4G compression - is it just me? AWFUL browsing experience

[Anonymous]

Dear O2

I upgraded to a 5S on 4G (8 gb p/m) and, although recieving it loud and clear in my corner of SW London, the quality of the mobile web browsing service has been just terrible.

Audio and page throughput is quick as are app downloads etc, BUT the evident heavy compression artefacts on all youtube/ video content, and unusual image pixellation render the mobile browsing experience utterly awful. Worse than 3G, for sure. I've lived with it for 3 days, so I'm thinking this is not just a glitch due to heavy network load. I am, to say the least, not impressed.  It's the same with tethering to my laptop. It used to be this way, but I didn't expect it on 4G. 

I try HD videos on Youtube - they are unwatchable. Literally.

I browse my Flickr Pro account - hi-res images rendered with the life compressed out of them. Try zooming in any high quality image and then compare it to wifi - you'll be amazed.

General Google images/ Daily Motion/ Vimeo video - as above. Just nasty. 

In effect, all image and video content is as if I am browsing the web on a 56k modem. I wonder if TechRadar, The Registry and GSM Arena have picked up on this?

o2, this is my experience and opinion only, I am sure and hope others disagree. But if you are compressing images and video to make 4G faster, that's just not on and, despite havcing spend thousnads with you over many years, I will be requesting to cancel my contract and move elsewhere. I can understand throttling at peak times, and I can understand doing this for those who are perhaps inadventently near their data limit, but not as a default setting. 

As it stands, I enjoyed the mobile web far better on 3G. Please, please, tell me I am wrong...

Yours,

Mark

[Anonymous]

Has anyone got a direct contact for senior management at O2 please? 

[jonsie]

If indeed compressing is going to be the norm, it seems to me that O2 consider it's network to be inadequate for normal 4G traffic load.

[Anonymous]

It was admitted to me by a manager today that the spectrum they use is of the lower end (I forget his actual words) but it was further reaching.

This could result is some not so good PR for O2 once word spreads. Again, I hope I am wrong.

[adamtemp64]

@jonsie it was an old regular whos user name i forget now posted here and on thinkbroadband exposing this . But I think the compression has been in use since before smartphones I.e. Low res screens so it was not noticed but smartphones and tablets exposed it.

Hence the old bypass username (not available now asfaik)

[adamtemp64]

https://discussions.apple.com/message/11592167#11592167 on nthe apple discussions from over 3 years ago.

Unfortunatly the thread linked there is no longer on this community

[Bambino]

Absolutely no point in starting another thread with the same topic as you've posted in another. It will not get you any answers any quicker, and it just confuses the issue.

[jonsie]

Asked to be merged. another thread isn't needed.

[Anonymous]

After a lot of testing, change you cellular data setting to the following:

APN: mobile.o2.co.uk
Username: bypass
Password: password

clear internet cache and try again. images appear MUCH better.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I doubt it's a problem with my phone, I have indeed cleaned the (3 week old) sim.

D/l speed is not the question. I am 99.5 sure that's not the issue.  The compression is. 

After an hour on the phone with O2 today, this is what I've found out:-

Network Services admitted to the front-line agent that yes compression was used, but didn't know how much (!)

The team manager took my call and confessed he wasn't aware any compression was used. He was surprised, and interested, when I said I'd just been told that it was. He's going to get back to me tomorrow. Impressed with the customer service, but it remains - the video and images are so heavily compressed as to be unwatchable. This is hardly "optimising" the experience.

I will accept that, if indeed there is a mast down in my area then I suppose some throttling could be used to maintain the service, but I would like to know from O2 or someone who knows conclusively

Is compression being used

How much?

Is this "optimization" going to render streaming media almost unwatchable and images heavily compressed as standard, always, everywhere? HD planet earth on Youtube is akin to watching on an old 56k modem.

Why is 3G actually a superior quality, if slightly slower?

Thanks again for your input.

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It's nothing to do with your phone or sim, definitely not.

Neither is download speed, as it would just download slower in that case.

Interested to hear the outcome of this and hope you manage to get somewhere.

[jonsie]

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@adamtemp64 wrote:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/11592167#11592167 on nthe apple discussions from over 3 years ago.

Unfortunatly the thread linked there is no longer on this community

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http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Apple-iOS-Devices-iPhone-iPad/Images-not-clear-on-iPhone-When-I-browsin...