Re: Video Call Data Usage

Hi, With video up and down on Skype for me it uses 500 Mbps which = .5 GB per hour. My ISP plan is 5mb download 1Mbps upload.

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