Independent Internet performance monitoring company, TrueNet, has published its first report into New Zealand ISPs’ ability to deliver video content, sayings its research demonstrates that performance is “very good in the main with very minor issues.”
To compile the report, TrueNet uploaded two videos with identical content, one HD and one 4K, to YouTube and then downloaded them multiple times from multiple ISPs.
It was, however only able to test video downloads from local caches not from their primary storage location, explaining: “We are downloading the video seven times a minute from 400+ different NZ addresses. … [so] our files are likely to have been cached almost immediately.”
With this limitation of the test, TrueNet said it found neither start delays nor buffering of the video to be of any concern, across all ISPs whether via ADSL, VDSL, cable or fibre.
TrueNet said: “Buffering is where a video stops for some time (usually with a circling icon) before the download catches up with viewing. We mimic that by downloading in short sections with a delay a bit less than the time taken to view the downloaded section.”
It found no sign of any issues in NZ with delivery of cached videos, and suggested that, if users experience buffering problems they should try switching from WiFi to a wired connection.
The results of TrueNet’s first test of video delivery were published in conjunction with its regularly monthly Internet performance report, for January on urban broadband performance.
TrueNet reported: “Orcon consistently tops the fibre webpage download speeds in January from NZ, Australia and the USA. In the copper technologies of ADSL and VDSL the most consistent ISP is Spark, although 2Degrees is almost as good but their speeds from Australia are a bit slower.
“Orcon, while consistently good in fibre are in the middle range for copper technologies. Vodafone fibre, cable and VDSL results show a broad roll-off in performance during waking hours for live webpage download speeds from NZ.
“This indicates potential congestion from NZ and Australia because average webpage speeds drop during the middle of the day with the most severe drop during the evening busy hours of 8-9pm. Conversely, Vodafone is consistently best at downloading US websites.”
TrueNet’s full test report is available here.