In the past few years, video streaming began changing the world. It may seem like an exaggeration, but it is the truth and our reality. Gone are the days when those willing to broadcast themselves or a program through the internet had to do it via Windows Media Player, or those that were willing to sacrifice framerate for low buffering, through RealPlayer.
Old school internet users remember RealPlayer, one of the first media players capable of video streaming over the internet. It also featured file sizes considerably smaller than competitors. However, once Flash started to come in, it and HTML5 took over, and RealPlayer died a slow death. Given that it was pop-up and malware-heavy, it was likely for the best.
While watching live videos today is nowhere near as problematic as it used to be, buffering that causes delay still exists, and it is equally frustrating. It is a source of annoyance for many, as 47% of viewers are watching more live video than a year ago, and 44% of them watch less TV as a result of streaming.
Seeing as live streaming is becoming a part of everyday life, some users may face issues enjoying content or services that utilize this technology, and its technicalities may seem daunting. Nevertheless, if you are looking to fix streaming problems on your end, know that there are a few things you can do to improve online streaming.
Hacks to Improve Streaming
Lag, buffering, low resolution. They may be first-world problems, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look to minimize them. Though streaming quality is increasing across the board, users still face issues and suffer while the video buffers. Know that there are rarely special things you can do to enhance streaming quality, for let us say cloud gaming that does not apply for video streaming. All video streaming works on the same principle, regardless of how you utilize the technology. Thus, some things you can try to attain faster streaming video and stop buffering include checking your overall internet speed, your Wi-Fi access, turning off your VPN, changing your DNS server, and more.
Experts today recommend updating to a 5GHz Wi-Fi channel on your router or buying a new 5GHz router. These routers are less vulnerable to interference and have higher transfer speeds. All that comes at the cost of having a shorter range, as they have difficulty penetrating through solid objects. Still, if you have it close to your viewing device, you should notice a significant change in signal quality. You can also experiment by moving your old router closer to your device as range may be the very issue why you are experiencing problems.
You can also look into upgrading your internet service with a higher download speed if it is low. Users that crave fast transfers opt for fiber optic connections at about 50 Mbps, which should be more than enough to do the trick. In comparison, Netflix advises a speed of 25 Mbps for smooth Ultra HD quality play.
What if you have fast internet but low streaming?
Then, you should look to use a Wi-Fi analyzer to find a clean channel, try rebooting your rooter, look to disable nearby devices that may be sucking up bandwidth, or turn to use a wired Ethernet connection. Some firewalls may also affect performance and prevent your connection from reaching specific data centers.
VPN services are useful, but if you are using one and facing difficulty when streaming live video, you may consider turning your Virtual Private Network off. VPNs can cause more stutters and higher latency. The process of accessing the internet through a virtual network requires the rerouting of your connection, which can cause lag. You may also want to look into changing your DNS server because third-party ones may be faster than your default. A DNS server is the internet’s phonebook. It is an acronym for the Domain Name System, and it is responsible for finding the IP address that you want to access.
If you are looking to stream faster on Android and iOS phones, you should make sure that your device’s software is up-to-date, and if that doesn’t help, you can browse for signal boosters for your home or vehicle, which may provide faster streaming video.
Streaming-Based Sectors
Streaming is on the rise as the user base grows year to year. According to research from Forrester, users watch live video twenty times longer than on-demand content. People crave interaction, and the potential to instantly reach thousands with the click of a button is here.
From YouTube and Netflix to Spotify, today, streaming services operate in almost every country, as this has become the preferred method of consuming content, everything from sporting events and movies to music. Over 60% of millennials watch live content, and nearly half of them create it, making this demographic the largest both creators and consumers of live video.
However, streaming is not limited to only entertainment-based video content. Other industries have implemented this technology to grow their business and provide their services to eager clients who crave convenience and can benefit from our tips above.
Online Live Casinos
Live dealer casinos are not a new concept, with UK industry-giant Playtech launching the first one in 2003. Three years later, Microgaming followed suit, and that same year Evolution Gaming, the undisputed leader in the field, went live.
Live casinos provide similar excitement to that found at real-life venues, as players interact in real-time with a live dealer on route to big wins. Running one requires a sizeable investment, as they implement optical camera recognition technology, HD cameras, game control units, and more, to make the whole process run smoothly.
Entertainment Video Streaming Services
VOD seems to be the word of the decade, or at least, it is one of them. Video on Demand has changed the way people consume fictional entertainment. That’s how things started, but now it’s a big part of the sports world as well. However, few know that the first streaming service appeared in 1992, under the name StarWorks. It enabled users to access on-demand MPEG-1 full-motion videos through corporate Ethernet networks.
Netflix made VOD into a worldwide phenomenon, as it moved away from renting physical DVDs to customers via mail and started streaming video. In the following years, it seemed like everyone was launching their video streaming platform, a trend that is still active. Even though Netflix remains the king with 193 million paid users. It seems like subscription-based VOD beat out the transactional and advertising models.
Cloud-Based Gaming
While streaming entertainment from the cloud took off faster than expected, the concept of streaming computer games took a little longer to establish itself. Nevertheless, today it is a success story, with estimates saying that the global cloud gaming market is on its way to expand by 42% between 2019 and 2025, and to reach a total worth of $740m.
In the past, playing high-end games with stunning graphics was a privilege only those with deep enough pockets to build a powerful PC could afford. Today, developers can reach a whole different set of players, who only need a computer and a fast internet connection to play their products. Latency and responsiveness have always been the main obstacles which hindered the rise of cloud gaming. Yet, since more and more cloud-based services are popping up that can provide low-latency connections to their cloud servers, it appears that these are maybe problems of yonder.
Live Streamers
According to stats, Twitch is worth $3.9 billion, and successful streamers on the platform make anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 per month through subscriptions alone. Therefore, it is clear that being a full-time streamer is a viable career choice in 2020. If you patron the site and get your entertainment fix there, use our tips to improve streaming on Twitch if you run into any problems there.
Naturally, the popular figures on the platform are gamers, though other genres have decent fan-bases. Even so, do not let the rise of Twitch fool you. YouTube still dominates most categories when it comes to online video. If you have a monetarized channel, it provides a live streaming option in which you can activate donations, also known as the Super Chat. Successful YouTube streamers can earn a substantial amount if they provide quality content via these donations, which can range from $1 to $500. However, YouTube keeps 30% of the value of any Super Chat, not considering any taxes, service fees, MCN cuts, or other charges.
