AT&T Announces Stream Saver, Downgrades Online Video Quality

Carriers these days are getting more competitive by giving customers more data than before. However there are some who still manage to blow through their allowance, and to help reduce the amount of data consumed, AT&T has announced a new feature they are offering called Stream Saver.

According to AT&T, “Stream Saver lets you watch more video on your wireless phone or tablet while using less data, by streaming most higher definition video at standard definition quality, similar to DVD (about 480p). Stream Saver helps your data go further. That means more emailing, surfing, shopping, navigating, listening to music, and of course, more video.”

Basically online video streams will now have their quality reduced to help reduce the amount of data consumed. For customers who would rather not have their video quality downgraded or think they can manage their own data, not to worry as AT&T has said that this is an opt-out feature that can be enabled/disabled via the company’s website or through the myAT&T app.

While this sounds like a great idea, some have argued that it could pave the way for AT&T to introduce net neutrality violating features, like T-Mobile’s Binge On and Music Freedom. That being said, Stream Saver is expected to begin rolling out in 2017 so keep an eye out for it especially if you want to turn it off.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: AT&T