Audio / video quality of streaming services

Posted on February 14, 2021 in Misc • 2 min read

This is a quick reminder for myself about ways to check the audio / video quality of streaming services.

Netflix

Netflix offers 1080p with Dolby Digital+ 5.1 sound (without the 4k option) or 4k / Dolby Atmos with the 4k option.

Current streaming quality (resolution and bitrate + audio format) can be checked through the debug console:

  • On a computer (including website), it can be opened through Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D (on an Azerty keyboard);
  • On an Android TV, it can be opened with F4 / F8 (this requires an USB or Bluetooth keyboard).

On my computer and Firefox, I needed this extension to force it to 1080p.

MyCanal

MyCanal offers 1080p with 2.0 sound. Some contents should be in 4K and Dolby Digital 5.1 but 1) only a limited set of devices are supported at the moment and 2) it is only for the “live” content and not for replay.

To check the current formats and bitrates, you can use:

  • On a computer (website), right click on the video and “Informations de débogage”. You can open the URL under “CDN Location” in a new tab and compare the downloading bitrate with the ones listed in the manifest;
  • On an Android TV, you can click 4 or 5 times on the version number in the settings (a “Tchi Tcha” sound should ring). Then, you can enable the debug window which displays the full details about audio/video bitrate and formats.

Note that in order to get 1080p / 4k, you will need a “Widevine L1” device.

The situation is evolving quite rapidly and is quite dependent between live and replay (“à la demande”) programs. This page and the comments below are the most up to date source of information.

DVB-T (French “TNT”)

TNT is only 1080p with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Apparently, no channels are emitting with higher resolution or better audio quality, even on Internet streaming.

DigitalBitrate is a useful resource to check the details of TV channels on TNT / IPTV / MyCanal.

Amazon Prime

Sadly, I am not aware of any means to check the Amazon Prime video quality, be it on computer or Android TV.

Disney+

Disney+ should have a debug menu showing details about stream quality, accessible through Ctrl + Shift + ..

This does not seem to work on Android TV.