Have you ever experienced a series of pauses, stuttering, or buffering while streaming a video on YouTube, Netflix, or any other streaming platform? This is known as streaming lag, and it’s not something anyone like to experience. But what if there are ways to fix these interruptions and achieve ultra-smooth streaming?
Streaming lag can affect you or your streaming audience if you are a games streamer who streams gameplay for enthusiasts who like to watch you play, if you are an online gamer who competes against other players over the internet, or if you are a user who consumes videos or games over the internet.
In this age of ultra-fast internet speeds and efficiently programmed streaming platforms, there is a general march towards having a real-time experience when streaming content online. Even a low latency of ≈30-40 seconds is now being considered too slow by users and streamers.
From a study published by Phenix Real Time Solutions, a tech company that calls itself the “go-to provider for real-time video streaming solutions”, most streaming platforms lagged behind a live game anywhere from 50 seconds to just over a minute. Jed Corenthal, the CMO of Phenix has expressed the desire to make it possible for online streamers to experience the same thing as if they were physically present where the action is taking place.[1]Data Reveals Significant Lag Times During Most-Streamed Super Bowl Ever – Newsweek
If you are looking for ways to improve your streaming speed and reduce streaming lag when streaming or consuming online video content, this post might be right for you.
What Causes Streaming Lag?
Knowing how to fix streaming lag to achieve ultra-smooth streaming requires one to understand the root causes of streaming lag. While most people would be contented with a streaming latency of up to 50 seconds, pauses, stuttering, and repetitive buffering can make one extremely dissatisfied.
This can be from a delay in the transmission of video data at any point in the transmission chain, from the source to the endpoint. Slow internet connection or weak wi-fi signals, inherent server high latency, or server overload/congestion are some common causes of streaming lag.
How to Fix Streaming Lags
Whether you are streaming your favorite gaming streamer, playing an online game, or watching a live sport or a movie, you want to eliminate those pauses, persistent buffering, and stuttering that make the streaming experience less interesting and achieve ultra-smooth streaming.
The following tips will be helpful.
1. Opt for faster internet
The first thing to look at when trying to improve your streaming speed is your internet speed. The faster your internet speed, the faster data is transmitted during a live stream, reducing buffering rates and streaming lag.
Poor network speeds can affect bitrate renditions. Some platforms recommend higher bitrates, higher data bandwidth, and faster connections, but may adapt their bitrates based on the network connection. Lower bitrate outputs are easier to stream with slow internet but they have a lower quality. While adaptive bitrate streaming can automatically adjust bitrate based on network conditions, multi-bitrate streaming allows the user to switch between bitrate rendition manually to suit network conditions. [See Adaptive Bitrate vs Multi Bitrate Streaming]
If you are using a slow Wi-Fi router, consider upgrading to a higher-speed router.
Even with a fast internet router, you may still experience disruptions when there is a physical obstruction or if you are away from the router. In these cases, if you still need ultra-fast streaming experiences, you may consider using ethernet cables which offer more stable and consistent speeds devoid of connectivity disruptions.
2. Choose the right streaming platform or server
If you are a streamer, it is important to choose a platform or server that is closest to your audience location or one that has a CDN if you have a global audience. Many popular streaming platforms today like YouTube Live, Twitch, Facebook Live, Vimeo Livestream, and Dacast Live, are equipped with a robust CDN which can significantly improve your streaming experience and reduce lag.
To give your viewers a more optimized experience across varying internet speeds, you can enable adaptive bitrate streaming so the user’s device can automatically adjust the bitrate based on the network speed. YouTube is a good example of a platform that offers this functionality.
3. Upgrade your streaming device
Sometimes, your device processing power and refresh rate can affect the quality of your streams, whether you are a broadcaster or a viewer. This may be in terms of your device hardware (internal storage, processor, RAM), or upgrading your device software. If you are using an older device, chances are that the operating system isn’t up to standard for perfect lag-free streaming. Hence, you might need to upgrade your device for a better streaming experience.
4. Close background apps
Background apps can silently disrupt your stream if you are streaming with your phone. While streaming, exit apps like Chrome, Discord, Steam downloads, and Dropbox, you are experiencing streaming lag.
If you are streaming from your laptop, you can consider disabling automatic updates to prevent other apps from sharing your network connectivity and causing buffers, pauses, and lags in your streaming app.
5. Use a different connection
Even with a fast internet router, if you live in a household with multiple people who share the same connection, this can affect the connection speed, leading to stream lag. If you prioritize your stream rate for whatever streaming activity you are involved in, using a different connection with fewer or no shared users can improve your connection speeds and reduce stream lags while streaming.
Final words
Live streaming has changed the way we connect with people and engage with our favorite shows. Though the technology has advanced significantly, there is still users’ demand for faster buffering and smoother lag-free streaming experiences.
This post explores some ways you can improve your streaming and achieve ultra-smooth streaming experiences. Even if you don’t get absolute zero latency (exact time with real life), you can achieve near-real-time compared to the live event or activity.
References
| ↑1 | Data Reveals Significant Lag Times During Most-Streamed Super Bowl Ever – Newsweek |
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