AT&T’s Imminent Stream Saver Launch: Yay or Nay?

For those who mitigate long train or bus commutes by streaming videos, AT&T’s Stream Saver is possibly a life saver. How many times have you tried to perform the simple task of checking your mail while listening to Pandora, or surfing the web only to suffer the lingering dread of data depletion?

Coming out in early 2017, the Saver feature will be seamlessly applied to most of the service’s popular data plans for free. It’s meant to save customers on data by providing DVD quality streaming on wireless devices — such as phones or tablets — so users can still do all the things they love without paying for it dearly and without having to upgrade.

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Also, for those who prefer not to have features parentally imposed on them, the Saver still leaves choice in the hands of the consumer. For instance, while standard definition streaming economizes data, maybe you really want to see Lord of The Rings in high definition. Let’s be real, the legendary paradise of Lothlorien is just not the same without it. In such a dire scenario of necessity, the Stream Saver has a control setting that allows the user to turn it off at any time. So while leaving the feature on will guarantee you get the most bang for your buck — as the Saver is designed to help data-thrifty users — it also isn’t something the consumer is forced into for their “best interest.”

That said, how about users with unlimited data plans? Sadly, and less reasonably, the Stream Saver will automatically apply to them too. The last thing unlimited data subscribers want is to have their HD throttled. The fact that the move casts such a wide, illogical net (because if you have an unlimited plan, then obviously you want high definition all the time) implies that AT&T is trying to conserve data as well. Buyer beware: this is something you can certainly choose to opt out of, as mentioned previously, but it is also something you have to be aware of.

For their part, AT&T should be alerting their users about the Stream Saver roll out, preferably with an informative description. Additionally, users incur no penalty for switching the feature off. So for users with data-conservative plans: this will be a boon to using your devices on the go with less concern. Conversely, those with data-liberal or unlimited plans should keep an eye out for the update and plan accordingly. Happy streaming!