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How to reduce bandwidth consumption?

How to Reduce Your Bandwidth Usage

Bandwidth usage can spike during high-traffic periods.

Fortunately, there are ways to reduce bandwidth consumption without compromising the user experience.

Here are some practical configurations and best practices to help you save.

What Affects Bandwidth Usage?

Several factors directly influence how much bandwidth you consume when hosting videos on Panda Video. The main ones include:

Video resolution: A 1080p video, for example, consumes more bandwidth than a 720p one.
Autoplay and preload: Visits to a video can trigger data usage even before the user clicks play.
User connection: The player delivers the best quality based on the viewer’s internet speed, which may increase bandwidth usage.
Video watch time: The longer a user watches the video, the more bandwidth is consumed.

How to Reduce Bandwidth Usage

Here are a few ways to control bandwidth consumption and reduce costs without sacrificing user experience:

1. Limit the Maximum Resolution

During high-traffic events like launches or campaigns, many creators limit the maximum video resolution.

To do this:

Go to Settings > Qualities in your Panda Video Dashboard.
In the “Only make available” column, uncheck the 1080p option (and 4K if enabled).
Save your changes.

Limit the video resolution only if it doesn’t impact your lead or client’s experience.

2. Disable Smart Autoplay and Preload

Smart Autoplay and preload can use up bandwidth before the user interacts with the video.

To disable Smart Autoplay, go to the desired video’s settings and turn the feature off.

To disable preload, you’ll need to embed a new player code on your site. Follow these steps:

In the video, click "Embed"
Scroll down and uncheck "Load before start (preload)"
Copy the embed code and paste it on your page.

Note: Disabling Smart Autoplay and preload might affect your conversion rates on sales pages. If possible, run A/B tests to measure the impact of these changes.

Keep your player lightweight and fast by using the "Performance Code". Learn more in this article.

🎥 Explainer Video

Don’t Want to Use These Options?

If none of the above options are viable for you, you can:

Upgrade your plan;
Let usage exceed the limit and pay for postpaid bandwidth;
Purchase additional prepaid bandwidth.

If you're not ready to upgrade, prepaid bandwidth is your best bet — it costs 50% less than postpaid overage.

Learn more in this article: How Billing Works on Panda Video

Got any questions?

Reach out to our support team via chat, and our team will do their best to resolve any questions you have.

Not using Panda Video yet? Visit our pricing page and choose the plan that’s right for your business.

Updated on: 08/02/2025

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