Is NZ broadband quick enough for Quickflix?

 

Anyone can tell you Internet streaming on NZ's broadband infrastructure is a hit an miss experience. So what hope is there for newcomers QuickFlix?

 Finally, a paid content service via the Internet that isn't Sky Television. That's right: Quickflix is here. The newest streaming service from Australia arrived just last week and it is already creating a stir - offering its customers the chance to stream movies, TV shows through various devices for only $16.99 (NZD) per month, with a limited offer of $10 per month with no term contracts.Compared to Sky Television packages that start at $45 per month, Quickflix seems to be a much cheaper pay-per-view option, with more freedom to choose the content as opposed to "packaged channels".Although Sky recently released their iSky service, they still charge a rental fee for on-demand content like movies with prices varying from $4.99 to $6.99  and $24.99-$34.99 for an episode series. But the service only benefits existing Sky subscribers, with catch-up content being free to access and also unmetered for certain ISP's.Quickflix has also joined the 'zero-rate' category, teaming up with various ISP's to provide unmetered access to their service. Orcon will join Quickflix as their first ISP to provide a zero-rate service from May 8 and other ISP's like Slingshot are expected join them in the near future.Quickflix CEO Chris Taylor says the company is working with broadband providers to make its streaming service unmetered and not count towards customer data caps. Compared with other developed countries, New Zealand's broadband data caps are restrictively low . But Taylor says he hopes this is changing.This announcement makes me both excited yet wary in whether or not I choose to join Quickflix. There are definitely areas which I agree with. For example, it will change the way New Zealand consumes this form of media. Taylor has also mentioned that they will be continuously adding content every month from varied sources including BBC TV, working on adding to their content range to enhance the service, that it will be available through almost all devices that are connected to the Internet, be it a PS3, an iPad, or an Internet TV. But my issue isn't with content or where I will stream it, or even my data cap. I would like to know is, even if my Quickflix usage will be unmetered, will my broadband speed be enough to stream the content?In the 2011 Statistics New Zealand ISP's survey, it showed some obvious increasing trends - data caps increased with  more people using between 5-20 GB's and even as those upload speeds increased, download speeds remained the same between 2010 and 2011. I could be speaking for myself, but personally I"m not a big fan of how long it takes to download content from the Internet here in New Zealand. Sometimes I'll choose not to download it to avoid the frustration - even a Skype call can be difficult.Without a doubt, Quickflix has the potential to change everything and, at its current rate per month, it will definitely challenge Sky for its pay-per-view customers. But I still feel that until we as a country sort out our download speeds, unmetered Internet for sites like this is just not enough. Will we again as a country remain behind the rest of the world in media content? Or is this the beginning of New Zealand's time to join the rest of the quick and affordable broadband world? [Picture Source]