How To Fix Slow Streaming Video Problems

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‘I constantly get stuck at streaming of Netflix videos. Although I have a high internet speed, still videos stream slowly. How to fix slow streaming video problem?’

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Are you would be unable to watch videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Hulu, Netflix etc., due to slow streaming? Do the video streams lag and take forever to buffer?

Ideally, videos should load quickly and play smoothly using streaming video technology. However, either your internet connection or computer may play spoiler and do not let the videos to stream properly.

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Tackling the issue, here we bring the 10 ways to troubleshoot slow streaming video problems. Try them in the given order – beginning with the simpler to serious troubleshooting methods.

  1. Fix your Internet connection

Poor internet connection is the most common reason for slow streaming or buffering problem when trying to play high quality videos online.

For instance, to watch high resolution TV shows on YouTube you need internet connection of at least 1+ Mbps for streaming. Other smaller online video clips can be watched without any hindrance with minimum 500 Kbps internet speed. Similarly, Netflix requires at least 5Mbps speed to watch its videos.

Test your internet speed using speed checker tool or at speedtest.net. Make sure you have uninterrupted high speed internet while watching online videos.

  1. Use Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi

Instead of Wi-Fi, connect to the Internet using Ethernet cable. This will improve internet speed and also make it consistent. Thus, you can have smooth network for streaming video.

  1. Remove temp files & cookies

Cookies and temp files slows your system impacting the browser ability to load videos seamlessly. Go to your browser’s settings and remove the temporary Internet files and cookies.

  1. Delete browser history

Browsing history affects the performance of your browser and creates interference while loading videos. Clear your browsing history. Go to Control Panel > Internet Options > General, under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files and OK to close the Internet Options window.

  1. Close all applications on the system

Many a times slow streaming video problems are caused due to excess of programs running in the background. When you want to access any web-based video, shutdown all applications, unnecessary windows, and disable browser Add-ons.

  1. Lower video quality

High definition videos exert load on internet connection. If the video streaming is too slow or jerky, lower the video quality by making change in the settings of the video. Lowering the quality will not make your videos pixelated. Adjust to a level that they can still be sharp and watchable.

  1. Turn off Firewall or any antivirus temporarily

Firewalls in your computer network or antivirus in the system may prevent streaming of videos. Turn them off for some time till you access the website and watch the video. Make sure you turn them on after watching the videos.

Tip: If any downloaded video stored on your computer or any storage media does not play properly or has corrupted due to virus etc., you can repair it through Stellar Phoenix Video Repair. The tool fixes corrupt, broken, choppy, out of sync, jerky or other video playback issues.

  1. Reinstall Your Internet Browser

Sometimes reinstalling the browser helps top fix slow streaming of videos.

First uninstall the browser via Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall programs > Select your browser and click on Uninstall. Now visit the browser website and reinstall the latest version.

  1. Disable Hardware Acceleration in your settings

Hardware Acceleration in your computer enables applications related to graphics, sound cards, or videos to use Windows hardware resources by default. By disabling hardware acceleration, you let the web-based apps to choose hardware resource requirements instead of using your system’s default settings.

If your videos are not streaming or too slow to do that, it might be possible the computer’s default hardware settings are not enough to play them. Try disabling hardware acceleration to fix streaming issue and play the videos fast.  To disable Hardware Acceleration go to Start > Control Panel > DisplaySettings > AdvancedTroubleshoot. Now disable hardware acceleration by dragging the slider to none. Click Apply and OK to close the window.

Now restart your computer and access the video. But do not forget to enable Hardware Acceleration, after you finish watching the video.

  1. Use Network Reset to reinstall network devices

This should be the last option to try for fixing slow streaming video problem. Try this if all the ways fail to fix video streaming issue. The method will delete the network adapters and their settings on your system.

Go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network resetReset now > click Yes to confirm. Now restart the PC and check if the video is playing smoothly.

Wrapping Up

Slow video streaming is frustrating when you desperately want to play your favorite game or view movies, TV shows, or live shows etc. The above fixes are surely going to help you fix slow streaming and watch your videos without any interruptions.

However, if you have some tip to fix slow streaming, do share with our readers in the comment box below.

Article by Nishat Paiker

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