Why aimless streaming should be avoided because video uses so much more energy than just audio.
  • antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    181·
    21 days ago

    To minimise the environmental footprint of your own music streaming, use Wi-Fi rather than 4G or 5G. If you listen to a song repeatedly, purchase a download to play. Use localised storage rather than cloud-based systems for all of your music and video files. Reduce auto-play, aimless background streaming or using streaming as a sleep aid by changing the default settings on your device including reducing streaming resolution. And turn your camera off for video calls, as carbon emissions are 25 times more than for audio only.

    Lol no I won’t.

    What a stupid, bizarre and illogical article. It clearly shows that the key is in moving to renewables yet it still argues for the users also doing this sort of tiny useless gestures. I suspect it’s AI-written at least in part.

    • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
      4·
      20 days ago

      The devices they’re talking about are also still turned on. The power usage of the network requests is incredibly small. Switching from cellular to wifi will make the biggest difference, but who the hell isn’t already on their home wifi network? Plus, at least me personally, I have my liked songs downloaded on Spotify to save data usage. I suspect others may as well.

      This is like the folks worrying about the water usage of AI. Environmental concerns are a real problem and there are tons of things to focus on, but they pick such a weirdly specific, negligible, non-issue.

    • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      21 days ago

      Use localised storage rather than cloud-based systems for all of your music and video files

      This is good advice tho. I also chose to read it as a Spotify endorsement of the high seas ;)

  • paraphrand@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    21 days ago

    These companies will use the lowest possible bitrate with the newest possible codecs to balance quality and bandwidth. They will also default to a medium quality when it comes to picking audio quality.

    I’d say they are doing their best already just to save bandwidth costs.

    Just look at YouTube and how they set the video quality (resolution) as low as they can get away with.

  • nivenkos@lemmy.worldEnglish
    125·
    21 days ago

    And carting CDs and vinyl around used a lot more energy still.

    We should focus on increasing renewable energy production, not degrowth.