I think you both need to read up on Adaptive Bitrate Streaming. It is built into both HLS and DASH. I could list a dozen more sites but it would be just duplication.
https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/video/what-is-adaptive-bitrate-streaming/ https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/video/what-is-adaptive-bitrate-streaming/
https://bitmovin.com/adaptive-streaming/ https://bitmovin.com/adaptive-streaming/
If we were streaming the file then yeah maybe the internet argument works but we are downloading it. You pick the format you want and download it.
We aren't downloading in the traditional sense. We are making a copy of a stream. SF downloads a manifest or a MPD list and offers to us video streams based on what analysis says it should be able to receive. Most often we request the highest resolution that SF says is available and we get it. That's fine if conditions remain good. If network issues develop then ABS takes over and falls back to a lesser quality stream. Analysis says we can do 1080p, network conditions change and SF is told by HLS or DASH that only 720p is available now. That is the scenerio we are seeing. Remember, video streaming providers don't want us to download the movies/shows. In many countries, including the US where I live, it is illegal to do so. (Stupid paid off politicians) The only way that the providers make available outgoing files is by streaming. StreamFab takes the streamed videos packets and combines them into a video file that we can store away. No actual download protocols were used.
