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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> >O.K., so, I'm figuring that the download speed is why I can now get the 
> videos and the upload speed is how long it takes me to send something? 
> Yes/no?

Yes, but that's a separate phenomenon than the connect speed vs transfer 
speed.

The connect speed is a sort of "carrier wave" as it were, it is the rhythm at 
which your computer is connected to your ISP's server.  At this speed or 
rhythm (let's say 56K for us backwoods types) the computer and server must 
not 
only transfer the data but also take care of all other sorts of tasks such as 
reminding each other that they are connected, passing back and forth tokens, 
keys, and such and asking each other for permission to send, permission to 
receive 
and confirming successful transfers of packets of info and resending them if 
the confirmation is not forthcoming.

Thus the actual rate of transferring data, uploading or downloading, will 
always be anywhere from somewhat less than the connect speed to a lot less 
than 
the connect speed.

But, as you have surmised, the upload speed will not necessarily be related 
to the download speed.  When you are downloading videos much of the 
information 
in encrypted and compressed and more importantly, you computer's i/o port 
most likely isn't doing anything else and never sends the server a singal to 
'wait' before it sends the next packet.  The server to which you upload is 
likely 
quite busy and it will tell your computer ... send the next 100 packets.... 
OK 
wait, I'm doing something else ... OK now send the next 250 packets ... now 
wait again ...   Then your computer will become impatient and querry the 
server 
to see if it's ready for the next transmission, there is a formal reply to 
the querry that can take some bandwidth and then the server will assemble the 
next group of packets ... then ask leave to send them ....etc. etc.

Sooo .... actual rate of data transfer will always be less than the connect 
speed and not only will the upload and download actual rate of data transfer 
not be the same, they may themsevles vary at any time.

James