Network provider AT&T has announced that it will impose a new mobile video quality limit for cellular data users starting early 2017. AT&T calls this new feature "Stream Saver," and it will throttle mobile videos to a lower 480p quality.

The new Stream Saver feature will be the default setting for all mobile video users, according to The Verge. However, AT&T did confirm that users will have the option of turning it off and on as they see fit.

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AT&T said that the new feature would benefit monthly subscribers who have a limited amount of data on their plan as lower quality videos will not eat up their bandwidth. The new feature will make sure that they will stay within their monthly data caps, and therefore do not suffer any slow Internet in case they reach their limit.

In a statement acquired by Ars Technica, AT&T said, "You control Stream Saver and can turn it off or back on for any qualified line at any time at myAT&T or Premier for business customers. There is no charge to disable or enable Stream Saver."

AT&T clarified that Stream Saver would only affect users who are using cellular data. This means that once users are connected to their home network or a Wi-Fi hotspot will stream videos in normal quality. AT&T's new limited data plan throttles customer speeds to 128kbps once they reach their monthly data cap. Their internet speed will revert to the original speed at the start of their new billing cycle.

TagsAT&T, mobile video, Data cap, data limit, Mobile Internet, Internet, stream saver