What Causes Occasion Stops in a Good Live Stream Video

If a tech-focused company like Apple can experience issues during its product launch live stream, then you can, too. This is why the first step to prevent this from happening for you is to understand what causes occasion stops in a good live stream video.

Occasional stops and sudden buffering of the live stream can be disastrous for businesses. Viewers, especially your young audience, absolutely disgust glitchy streams. All you’ve got is no more than 8 seconds to keep your audience from getting distracted. And a 10-second stop in your livestream makes it a hard pass for them.

Imagine planning your high-profile livestream that the press will cover and making sure all speakers are lined up, only for it to end up as a forgettable event because your livestream didn’t quite make it to your audience’s screens.

This is a frustrating experience – for both you and your stream viewers. This is why it is recommended to know what causes video buffering when you stream videos live. After all, occasional stops in live streams can create an unprofessional image of your organization, and making sure it does not happen is critical to your business goals.

In this blog, we will find answers to what causes videos to buffer. But since we know that merely knowing what causes occasion stops in a good live stream video will not be enough, we will discuss how to stop video buffering in much detail later in this blog.

Whether you are a seasoned professional conducting a training session, a manager connecting with a remote team, or an entrepreneur hosting a captivating live event, this blog will equip you with the knowledge to deliver high-quality streams that hold your audience's attention from beginning to end. So, let's start.

What Causes Occasion Stops in a Good Live Stream Video – A Brief Overview

Since you’ve landed here, you might be wondering why video streaming is slow and what counts as a smooth streaming experience. After all, a smooth livestream experience is critical to keeping your audience engaged. However, occasional buffering and stops can disrupt the flow, leaving viewers frustrated.

These interruptions can result from various technical factors, both on your end and related to your viewers' Internet setup or device. Here is a quick overview of the potential reasons.

• Unexpected traffic spikes in viewers can overwhelm your stream's capacity, leading to buffering issues or something even worse – stream failure.
• If viewers have limited Internet bandwidth, they can struggle to keep up with the stream, causing streaming issues.
• Live streams that lack adaptive bitrate streaming may not automatically adjust to viewers' varying Internet speeds and devices, resulting in buffering. In fact, the streaming will altogether stop in case the Internet connection is acting up.
• Not using a content delivery network (CDN) can slow down the stream delivery for viewers in different locations.
• Certain streaming platforms may not be optimized for smooth live streaming, leading to technical hiccups.
• If the stream is not compatible with all devices, viewers on specific devices may experience streaming problems.
• Using a streaming protocol with high latency can introduce unnecessary delays and increase buffering.
• Dividing the video into large chunks can lead to longer buffering times as viewers wait for the entire segment to download before playback starts.

The reasons mentioned above cause video buffering for many live streamers. We will cover these reasons in more detail later in this blog. Stay tuned!

Consequences of Live Streaming Occasion Stops

Before we head on to how to stop buffering videos and sudden stops, you should first know what the consequences of it are. Lags, sudden stops, and freezes in live streams can have a significant negative impact on businesses, particularly for training professionals, remote workforce managers, and virtual event organizers. Here is a breakdown of the consequences of sudden stops in live streams.

• It disrupts the flow, causing a loss of audience engagement. This is damaging, especially when you are conducting product demos, marketing presentations, or live Q&A sessions, during which audience participation is highly crucial.
• Technical glitches can portray the business as unprofessional and unprepared. This can damage the brand's reputation, discourage viewers from future interactions, and hurt the investor's confidence in the brand.
• If a live stream displays products or services, sudden stops can interrupt the sales pitch and deter potential customers.
• Sudden stops interrupt the learning flow, making it difficult for trainees to retain information. This can lead to wasted training time and the need for re-training, thereby raising the costs of training.
• Live streams are often used to onboard new remote employees. Stops can hinder communication, create confusion, and make onboarding a negative experience for new hires, leading to high employee turnover.
• Technical issues during training sessions can come across as unprofessional and can demotivate employees who are interested in upskilling themselves.
• Due to repeated technical glitches, a business must redo all the work, requiring additional cost and time.

