Video buffering is an unwanted by-product that comes along when we stream videos. Imagine getting your best friend to watch a horror thriller and right before the climax, your connection suffers buffering; how bad would it be? Alternatively, imagine that you are baking a chocolate cake in accordance with the YouTube video but just because of the buffering, the otherwise perfect cake gets overbaked. Falling a victim to buffering has become a part of our reality but you do not have to succumb to something that can be controlled, right? In this article, we would be discussing the reasons behind buffering and ways to stop it.
Why do Videos Buffer?
There can be numerous reasons concerning why your videos experience buffering when streaming, albeit, the underlying driver of buffering, more often than not, boils down to inconsistent or poor internet connection. This is why your videos suffer buffering taking out the essence. Some of the reasons behind video buffering are:
- Slow or unstable internet connection
- Bandwidth shortage
- Excessive traffic on the website
- Outdated web browser or graphics card
The explanation is quite often in accordance with the internet connection you use. You need to be cautious and well-researched when deciding on the choice of the internet service provider. This is because the internet has become more of a necessary utility than just a luxury. From remote working to watching video-on-demand, the internet has gotten progressively essential to most aspects of our life. Thusly, the primary thing you need to do is to guarantee that your internet provider is solid and worth your investment.
How to stop buffering when Streaming Videos?
You can prevent your videos from buffering by checking onto anything that may be obstructing the stream. We have recorded down a list of ways you can stop your videos from buffering.
Check your Internet
Most internet service providers offer a number of internet plans and packages for you to choose from. If not already, maybe it is time to communicate with your ISP to find out the best-suited internet plan for your household. In the event that you have had this idea before but do not want to spend a great deal of money upgrading your internet plan, you should check out Spectrum discounts for all kinds of discounts, from students to senior; and check their internet plans with speeds starting from 100 Mbps.
Give it a Rest
On the off chance that your internet connection is not steady, your videos encounter buffering. In the event that your video stream is taking a lot of time to come over buffering, you should give it a rest. It is reasonable to be enticed by playing the video each time buffering stops, yet it is smarter to stop your video for quite a while than to peak in bits. You should resort to stopping the video for a while, maybe take some to treat yourself with a hot cup of espresso and when you would get back, it will most likely play without buffering.
Close every background application
This might come as a surprise but your equipment, much like yourself, can be exhausted; thus in the event that you have numerous applications running at the same time, its capacity to stream videos might get impacted. Regardless of whether you minimize the programs, they continue working in the background enabling the resources of your system to get consumed. You likewise encounter this problem when multiple tabs are open on your browser.
In light of the above, if you suffer buffering when streaming videos, try closing all the extra applications and background programs and check if it fixes your issue.
Check the quality of your Video
Better video quality translates into a larger video file. This means that the data exchange between your device and the server is going to take a longer time as well. On contrary, if the video file were smaller, you would not have to wait so long for the exchange to happen between your device and the server. By this logic, you should just lower the video quality to watch it smoothly. Streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube do share this option with the users.
While the above is true to its core, I can relate to why High Definition (HD) is the viewers’ choice. You cannot fully appreciate the nooks and crannies of ‘The Witcher’ on low resolution. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and if you really want to watch something without experiencing buffer, this is an easy fix.
Clear Browser Settings
Another point is that your internet connection is not to blame at all and the issue may exist in your web browser. Your web browser keeps up the entire history of sites that you visit and stores them as cache, so when you return to a site, it just loads it as opposed to downloading it. The issue is that your web browser gets overpowered occasionally and it starts affecting your video experience.
To overthrow this issue, all you need to do is clear cookies and cache from your web browser every once in a while.
Turn off extra gadgets
On the off chance that you are not utilizing different gadgets that are associated with your Wi-Fi network, it is smarter to switch them off since Wi-Fi gadgets are normally pinging the router constantly. If this is not done, the load on your network increases, making the internet take a plunge therefore when streaming some significant videos like meetings or lectures, it is recommended to always switch off all extra gadgets for a better experience.
Keep your Graphics Card Drivers up-to-date
On the off chance that you are a binge-watcher and watch complete seasons in one sitting, you need to ensure that your system is updated regularly, including the drivers and hardware. Intel, AMD, and Nvidia continually streamline and improve their graphic card drivers to improve their performance and usefulness. It is suggested that you work with the latest graphic drivers that are viable with your gadget so you do not encounter any issues.
Work with a Good VPN
At the point when you utilize a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you may see its consequences for your system’s performance thus you ought to consistently test your VPN and update your settings appropriately. Take time to fully understand the working model of your VPN and if you find out that it affects your system’s performance or speed, you ought to consider switching to a superior VPN program.
How to stop buffering when Livestreaming Videos?
To guarantee that your video conferences or live sessions with your followers never suffer buffering, we have written down some helpful solutions.
- Use software that is compatible with your gadget.
- Connect with a reliable ISP that can offer 04 Mbps of upload speed at all times.
- Close all the applications running in the background.
- Plug Ethernet cable from your modem into your PC.
