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Question about streaming video (Youtube etc)

Started Jul 25, 2021 | Questions thread
Sean Nelson
Sean Nelson Forum Pro • Posts: 16,109
Re: Question about streaming video (Youtube etc)

1DSmII wrote:

We're on a a dire connection (2/3/4G wireless dongle) and trying to watch HD videos on Youtube. Lots of buffering, but possible to do (stream on a dire connection) thanks to buffering, right?

What most players do is to limit the download bandwidth if they're unable to receive data fast enough to maintain enough of a buffer to play the video smoothly.  They do this by switching to an alternate stream with a lower resolution or lower frame rate.

But if the connection is stop-and-start (for example if you share a common data path with other residents or neighbors who suddenly make a lot of demands on it) then the buffer may empty before the player receives enough data to decode - at that point the video will freeze until the needed data is received.

Audio is generally considered to be of a higher priority because it's more annoying to have it cut in and out than the video, and because it takes a lot fewer bits per second to download and store, so often to get more seconds' worth of buffering and it's pretty common for the video to freeze while the audio continues.

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