T-Mobile users no longer have to worry about video streaming eating up their monthly data cap. At an event in Los Angeles, the company unveiled its new 'Binge On' plan - a service aimed at answering America's rising mobile entertainment consumption.
According to the official press release, on Sunday, November 15, existing subscribers of HBO, Hulu, Netflix, SHOWTIME, Sling TV, STARZ, and other online video services can enjoy streaming via their T-Mobile data plan without it counting against their allotted bandwidth.
Binge On is available to all current and new Simple Choice customers on qualifying plan at no extra cost.
The whole concept seems like a no-brainer given the average person's preference for on-demand video. So why haven't other carriers thought of a similar scheme? According to T-Mobile, Binge On was made possible due to close collaboration between the company and its streaming partners.
"Powered by new technology built in to T-Mobile's network, Binge On optimizes video for mobile screens, minimizing data consumption while still delivering DVD or better quality (e.g. 480p or better)." Says the press release. "That means more reliable streaming for services that stream free with Binge On, and for almost all other video, it means T-Mobile Simple Choice customers can watch up to three times more video from their data plan."
This sounds promising, but with Smartphone and tablet manufacturers pushing screen resolutions higher and higher each year, the idea of 480p quality may put off some potential customers.
A spokesperson recently told VentureBeat that it will be hard for people to discern the drop in quality on a mobile screen.
"The difference between HD video and 480p is nearly indistinguishable on a mobile device." He says. "When Binge On is enabled, T-Mobile customers will be able to watch the same amount of video, while consuming more than 50% less network data than they do while watching in HD."