Areas Where Live Stream Quality Cannot Be Compromised

All live-streaming events are important, and their quality should be of paramount importance. However, there are certain use cases where there should be no compromises in live streaming quality. Hence, the host must ensure that no sudden stops or technical errors occur during the live-streaming events below.

Video Training and Learning

Uninterrupted, high-quality live streams are essential for effective video training and learning. Research shows that a good training and learning program can improve employee job performance by 59%.

When a live stream suffers from lag or freezes, it can radically disrupt the learning process. Viewers that have kept their attention for so long start to lose what they have learned so far, thereby hurting their knowledge retention.

Training videos like product demos and skills development require clarity and consistency in the live stream. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain as the people will not grab the knowledge.

In addition, live streams are great for asking questions and doing activities together in real-time. This can be through Q&A sessions, real-time chat, and FAQs. But if the stream keeps freezing or lagging, these conversations and activities get messed up.

Virtual Events

Similar to any onsite event, you do not want any disturbance or errors in virtual events, or else it will ruin the entire experience. Imagine trying to follow a captivating presentation only to have it interrupted by freezers. It pulls viewers out of the moment and disrupts their engagement.

Occasional stops at events seem unprofessional and poorly planned, especially for events where reputation is on the line. Take the example of a product launch event. Your fans and the media houses are keeping a close eye on you. Any mess-up can cause severe reputation damage ahead of your new product announcement.

Smooth, uninterrupted streams, on the other hand, ensure clear communication of ideas during events. This allows attendees to grasp all the essential details without missing a beat.

Similarly, virtual events also have live interactivity and features like polls and Q&A sessions. Lag can disrupt these interactions, making it harder for attendees to participate and get themselves immersed in the streaming experience.

Remote Work

For remote work, smooth and reliable live streams are the glue that holds everything together. Remote teams use live streaming for a magnitude of work. These include business presentations, meetings, interviews, and much more.

However, because of buffering issues, team members will struggle to understand each other. Ideas get lost, and collaboration stalls. These issues not only disrupt workflows but also waste valuable time that is spent on reconnecting or troubleshooting.

Factors Determining Good Quality Live Stream

The answer to how to stop videos from buffering lies in knowing what factors are essential to focus on and determine what an excellent quality live stream is. The key factors that help you decide whether the live stream quality can be considered good are as follows:

• The video is encoded and transcoded
• It has low-latency live streaming
• It is delivered through content delivery networks (CDNs)
• It supports adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR)
• It supports low-latency live streaming protocols
• It should be device-agnostic
• It is streamed using an advanced live streaming solution

The Video is Encoded and Transcoded

Imagine you are watching a live stream, but it keeps freezing and buffering – that's because the video file might be too big for your Internet bandwidth to handle. Thankfully, transcoding solves this issue. It ensures a smooth viewing experience, free from buffering and lag, even for those with slower connections.

Encoding and transcoding work together in harmony to optimize video files so that they take less time to travel across the Internet. By encoding and transcoding videos, viewers experience less lag and can enjoy the live stream in near real-time.

It Has Low-latency Live Streaming

Have you ever watched a livestream where things felt a bit behind? Maybe you saw a score happen a few seconds before the audience reacted. That delay is what low-latency streaming aims to fix.

It allows for real-time interaction. Imagine conducting an organizational health and safety training session. Since you have to demonstrate quick response when it comes to health and safety issues, even a few seconds' delay can disrupt the flow and responsiveness of the live-streamed training session. This is why low-latency live streaming is highly important.

Secondly, low latency enhances engagement. The closer the stream is to real-time, the more it feels like you are actually there. This is especially important for virtual conferences or remote collaboration, where smooth communication is essential.

Lastly, a high-quality live stream should feel natural, not disruptive. Lag disrupts the flow and takes you out of the moment. Low latency ensures the sights and sounds come together smoothly, keeping you immersed in the live experience.

