Question Data used by Chromecast versus Mira cast

[hw_user]

I am comparing using an ISP (Rogers or Bell) versus wireless data for home internet. I do not download torrents. I stream a couple of hours of videos (YouTube or videos on websites) every day. Web search results say bandwidth usage depends on the quality of the video and also the size of the screen. I want to watch the video on my smart TV (phone is too small).
If I use wireless data I have to consider more on data usage. I have 2 setup options
1. Buy a SIM modem/router. Connect my TV using an ethernet cable. I can use the web browser or YouTube apps on the TV to get to the videos or I can get the video on my phone
2. Get the videos on my phone and use Chromecast or Mira cast to send the video to TV.
For option 1. If data usage also depends on screen size, it will use more data than just using my phone.
For option 2 . If I use Chromecast, I can see the video on my phone and on TV. I do not understand exactly how Chromecast works. Is my Phone doing the download or the Chromecast device is doing the download? I hope it is not both, if so, my data usage is double. I know that Mira cast is just showing whatever is on my PC on the TV screen over wireless (home network, no internet). So I am quite sure that it is just my phone doing the download.

 

[bill001g]

Does the data plan have some kind of cap that you are so worried about it.

I have never tried chromecast for anything that I worried about the quality of. You would think that direct download of the video would be better than downloading and then trying to transmit it over wifi.

I never looked at the details on how chromecast works but it would be impossible for it to be able to say output even 1080 at 60hz in native format like a computer monitor cable uses. It takes close to 4gbit. 4k displays at 60 are closes to 14gbit. This is why you need special monitor cables to be able to do it. There is not even close to enough bandwidth on wifi to think about sending any of this.

What chomecast does is compress the data and it has to compress it a lot to be able to fit into most home wifi bandwidth limits. Like all compression this will introduce artifacts and distortions.

So youtube, netflix etc are also compressed because you do not have a 10gbit internet connection coming into your house. The key difference is since most this is not done live. They could spend a hour compressing a 10 minute video to get better quality and since it is done before it is even put up for viewing you would not see as much degradation in quality. It is still there though you can see the difference between a blu ray and netflix version of the movie.

If you play say netflix over chromecast you have 2 compressions being done so it will damage the image more than just directly playing it.

So if you care about the quality of the video I would let the tv play it directly. Both the phone and the tv should be the same bandwidth. Many phones actually have 4k screens and since you hold them so close to your face they look as good as a 4k tv across the room.

You should be able to limit the bandwidth you use on youtube etc by forcing it to load the video at what ever resolution you choose.

I don't know if you can load adblockers on tv web browsers. From what I have found is ads eat huge amounts of bandwidth. I Have left web pages open that had basically static content on them overnight and was surprised by how much bandwidth it had consumed when I was doing nothing.