[AccessD] OT - Data Plans and a solution to high cost of 4GLTE video streaming

OK, so this is OT but ... we're good at that.

I let my wife use my new smart phone on 4G LTE data connection while she
streamed an episode of Miss Marple - and watched 400MB of my 2GB/month data
plan get used in under  hour. And that was not even HD, and being displayed
on a small screen. The larger US Telecoms want $10 for every 2 GB (let's say
it's 5 hours, being conservative) of streaming. This rate is capped at $50 /
20GB, at which point it becomes almost 3 x that.

So let's say for argument sake this is 50 hours of digital entertainment,
consumed by 3 or 4 persons in a household, sharing a data plan. That can be
used in a week, let alone a month! And no, wireless is not always the
answer, suppose you want to watch the episode in a moving vehicle, or
waiting in a doctor's office, or in a park ... you name it.

The solution, I think, is simple:  download the shows ahead of time, and
watch them later.

Ah, but this is not in accord with the content provider's licensing
arrangements with Hollywood. Agreed, but suppose this could be solved by
creating a new video format- which downloads MOST of the video content but
each frame requires supplementation with some additional (low-volume) bits
or a filter-based decoder... and the "key" bits are only available in
streaming format. The supplemental data could be delivered via a stable
connection and not consume much bandwidth, and the media player would just
have to "blend" the decoded (stored) data with the supplemental bits (or
unlock key, if that is another approach). Naturally, care needs to be taken
that these supplemental bits are regularly changing and are according to an
algorithm which makes them nearly impossible to emulate - but that is just a
little time and money to perfect, I am sure.

Something has to be done to reduce stress on wireless spectrum, it cannot
support the needs of the wireless public. Wireless carriers claim that
phasing out unlimited data plans and these new exorbitant data charges are
the result of too much stress on their fragile networks, which just cannot
meet the demands. So, my idea is, cut back on the demand - and shift the
burden to the rest of the infrastructure - and do it smart, so that it
doesn't invite video piracy.

Any thoughts?