---
title: Slow YouTube video? Not our fault, says Google. (And don't even think of streaming 4K!)
description: Slow YouTube video? Not our fault, says Google. (And don't even think of streaming 4K!)
---

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# [Slow YouTube video? Not our fault, says Google. (And don't even think of streaming 4K!)](https://www.redsharknews.com/studio-broadcast/item/1726-slow-youtube-video-not-our-fault-says-google)

 Written by [Andy Stout](https://www.redsharknews.com/author/andy-stout) | Jun 2, 2014 12:00:00 AM

 **Broadband speed will be the most important factor in watching video at home. Following in the steps of Netflix, which has maintained an independent rating of ISP speeds for some while now, Google’s own Video Quality Report has just been rolled out to the US. **

The report  is the latest salvo in the war that is raging primarily in the US between ISPs and content providers as each blames the other for a lack of high bandwidth pipes.

“We pick the shortest, most direct route,” explains the Google website of the service that first debuted in Canada back in January. “When you click play, YouTube carries the video data through its system to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) via the most efficient path possible. Sometimes, exceptional circumstances mean we may need to use a less-direct path.”

So far so good, but now comes the stiletto and the twist.

“When your ISP receives your video from YouTube, they begin the important job of carrying it across their network to your home. They must ensure there’s enough capacity where they receive the data from YouTube. Otherwise, your video streaming quality will suffer.”

In other words, don’t blame us.

Each ISP gets a rating: YouTube HD Verified; Standard Definition; and Lower Definition. There’s plenty on the [methodology here](http://www.google.com/get/videoqualityreport/#methodology) if you’re interested, but the headline is that to achieve YouTube HD Verified an ISP has to provide >2.5Mbps for 90% of a 30 day period and the number that can actually do that is surprisingly low.

In fact, according to Netflix (and we’ll use their reporting here as they cover more countries at the moment) only around half of all US ISPs manage this, though admittedly the Netflix methodology may be slightly different. The US average is, in fact, 2.33Mbps.

Here’s how that compares to the rest of the Netflix world:

NETHERLANDS 3.49Mbps  
SWEDEN 3.21Mbps  
DENMARK 3.17Mbps  
NORWAY 3.06Mbps  
FINLAND 2.88Mbps  
UK 2.75Mbps  
CANADA 2.52Mbps  
URUGUAY 2.34Mbps  
USA 2.33Mbps  
CHILE 2.30Mbps  
BRAZIL 2.22Mbps  
IRELAND 2.20Mbps  
COLOMBIA 2.17Mbps  
PANAMA 2.10Mbps  
MEXICO 1.97Mbps  
PERU 1.85Mbps  
ARGENTINA 1.67Mbps  
JAMAICA 1.63Mbps  
ECUADOR 1.61Mbps  
COSTA RICA 1.18Mbps

Given that Netflix itself says that 15Mbps will be required for 4K, that makes salutary reading. And while the Google rating gives all sorts of geographic and temporal breakdowns to help consumers choose between pipe providers, you'll notice that the company hasn't even bothered with a 4K Verified rating yet…

 

[View full post](https://www.redsharknews.com/studio-broadcast/item/1726-slow-youtube-video-not-our-fault-says-google)

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