Netflix to Cut Streaming Video Bit Rates in Europe, Aiming to Reduce Bandwidth by 25%

It has been over six and a half years since Paul Walker passed away. The Fast & Furious star died in a tragic car accident. Fans remember him time and again on several occasions. This time around, it was his daughter, Meadow Walker, who was remembering her father. The 21-year-old decided to leave us emotional with a video of the late actor. She retrieved a video from the archives to share with her followers on Instagram. The video seems to have taken on Paul's birthday. 

Had it not been for the Coronavirus outbreak, Bond fans would be preparing to watch No Time To Die this week. The James Bond movie, which is also Daniel Craig's last movie as the James Bond, has been pushed to November 2020. While we have to wait until later this year to know what's in store for Bond fans, Ana De Armas is spilling the tea on her character in the movie. The Knives Out star plays the Bond Girl CIA agent Paloma in Bond 25. 

After playing James Bond in 1967’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, George Lazenby has an idea of who he’d like to see take on the role of 007 next: Margot Robbie.

“It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman, aged 94,” her family said in a statement to The Guardian on Apr. 6.

“It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman, aged 94,” her family said in a statement to The Guardian on Apr. 6.

Moses Sumney’s single “Cut Me” has a new music video, directed and written by Sumney, who also stars in the visual alongside Emara Neymour-Jackson and Malachi Middleton. It begins with Sumney in the back of an ambulance as Neymour-Jackson and Middleton play trombones. The pair then judges and scores a dance routine from Sumney. The video closes with Sumney riding atop the ambulance. Watch the clip below.

The streaming service lowered its quality last week to deal with demand amid the coronavirus crisis

Netflix is squeezing back video bit rates to reduce the strain on bandwidth-stressed networks worldwide, starting in Europe and the U.K.

Disney has joined other streamers in cooperating with the European Union to temporarily curtail bandwidth usage of Disney Plus for its scheduled launch next week in several countries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

By Bruce Haring

Amazon and Apple are the latest companies to throttle back streaming-video bit rates in Europe, joining an effort to reduce congestion on the region’s internet networks that have become stressed during the coronavirus pandemic.

European government and regulatory bodies have authorized the European Union's telecom operators and internet service providers to apply exceptional measures, including the throttling of online speeds, to prevent network congestion amid increased demand as millions of Europeans are forced to stay home and use online collaboration and teleworking tools amid the coronavirus.

By Joe Utichi

Google's YouTube said Friday that it has agreed to reduce its streaming quality in Europe, including the U.K., to standard definition for the next month to help avoid internet congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move, in response to a request from EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton, comes a day after Netflix unveiled a similar initiative.High definition streams require more online bandwidth, potentially causing broadband congestion during peak times.

Google's YouTube said Friday that it has agreed to reduce its streaming quality in Europe, including the U.K., to standard definition for the next month to help avoid internet congestion amid the coronavirus pandemic.

YouTube will limit streaming in European countries to standard-definition video by default, following a similar move by Netflix to curtail bandwidth usage across the continent amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus has yet another unforeseen impact. The European Union recently urged Netflix and other streaming platforms to only allow video streaming in standard definition — rather than high definition — to relieve some of the bandwidth strain during times of unprecedented usage as people are increasingly quarantined due to the spread of COVID-19.

Amid concerns that there could be a surge in online traffic driven by people forced to stay home amid the coronavirus crisis, a high-ranking member of the European Union has called on Netflix to do its part. EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton has asked the streaming giant to limit streaming of its films and TV series to standard definition, not high definition, or HD, streams, which require more online bandwidth, at peak times.

Binge-watching might have to be in SD