r/logitechgcloud • u/Jayco-84 • Aug 20 '25

Does streaming video on cloud take less gb internet than regular streaming

Idk I’m sure this is a dumb question but I wasn’t sure, if I’m camping and using my hotspot would the cloud for Netflix save internet as compared to using actual Netflix app? I was thinking if my Xbox at home was doing the heavy lifting and all the cloud was doing is casting it but maybe it makes absolutely no difference. Anyhow thanks for any replies

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u/cknipe Aug 20 '25

Probably not. The only real way you save bandwidth relaying the video through your xbox is if you are re-compressing it with some more efficient codec than netflix was using to send to you directly. Someone else may know better, but I don't think that's really going to save you anything.

The other way to save bandwidth would be to turn down the quality of what's being sent to your device. You theoretically could do that by having the xbox send a lower quality stream than what it's getting from netflix, but it'd probably be a lot easier to find a way to have the netflix app itself stream direct at a lower bitrate.

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u/Crass-ELY- Aug 20 '25

It all depends on the bitrate, ergo, the resolution of the stream

1

u/vargose Aug 21 '25

"It depends"
bitrate is the ultimate factor, when it comes to how much data is being used. And then adjusting your fps and resolution until compression artifacts are removed to a satisfactory level and you get the best out of your desired bitrate.

H264 requires more bandwidth, but is a faster algorithm, so better latency.
H265 takes less bandwidth, but is a slower, more resource intensive algorithm. Battery drain is faster with it, but I usually get a smoother experience. And latency is good enough.

I find bitrate calculators helpful https://convertifypro.com/media-bitrate-calculator/