Streaming content buffering

[Brian Gaff]

Now Virgin Broadband is very fast, and I have no right in saying its got
issues, because logs look fine, so where in the world does the buffering
come from? Ive noticed this on streams of audio or video direct connected to
the router by wire, and from all over the world. Are there just some
overloaded parts of the web that cause this, is it perhaps being buffered or
routed into limbo?
The effect this end is the same, either no connection or gaps in the stream
or complete drop but needing reselection.
If its doing this now, with the use of streaming content seemingly the way
both radio and TV are going, is it all not going to hit the buffers soon
whereby it is completely over subscribed, just like the old dial up days
when you could not get a line.
Brian

[Adrian Caspersz]

Post by Brian Gaff
Now Virgin Broadband is very fast, and I have no right in saying its got
issues, because logs look fine, so where in the world does the buffering
come from?

* Network Contention issues resulting in latency - late packets, spotty
kids playing games etc...
* Traffic management failing ...
* Discarded late night kebab and related unmentionables left in wide
open street cabinet unlocked twenty years ago, showing unexpected new
electrical properties...

It's Virgin, other broadband providers are not affected.

Which is why you see TV ads from BT making a point of their service
_not_ buffering, and also Sky having the lowest number of user
complaints about their broadband service?

I personally wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, however does depend
on your local area. Some users do have a good experience elsewhere, and
crap results delivered from BT (which usually can be sorted)

[Roderick Stewart]

On Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:07:15 +0100, Adrian Caspersz

Post by Adrian Caspersz

Post by Brian Gaff
Now Virgin Broadband is very fast, and I have no right in saying its got
issues, because logs look fine, so where in the world does the buffering
come from?

[...]

Post by Adrian Caspersz
It's Virgin, other broadband providers are not affected.

No problems with Zen either.

Except occasional buffering with BBC iPlayer, and sometimes fuzzy
pictures for the first few seconds of a programme, no doubt checking
capacity to negotiate the best resolution. I haven't seen this on the
other online services, just iPlayer. I've seen it with both an Nvidia
Shield and two different Amazon Fire sticks, and my connection is
100/20 FTTP so it's definitely the BBC and not me.

Rod.

[Brian Gaff]

No it could be that there is some kind of slow connection that means slow
optimisation. I don't much care about pictures, I care about connectivity.
The fact that it can affect low bandwidth audio and at other times video,
seems to point to routing issues somewhere. Its interesting sometimes to try
and find where the servers actually are. There does seem to be a bottleneck
in the souuth of north America, even though the actual final server might be
here in Europe. I guess bandwidth changes by the time of day, so it might
actually be that capacity is better going around the world to come back than
going direct.

Brian
--
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Blind user, so no pictures please
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Post by Roderick Stewart
On Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:07:15 +0100, Adrian Caspersz

Post by Adrian Caspersz

Post by Brian Gaff
Now Virgin Broadband is very fast, and I have no right in saying its got
issues, because logs look fine, so where in the world does the buffering
come from?

[...]

Post by Adrian Caspersz
It's Virgin, other broadband providers are not affected.

No problems with Zen either.
Except occasional buffering with BBC iPlayer, and sometimes fuzzy
pictures for the first few seconds of a programme, no doubt checking
capacity to negotiate the best resolution. I haven't seen this on the
other online services, just iPlayer. I've seen it with both an Nvidia
Shield and two different Amazon Fire sticks, and my connection is
100/20 FTTP so it's definitely the BBC and not me.
Rod.

[Brian Gaff]

No its not Virgin green cabinets issues, or it would be a break in the
stream and be on the logs.
No its somewhere else. I did find some issues last night where the Alexa
servers kept disappearing whereas other streams on a tv were OK foom Samsung
TV.
Brian
--
--:
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
***@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!

Post by Adrian Caspersz

Post by Brian Gaff
Now Virgin Broadband is very fast, and I have no right in saying its got
issues, because logs look fine, so where in the world does the buffering
come from?

* Network Contention issues resulting in latency - late packets, spotty
kids playing games etc...
* Traffic management failing ...
* Discarded late night kebab and related unmentionables left in wide open
street cabinet unlocked twenty years ago, showing unexpected new
electrical properties...
It's Virgin, other broadband providers are not affected.
Which is why you see TV ads from BT making a point of their service _not_
buffering, and also Sky having the lowest number of user complaints about
their broadband service?
I personally wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, however does depend on
your local area. Some users do have a good experience elsewhere, and crap
results delivered from BT (which usually can be sorted)
--
Adrian C