Streaming videos through GPRS on Smartphone vs Computer

[nirajvashi]

I request the experts on this forum to advise me on my following observation about GPRS / EDGE performance on Smartphones:

I have observed that the Smartphones (particularly Android) do not perform as well as the computers when performance is compared on GPRS / EDGE.

I have tested streaming videos on while on GPRS / EDGE (not 3G or 4G) and observed that the smartphone gives up saying connection problem. When I stream the same videos with the same GPRS / EDGE connection through a USB Dongle on a computer(with same SIM Card inserted which was used for testing on Smartphone), the Computer performs better and is able to stream the Videos.

I request the experts to explain why this happens. The SIM and its location are the same and the speed received from it is also the same. Then why does the computer able to play it while the smartphone gives up saying connection problem.

I would like to clarify here that the GPRS / EDGE works alright on surfing websites etc. while the problem is only in streaming. I have tested this on various phones of Samsung / HTC / Motorola so the question of a particular phone having some problem does not arise.

Thank you

 

[Ealevenish]

I'll bet the cause is a combo of 2 factors:
1) GPRS/EDGE's capacity to stream video without stuttering is on the edge of what's possible.
2) Your computer's processor and RAM are waaay more powerful than what your phone's got. That smooths out hiccups much more easily.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[nirajvashi]

I'll bet the cause is a combo of 2 factors:
1) GPRS/EDGE's capacity to stream video without stuttering is on the edge of what's possible.
2) Your computer's processor and RAM are waaay more powerful than what your phone's got. That smooths out hiccups much more easily.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using AC Forums mobile app

Thank you for the response.

Can you elaborate on how the GPRS / EDGE performance exactly depends on? Does it depend on the SOC? If yes, then will Snapdragon 800 (which is considered the most powerful Mobile processor also capable of Powering a Computer) be able to play videos as smoothly as the computer?

Thank you

 

[dpham00]

Edge us limited to around 0.2mbps. That is very slow compared to lte which can be 20mbps+. My note 3 can smoothly stream fHD videos over youtube.

Streaming fHD video would need around 5mbps,no way gprs can do this. Even low quality video would most likely exceed 0.2mbps


This is just a guess but perhaps the computer is requesting the video at a lower bitrate

What video are you streaming?

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro

 

[Ealevenish]

Edge us limited to around 0.2mbps. That is very slow compared to lte which can be 20mbps+. My note 3 can smoothly stream fHD videos over youtube.

Streaming fHD video would need around 5mbps,no way gprs can do this. Even low quality video would most likely exceed 0.2mbps

+1

I.o.w. if you are limited to GPRS/EDGE you're not going to get smooth video streaming. No matter how new, sophisticated, powerful, or high-tech your phone is. The network speed is is the bottleneck in this chain.
This is, obviously, why 3G was developed. Then they wanted to be able to smoothly run high definition videos and video calling on mobile devices. So they developed the 4G/LTE standard. There is also an experimental LTE Advanced protocol, and 5G, for ultra HD (UHD), is around the corner.

I, however, would gladly sacrifice UHD for 4G/Wimax (HD WiFi in a bubble of a mile diameter).

 

[nirajvashi]

Edge us limited to around 0.2mbps. That is very slow compared to lte which can be 20mbps+. My note 3 can smoothly stream fHD videos over youtube.

Streaming fHD video would need around 5mbps,no way gprs can do this. Even low quality video would most likely exceed 0.2mbps



This is just a guess but perhaps the computer is requesting the video at a lower bitrate

What video are you streaming?

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro

Thank you for the reply. The cheapest of the Smartphones can stream videos on 3G and LTE well. The streaming under question is on GPRS / EDGE.

The streaming is of the lowest quality - around 144p or 240p.

I stream videos on a 10 year old Centrino powered Computer with a mere 256 MB RAM which is able to stream the video while the smartphones like HTC MyTouch Slide 4G ( powered by a Qualcomm Processor and 768 MB RAM) gives up.

This happens surely because of the Hardware Differences. A computer seems to be much more better equipped to stream videos on GPRS / EDGE compared to the latest smartphones boasting amazing specs.

The answer to this question can be achieved if the following is answered:

1) What exactly in a hardware of a Smartphone is responsible for the above task:

a) Is it the SOC?
b) Is it the GPU?
c) Is it the RAM?
d) Is it the Modem / Radio Band Hardware.

I request the experts to throw some light on the above.

Thank you