It is Delivered through Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Your live-stream audience can be scattered across the globe, especially when you are a multinational corporation (MNC) or a government department connecting with embassies worldwide. Streaming live content directly to them will increase latency and create buffering issues. This will eventually decrease the video stream quality.

A content delivery network, or CDN, is a game-changer for high-quality live streaming in a few ways. It addresses the challenge of transferring video data over long distances, reducing buffering and lags.

Moreover, if your live streams suddenly gain traffic volume from a specific region, a CDN will be prepared to handle this. Even with the increasing number, the load is distributed within a network of servers using a load-balancing application.

CDNs can also optimize the quality of the live stream for the viewers. They can make sure that each viewer, regardless of the Internet connection speed, receives bufferless live streaming.

It Supports Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR)

Another crucial factor here is the Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR). Without ABR, users will face difficulty, and some might not be able to watch the live stream. It is a technology that has a wide range of capabilities, including transcoding and encoding.

With ABR, your live stream will automatically adjust to your Internet speed, offering a variety of video quality options (240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, and beyond), delivering the perfect stream based on your real-time bandwidth. This ensures a smooth experience for everyone, whether you are on a slow connection or have lightning-fast Internet.

It Supports Low-latency Live Streaming Protocols

Low-latency live streaming protocols help ensure that your streaming has minimal delays. Especially when looking for a live streaming platform, it should be present with various live-streaming protocols. These protocols are briefly discussed as follows:

• HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is the most popular, and it is suitable for device reach and adapts to viewers' Internet speed.
• Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is another popular streaming protocol for low latency and live interaction.
• Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) can be easily set up in browsers and has extremely low latency.
• MPEG-DASH is an open standard, like HLS, and valuable for enhanced viewing experience and plays a crucial part in ABR.

It Should be Device-Agnostic

Your live-streaming audience might be using different devices like laptops, smartphones, or tablets to stream your session. If you do not use technologies like encoding, your live stream will fail to load on some devices as they will not support it.

So, to maximize your audience reach and engagement, you must ensure that the live stream is compatible with several types of devices. By encoding your live stream, you make sure that your live stream is converted into a number of file formats that are supported across different devices. This way, you do not need to worry about a Windows user streaming the session that you’re hosting on your MacBook.

It is Streamed Using an Advanced Live Streaming Solution

Live streaming platforms offer more than just a service to broadcast. They provide the infrastructure, capabilities, and support to handle all the technical work that goes into making your live stream a success.

Live streaming platforms ensure a smooth streaming experience by encoding your video for efficient delivery across all devices, distributing it across a reliable, secure network to reach your audience scattered globally, and letting them interact in real-time using live interactivity and engagement capabilities, such as live chat, Q&A, FAQs, etc.

Without these capabilities, you would shoulder the burden of managing complex setups and struggle to find all the required features in one place. Eventually, it will risk glitches and lead to a frustrating experience for your viewers.

A Deep Dive into What Causes Occasion Stops in a Good Live Stream Video

Even some of the best-planned live streams can run into difficulties and halts. The best approach is to understand the potential causes of these sudden stops and find solutions for them. In this section, we will explore the reasons behind these occasion stops and get answers to why video is lagging:

• The video file size is large
• Viewer’s Internet bandwidth is limited
• The stream does not support adaptive bitrate streaming
• Live streaming without CDN
• Live stream does not run on all devices
• Live streaming with high-latency streaming protocol
• The video is divided into long chunks.

The Video File Size Is Large

Large video files can cause errors during live streaming for two main reasons. First, during live streaming, the video data is constantly being uploaded, and large files require a lot of bandwidth. So, if the viewer’s Internet upload speed is insufficient, it will lead to buffering, lag, and even dropped connections, eventually leading to interruptions and errors.

Secondly, if you are using an encoding software for live streaming, its efficiency will depend on the processing power of your device. If your device doesn't have enough processing power, it can struggle to keep up with encoding large files, resulting in dropped frames, choppy video, or even crashes.

High Spike in Live Stream Traffic

Traffic spikes during live streaming can cause a domino effect of issues. Take the example of a busy highway that has become jammed with cars trying to reach a common destination.

