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When watching a psychological thriller movie like American Psycho, finding the ever-so dashing Christian Bale as the psychotic killer is less traumatizing than the constant stoppage of the movie due to lag. Online streaming is the new entertainment unit and there is nothing more convenient in terms of accessibility although slow loading and lagging take the ease right out of it. A simple YouTube video is unwelcome at times, on account of lagging and buffering problems.
In this article, we will focus on how lagging affects video streaming and effective steps you can take to avoid it.
Why do Videos Experience Lag?
There can be many reasons as to why your videos experience lag when streaming, although, the root cause of lag always comes down to insufficient or weak internet bandwidth. The continuity of a video, which is principally the real essence, is compromised and it stops frequently. Some of the reasons might be:
- Unstable or Slow internet connection
- Shortage of bandwidth
- Excessive traffic on the content provider’s site
- Outdated graphics card or browser
The reason is almost always in line with your internet connection. You need to make a smart choice when signing up with an internet service provider as your whole life is dependent on the internet, nowadays when everything is remote. From working from home to watching your favorite shows and movies at your schedule, the internet has become increasingly important to access our life aspects. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is to ensure that your internet service provider is reliable and worth your money.
On contrary, if you belong to the class of people resenting such unpredicted hassle, you might want to hang onto your cable TV and for that matter, we recommend you to explore Optimum Cable TV packages for premium services at https://www.localcabledeals.com/optimum/cable-tv
How can I Reduce Lag while Streaming Videos?
You can stop your videos from lagging by checking onto anything that might be impeding the stream. We have listed down some of the solutions for your ease.
Close All Other Programs and Applications
Your device, like yourself, gets exhausted and so if you have multiple tasks and applications running simultaneously, the ability to stream videos perfectly can be affected. Even if you minimize the tasks or are practically doing nothing, they keep on running in the background due to which your system resources are consumed. You can also experience it if have opened multiple tabs on the browser.
Thus, if you have issues when streaming videos, closing extra programs and applications should be your priority.
Pause the Video
If your internet connection is not stable, your videos lag and it is then countered by buffering; in a way, lag induces buffer. If your movie stream is taking a long time for buffering, you might want to take a break. It is understandable to be tempted by playing the video every time buffering pauses, but it is better to pause your movie for some time than to climax in bits. Bottom line is that you should pause the video and make yourself a nice cup of cocoa and when you would get back, it will probably play without lagging.
Change Video Quality
Better video quality means a bigger video file which impends to a longer time of exchange from server to your device. An easy fix to watching a video smoothly is to lower its resolution. Many streaming services like YouTube and Netflix offer this option.
Having said this, I am completely team-HighRes: you cannot enjoy the highs and lows of Game of Thrones on low resolution, now can you? But getting off the dragon, this is a quick option if you desperately want to watch something.
Better Internet Speeds
Most internet service providers offer a range of packages of different speeds at different rates, and you should check if it is time for you to upgrade your package especially if your internet connection supports multiple users at the same time.
Your internet speed can also be sucked up by a virus/malware and so you should run a malware scan as well.
Free up your Bandwidth
If you are not using other devices that are connected to your network, it is better to remove them because Wi-Fi devices are usually pinging the wireless router all the time. If the load increases, the internet can take a dip and so when streaming some important videos like lectures or conferences, you should take off all other devices for better service.
Upgrade your Graphics Card Drivers
If you are big on binge-watching movies and TV shows, you need to make sure that your system’s drivers and hardware are up-to-date. AMD, Nvidia, and Intel constantly optimize and improve graphic driver functionality and performance. It is recommended that you use the latest drivers compatible with your device so that you do not experience any issues.
Clear Browser Settings
Another angle is that your internet connection is not at fault whatsoever and the problem might lie within your browser. Your browser maintains your history and stores cache for all the sites you visit, when you revisit a website, it loads the content instead of downloading it. The issue is that your browser gets overwhelmed sometimes and it slows down.
An efficient browser runs better and reduces any chances of lagging, and hence, a quick and easy solution is to clear cookies and history from your browser.
Work with a Good VPN
When you use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you might notice its effects on your PC’s performance and so you should always test your VPN and update your settings accordingly. Take enough time to estimate the performance of your VPN and if it is affecting speed and performance, you should consider switching to a better VPN service.
How can I Reduce Lag while Livestreaming Videos?
In today’s climate, live streaming videos are not something that only Instagram Influencers have to worry about but everyone from students to managers is working their positions through it. Can you imagine the devastation one might face if a video-interview with their dream company suffers lag? Unimaginable.
To ensure that none of you goes through a connection dip when video-chatting or broadcasting live events on Instagram, we have jotted down some useful tips.
- You should plug Ethernet cable from your modem device directly into your computer.
- Sign up with a good Internet service provider that can offer at least 4 Mbps of upload speed for HD live stream.
- Use the right software compatible with your device.
- Close all the applications and programs running in the background aimlessly.
