July 3, 2009 9:22 AM

You should be able to get better stream rates with Fios at the xmit end and a download of 6Mbps at the receive end.

However, there are other variables at play, only some of which are:
1. Throttling by ISPs at either end
2. Ping (latency) time between xmit & receive ends - nothing you can do to change this except changing ISPs
3. Number of hops between xmit & receive ends - nothing you can do to change this except changing ISPs
4. PC performance - for good pictures you need a fast PC

For reference, I have 3Mbps u/l in the UK & 6Mbps d/l in Calif. Ping times are about 170 milliseconds, # of hops about 14.

With this setup, using a Sbox Pro and a fast PC I am getting a stream rate of about 1Mbps on a pretty consistent basis. I haven't tried a Sbox Pro HD yet, although I have installed one in the UK and I'll be able to test it when I return to California at the end of the month.