This is what happens to the Internet infrastructure when a large number of viewers try to access a live stream at once. This congestion can lead to buffering, where the video pauses to catch up with the incoming data, or even experience complete outages if the system cannot take the load anymore.

Furthermore, these spikes put stress on bandwidth. Live streams rely on a constant flow of data, and a sudden surge means more data needs to be delivered at once. This can overwhelm the available bandwidth, again resulting in buffering or a significant drop in video quality despite blazing Internet speed.

Viewer's Internet Bandwidth is Limited

Limited viewer bandwidth is a common culprit behind lags and buffering in live streams. Due to this limited bandwidth, data arrives slowly, taking longer to fill the viewer's device's buffer with enough data to play the video smoothly. This delay is what we experience as a lag.

Viewers' devices use buffering to avoid constant interruptions. It downloads a small chunk of the video in advance, creating a reserve. However, with limited bandwidth, the buffer might not fill up fast enough. When the buffer runs out, the video playback pauses (buffers) until more data arrives. This stop-and-start process is what we perceive as buffering.

In some cases, the streaming service might automatically lower the video quality for viewers with limited bandwidth. This reduces the amount of data needed, preventing buffering but sacrificing video quality.

The Stream Does Not Support Adaptive Bitrate Streaming

Adaptive bitrate streaming is a crucial technology for ensuring a smooth live streaming experience for everyone. Without it, viewers can face a number of problems.

Firstly, adaptive bitrate streaming allows the video quality to adjust automatically based on each viewer's Internet bandwidth and devices. Without this adaptation, everyone's experience suffers.

Secondly, viewers with good Internet connections can be negatively affected. If adaptive bitrate streaming isn't available, everyone might be forced to download a higher-quality stream than necessary. This can overload the broadcaster's servers, potentially leading to issues like crashes or reduced quality for everyone.

With the absence of adaptive bitrate streaming, the overall stream will suffer lags and even face playback failure.

To know more about adaptive bitrate streaming, refer to our blog on adaptive bitrate streaming.

Live Streaming Without CDN

Skipping a content delivery network (CDN) in the live streaming workflow might seem like a way to save costs initially. However, it can create problems for your website or live stream in the long run. Live streams have audiences from all over the world, and someone might be viewing your live stream from another corner of the globe.

Users located far away from the server where your live stream is being hosted will experience slow loading times. Without a CDN, they would have to download everything from your server, which can take a long time.

Another downside is the risk of downtime. If your primary server goes down for any reason, your entire live stream becomes unavailable as there is no backup CDN.

To know more about CDN streaming, refer to our blog on CDN video streaming.

Live Streaming Platform Is Not Suitable

Choosing a live streaming platform that is not suited for your specific needs can create various problems for your live stream.

Some platforms are not able to handle high-quality video and audio. For instance, they cannot support 4K videos. Additionally, some platforms have restrictions on the formats they support, so your perfectly prepared video file might not be compatible.

Another factor to consider is integration issues. If the platform doesn't work seamlessly with your existing tools, like video encoders, you might encounter errors and occasional stops.

Lastly, platforms that don't have the flexibility to scale result in live stream sudden stops because of traffic spikes and load on the server. Always look for a live streaming platform that is scalable and can handle the load of as many viewers as you want.

Live Stream Does Not Run on All Devices

There are a couple of reasons why a live stream might not play on all devices. One reason is device compatibility. Some devices may not support certain types of audio and video codecs. As a result, the video will not play on that device.

This also means that the live stream is not correctly encoded, or it has not been encoded at all. This means that only a limited number of audiences will view the live stream – those who share the same video and audio codecs as the host of the live stream.

Live Streaming with High-latency Streaming Protocol

Live streaming and content delivery typically use various low-latency streaming protocols such as RTMP, RTSP, HLS, and others. Without them, live streams become a one-way street, hindering the real-time interaction that would have otherwise made them engaging. Viewers experience frustration due to buffering, sudden stops, and audio or video falling out of sync.

