Why Does My Hulu Video Stutter on My PowerBook?
Although Hulu brings a world of entertainment such as TV shows and movies to your computer, buffering problems can cause choppy, stuttering playback. Identifying the causes of streaming problems and knowing how to solve them can make your time on Hulu a more pleasant viewing experience.
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Network Connection
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For smooth video playback, your network download speed needs to be fast enough to handle high-quality video. Slow network connections such as dial-up are incapable of handing high-quality streaming, so you need a broadband Internet connection with a download speed of over 1.0Mbps. If you don't have a recommended network connection, limiting your viewing to 288p resolution video might limit stutter problems. If your wireless network is behaving erratically, watching videos over a wired connection may also improve video streaming. Contact your Internet Service Provider and upgrade to a faster broadband connection to improve streaming.
CPU and Bandwidth
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Processor and bandwidth intensive programs such as video and photo editing programs and online gaming can consume much of the PowerBook's processor and bandwidth. Bandwidth consists of the network data a site or program uses and can handle in a given time. The more bandwidth programs consume, the less Hulu will have left to use, which can result in stuttering and buffering problems. Closing these applications while watching videos on Hulu will free up bandwidth and boost streaming speeds.
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Tips
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Pausing the video until the buffer is full might also improve your viewing experience. It may take a little longer than you'd like, but may be helpful especially for low connection speeds. Updating your browser and clearing its cache may also boost streaming speeds. On a PowerBook, Hulu is only compatible with Firefox 2.0 or above, Safari 3.0 or above or Chrome 4.0 or above. In addition, you'll need to update your Adobe Flash Player to 10.0.32 or above. Watching videos in full-screen mode consumes more bandwidth, so disabling it might allow videos to buffer a little faster.
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In some cases, stuttering and buffering problems may be caused by server overloads. If Hulu is experiencing heavy traffic, video streaming might be slower than usual. If you're still experiencing technical difficulty, contact Hulu support, because the problem may be on their end.
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