I wonder how much this has to do with the speed/quality of the last mile
broadband service. We get >50 Mbps service most of the time, slightly less
during "prime time." I almost never see buffering issues.
I have not used Amazon Prime (although we are prime members). Both Netflix and
iTunes videos are flawless on Apple TV, and buffer load times are quite
reasonable. Watch ESPN is also quite good, although there are many ad breaks
where commercials are covered with a banner; this may be due to the local MVPD
not being set up to insert local ads yet on TVE streams.
What is more interesting is that we are seeing many issues with our standard
QAM MVPD service. I cannot tell if this is at the local or network feed level.
There are many "drop out," some just a few GOPs, and some lasting up to 30
seconds. Even more annoying are the problems with local Cox ad insertions;
lately these start 3-5 seconds AFTER the ad that is being replaced, so you get
a few seconds of one ad then another starts.
Looks like we are still in the "product development" phase for streaming
video...
Regards
Craig
On Mar 17, 2016, at 8:00 PM, Mark Schubin <tvmark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
For a data point, I have lots of buffering problems with Amazon Prime video.
On 3/17/2016 7:53 PM, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
I'm sure this is a problem we'll be hearing more about in the future. My
sense is, given that buffering problems vary greatly among the different TV
portals, and vary greatly from just one ad to the next, I'm fairly certain
that they lie with the CDN and not so much your link speed or other
ISP-related factors.
For example, a constantly recurring problem with abc.com is ads that play
for a second or less, then freeze for many seconds, then play for a second
or less, and repeat this agonizing process throughout the whole ad. Not all
ads, just some. I wrote to them. They said they had duplicated the problem,
it got fixed, and then last time I went to abc.com, there were still one or
two ads that had this problem.
Imagine encountering such an ad in every ad break. Happens often on abc.com,
although in fairness, I haven't tried lately.
Last night, one cbs.com ad had the same problem. Very unusual in cbs.com
ads. I wrote to them even while the ad was busy pissing me off. An advantage
of watching TV on a PC. Other sites seem to have big problems in general,
even with the actual program stream.
Most buffering problems I've encountered are with ads. Occasionally, but not
lately, also buffering in the early parts of a show, as if the system is
having a hard time settling in on a good streaming speed. To me, these are
problems caused by lack of self-monitoring, have solutions, and are allowed
to persist only because the service is not taken seriously yet.
Bert
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http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/half-of-streaming-consumers-experience-buffer-rage-per-ineoquest/278176
Report: Half of Video Streamers Experience ‘Buffer Rage’
A First World problem
March 17, 2016
By Michael Balderston
BOSTON—If you have ever wanted to throw something when that infamous
spinning buffering wheel appears while you’re trying to stream a TV show or
movie, you’re not alone. A recent study by IneoQuest Technologies, a media
company and service provider on video quality and audience behavioral
intelligence, has revealed that 51 percent of streaming viewers experience
“buffer rage.” IneoQuest defines buffer rage as a state of uncontrollable
fury or violent anger induced by the delayed or interrupted enjoyment of
streaming video content from OTT services.
While 51 percent is the overall number of consumers that have experience
buffer rage, 66 percent of respondents claimed frustration when a video
buffers; 21 percent of those reported “severe levels of irritation.” For
consumers under 35, 34 percent say they suffer from buffer rage more often
than road rage.
One of the biggest causes of buffer rage appears to be not being able to
start a piece of content. Up to 27 percent of respondents said buffering
most often occurs before a video starts, while 34 percent experience
buffering within the first 15 seconds of the video. This causes a negative
reaction for many viewers, with 40 percent saying they only wait 10 seconds
before clicking out of a buffering video, and nearly 40 percent of those
respondents claim they will never attempt to re-watch the video.
Interruptions during live sporting events, watching content on mobile
devices and mid-video buffering are other big factors in inducing buffer
rage, according to IneoQuest.
Respondents said that buffering was a regular issue; 34 percent encounter it
once in every three videos, while 24 percent experience it once in every
five.
“This data shows that OTT service providers need to do more to ensure the
delivery of a more reliable, consistent, enjoyable viewing experience to
consumers in order to prevent a rampant buffer rage epidemic,” said Kurt
Michel, senior marketing director at IneoQuest.
IneoQuest commissioned Research Now to conduct the study of 1,000 consumers.
To see more on the study, click here.
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