Enterprises that highly rely on audience interactions are vulnerable to this. After all, frustrated viewers abandon the stream or pay no attention to the host if there is a high latency. While alternative solutions might exist, they often come with drawbacks like sacrificing video quality.

The Video is Divided into Long Chunks

Large video chunks take longer to encode, transcode, and transmit, creating a bigger gap between what is happening live and when it appears on the screen.

Imagine a viewer eagerly watching a live webinar or virtual conference. Large chunks would translate to buffering pauses and frustrating moments when the video freezes while waiting for more data to arrive. Moreover, large chunks put a strain on the streaming server, requiring more processing power for encoding and transmission.

How to Prevent Occasion Stops in a Good Live Stream Video?

Now we understand the answers to why is video streaming so slow and what causes video buffering. It is time to look at the solutions that can prevent occasional stops, buffering, and lag issues in your live stream:

Encode and Transcode Your Videos

Encoding and transcoding are a must-have to ensure a seamless live streaming experience, as we have made clear earlier in this blog.

Encoding starts working with the raw video and audio data you upload. Then, it compresses it into a smaller format without compromising the quality using lossless compression so that it is easier to transmit over the Internet. This reduces bandwidth usage and helps prevent buffering.

The second step involves transcoding. It recognizes that viewers have significant differences in Internet speeds. By creating multiple versions of the encoded stream at varying resolutions and bitrates, transcoding ensures adaptability to individual connections.

In short, encoding prepares the data for efficient travel, while transcoding guarantees it reaches its destination smoothly, regardless of the device or network.

Choose the Right File Format for Live Streaming

Choosing the right file format is related to efficiency and bandwidth. Different video formats compress data in varying ways. Picking the right format allows you to create a perfect balance between maintaining good video quality and keeping the file size manageable for a smooth live streaming experience.

Formats with high compression shrink the file size but might sacrifice some video quality. On the other hand, uncompressed formats deliver high-quality streams but affect bandwidth, potentially causing buffering nightmares for viewers with slow Internet.

Moreover, not every device or platform can handle every video format. Choosing an industry-standard format ensures your stream can be viewed on a vast array of devices, maximizing your audience reach.

Use Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Technology

Adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming ensures that the optimal version of the live stream is delivered in real-time based on the viewer setup and Internet connection.

The term "bitrate" refers to how fast data can travel across a network. The ABR process is initiated by encoding and transcoding the original video file into multiple formats and renditions.

When you hit the Play button, the live streaming software analyzes the viewer's Internet speed. If the speed slows down, it automatically downshifts to a lower bitrate version to avoid buffering. On the contrary, if the connection improves, it can switch to a higher bitrate version for better quality.

For example, you have uploaded video quality in 1080p, but the viewer's Internet connection is poor. Because of ABR, users with a low internet connection can view the live stream at 720p, 480p, or at an even lower resolution.

Use a Powerful CDN

A flawless live streaming experience depends on a powerful content delivery network (CDN). Unlike traditional streaming that relies on a single server, a CDN acts as a middleman or intermediary for live streams.

Firstly, CDN tackles the issue of speed. Traditional streaming suffers when geographically distant viewers or surges in traffic overwhelm a single server. However, this is not the case with CDNs since they have a global network of strategically placed servers.

When a viewer requests a live stream, the CDN selects the closest server to deliver the content. This significantly reduces the distance the data needs to travel, resulting in faster loading times and smoother streaming.

Moreover, CDN combats buffering. It caches frequently accessed live stream segments on its edge servers. This means viewers can access these cached parts from the nearby server instead of waiting for them to travel a longer distance from the origin server.

Streaming Using Low-Latency Live Streaming Protocols

If you are using traditional streaming protocols, it can cause delays of tens of seconds or more, which can be irritating for viewers, especially in interactive settings like live auctions or remote collaboration. Low-latency streaming protocols are specifically designed to minimize this delay, bringing the live experience closer to real-time.

