DIY Video Buffering Improvement

Slow buffering takes up valuable time.

Streaming video allows computer users to watch Internet videos immediately without waiting for the entire file to download. This concepts sounds efficient but results in a frustrating experience when the information streams too slowly and the video buffers, or pauses, until sufficient information comes through. Reduce this problem by eliminating some of the most common problems and issues on your computer that adversely affect streaming videos. While some issues are out of your hand (i.e. temporary problems with your Internet provider), you can greatly improve the video watching experience with a few do-it-yourself tricks.

Instructions

1. Turn off all other programs running on your computer and stop all multitasking. This means closing unused windows, shut off your music player and log off your email. In short, stop all other work and programs not necessary to stream the video you want to watch.

2. Open the file setting on your web browser and delete your history, including all stored cookies. Cookies are stored information from visited websites, which allows your computer to view these pages quickly on subsequent visits. While helpful, the space these cookies take up prohibit the free-flow of streaming video information. Delete your history to increase the memory space available to receive the video stream.

3. Remove all landlines attached to your Internet service. Landlines take up valuable bandwidth which, in turn, adversely affects your computer's overall performance. Removing phones, fax machines and other devices from your Internet services increases your bandwidth.

4. Turn off all computers logged on to the Internet. Much like home devices such as telephones, other computers take up bandwidth as well. Their removal increases bandwidth and the amount of streaming data sent to your computer.

5. Open the settings for the media player used to play the streaming video and select the “Options” tab. Next, go to the “Advance” setting to open the “Network Buffering” settings. Alter the amount of buffering content, indicated in seconds, your computer streams before playing the video. Test the video and alter the settings again until you find the setting that works best for your computer.

6. Watch the video during low-Internet traffic times such as the early morning or late at night. A high amount of other Internet users can adversely affect your personal video-watching experience. Low traffic times produces less viewing and buffering problems.

References

• Don Crowther: How to Reduce Video Skips and Buffering
• Delete Computer History: Slow Streaming Video Problems