Here’s How You Can Stream Movies On A Prepaid 4G Plan

Here’s How You Can Stream Movies On A Prepaid 4G Plan

The world has changed, and so have our habits. A few years ago, if we wanted to watch a movie, we either went to the cinema hall, bought a DVD of the film we wanted to watch or simply switched on the TV and watched whatever was on. But it’s not the same anymore. Now we have movies on demand.

So, if we want to watch a movie today, there’s a high chance it’s available on a streaming platform that can be accessed via either of our various devices such as our TV, Laptops, Tablets or even Mobile Phones. You can obviously stream movies on any of these devices if you have strong WiFi or even a postpaid plan when it comes to phones.

But can you stream movies on a 4G prepaid plan? That’s what we’re here to address.

Internet Speed Required to Stream Movies

It’s pretty much common knowledge by now that internet speed is expressed in Megabits per second i.e., Mbps. Higher the Mbps, the better the speed of your internet connection. And better speed clearly means better quality and seamless streaming of movies. But what’s the speed required to stream movies on YouTube or OTT platforms?

For streaming platforms such as YouTube and Disney+ Hotstar, the minimum internet speed required even for their most standard quality streaming is approximately 2 Mbps. Meanwhile, for OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the recommended internet speed is 5 Mbps or more.

So ideally, it is suggested to have a data connection of approximately 5Mbps or more for seamless movie streaming.

How To Stream Movies On A Prepaid 4G Plan

Now we all know that movies can be easily streamed on a postpaid or WiFi connection. But if you have a strong connection, you can also stream movies on 4G prepaid plans. For that, first, you need to understand your data requirements.

You will need more or less data based on how much time you spend watching movies on these platforms. Some streaming platforms require 1 Gb of data for a movie while some take up to 2 or more. Following is the amount of data, you would use in an hour of watching a movie on the aforementioned streaming platforms:

Streaming Service Streaming Quality (Mobile) Data Used Per Hour
YouTube 480p 562.5MB
Netflix 480p: Standard Definition 1GB
Amazon Prime 480p: Good 800MB
Hotstar 360p: Standard 240MB

Now, you simply have to choose a plan from your service provider that will offer you enough 4G data to stream your favorite content on a daily basis. If you run out of data you can always do an online mobile recharge and continue streaming.

Meanwhile, if you think some other provider, for example, Airtel is providing better data plans or complimentary OTT subscriptions you can always port to Airtel number to enjoy their benefits.

Tips To Reduce Data Usage While Streaming Movies On A Prepaid 4G Plan

Now that you know how to stream movies on a prepaid 4G connection it’s time you learn a little more on how to reduce your data usage so that you can stream more on your chosen plan. Enlisted below are some tips you could use to reduce your daily data consumption while streaming movies:

  • Manually Reduce Quality – Instead of streaming your movies in HD or 720p, try streaming them in 480p or 320p which is good enough for mobile devices.
  • Data Saver – Enable the data saving feature on your phone so that most of your data is saved for streaming. This will enable you to stream up to 6 hours on 1Gb data.
  • Disable Auto-download – Disable auto-downloading on WhatsApp and other similar apps.
  • Data Usage In OTT – Control data usage settings directly on your OTT streaming apps such as Netflix or Disney+ Hotstar.
  • Save Offline – Whenever possible, download and save your movies offline when on a WiFi connection.

By using these simple tips, you can reduce your data usage and stream more movies on a 4G prepaid plan.

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