Low-latency protocols also improve synchronization. In some live streams, audio and video can become uneven due to latency. These protocols help keep audio and video in sync, creating a more natural viewing experience.

Moreover, low latency is crucial for interactive live streaming. With minimal delay, viewers can react and participate in real time. There are several low-latency protocols available, each with its advantages.

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming): It is widely supported by devices and browsers, making it easy for viewers to access your stream. It also enables adaptive bitrate streaming, ensuring smooth playback even with fluctuating Internet connections.

RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol): It is simple to set up and offers low latency during live streams. In fact, RTMP is especially preferred in cases where you cannot compromise on audience interactivity and engagement.

RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol): It offers precise control over the stream, allowing you to seamlessly transfer real-time data from multimedia to the user with direct communication from the server.

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication): It delivers ultra-low latency streams, perfect for real-time interaction and high engagement. It is secure by design and, hence, protects your stream from unauthorized access.

Adopt Format-Agnostic Streaming

Format-agnostic streaming eliminates the need to pre-convert content for different devices. This single-stream approach offers a wider audience reach and a smoother user experience, meaning there will be no compatibility issues.

It can be done by simply uploading the content on a live streaming platform. The platform pre-converts the video content into multiple formats, catering to different devices.

The Video Is Divided into Smaller Segments/Chunks

Live streaming relies on an intelligent technique called segmentation to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. In segmentation, the video is divided into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Because of these smaller chunks, the data can be easily encoded, transcoded, and sent to the viewer. The video player quickly receives the data, resulting in fewer delays, buffering, and sudden stops.

Choose an Advanced Live Streaming Solution

Achieving smooth and uninterrupted live streams requires advanced enterprise-grade live-streaming solutions.

These solutions address the issue of latency, the time difference between what you broadcast and what viewers see, as they use all the necessary protocols like RTMP, RTSP, WebRTC, etc.

Another critical component is support for reliable content delivery networks (CDNs). Advanced solutions offer global CDNs, such as Microsoft Azure, Akamai, Fastly, Amazon CloudFront, etc., with high capacity to ensure smooth delivery for your audience regardless of location.

Apart from minimizing delays, advanced solutions can optimize your stream for various Internet speeds, automatically adjust bitrate based on viewer bandwidth, and encoding options to optimize video quality for streaming.

Enterprise-grade live streaming solutions provide real-time insights and analytics, such as the number of current viewers, total number of views, and more. It can help you understand viewer behavior and tailor your stream for better engagement.

Smooth Live Streaming with EnterpriseTube

Occasional stops in live stream videos can have a devastating impact on your audience's engagement, your brand's reputation, and, ultimately, your business's bottom line. Whether you're a training professional, remote workforce manager, or event organizer, it's crucial to ensure that your live streams are smooth, uninterrupted, and of high quality.

EnterpriseTube is an AI-powered enterprise video content management system that allows businesses to stream live video content to users around the globe by using a sophisticated CDN network, advanced streaming protocols, and built-in encoding and transcoding technology.

Check out the full capabilities and get a 7-day free trial today! No card is required.

People Also Ask

What is live streaming?

Live streaming is a real-time broadcast where you see the action unfold as it happens. Think of it as a one-way video call where anyone can tune in and watch.

Why is video streaming so slow?

There can be a couple of reasons your livestream is slow. It can be because of slow internet upload speed, unstable internet connection, or even high CPU usage.

What is a live streaming platform?

A live streaming platform is a website or app that lets you broadcast your video and audio in real time to a wide audience online. It also allows the host to interact with viewers through chat and share their content with the world.

How to stop video buffering?

Consider upgrading your Internet plan for a faster upload speed or switching to a wired ethernet connection for a more stable signal.

You can also adjust the video quality settings on streaming platforms. For instance, lowering the resolution from 1080p to 720p. It means less data needs to be streamed, reducing buffering and keeping your viewing smooth.

What causes videos to buffer?

If your Internet plan offers a low download speed, it struggles to deliver the data fast enough, causing the video to buffer and pause while it waits to catch up.