# Streaming Video Quality - Any way to boost?



## BratDawg (Sep 23, 2004)

I temporarily upped my broadband dsl to the 500kbs package (normally I have 256kbs and get around 217kbs). I wanted to see if it would improve streaming video like episodes online, video clips on foodnetwork.com, etc. It doesn't seem to be having much effect.

I have a pretty new computer running Vista - 1.60ghz processor and 2gb ram. Speedtest ran gave me 459kbps download and 188 kbps upload.

Even sites like hulu.com keep buffering and tidaltv.com tells me I don't have enough bandwidth?

Is there some 3rd party app I could use to do this or am I goiong to have to either shell out another 20/month for the highest they offer or just read a book?

I can't really justify paying $70 a month for internet - the lowest package is 44/month for 256 and I don't have any other options out here - ther than satellite.

Thanks.


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

Unfortunately you are still on the slow side for video streaming in the main because as the bell curve for internet speeds to consumers shifts to the right (faster) the quality, and therefore the connection speed demand also increases. I have a 1500 kbs connection, get about 1100-1200 and while the traditional low quality, small dimension video will stream pretty good, the better quality stuff will still buffer all the time.

The solution is to download everything you can before watching. Some streaming video clips you can pause and it will continue to load and then click play when its fully downloaded in your temp file, things like that. Also to maximize the stream flow, don't do anything else related to inernet use at all when streaming. There is no magic pill sorry to say.


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## BratDawg (Sep 23, 2004)

I've actually tried that. I went to hulu.com and clicked Highlander and ran an episode muted, then did replay, and it still kept buffering.

I don't mind doing things this way, but I want to see it run smoothly the second time more or less.

Is there some setting I can tweak cache or some other setting?

Thanks


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

I think some sites like hulu don't allow large cache so the second time, every time around its a fresh stream, so it'll never work straight up on sites like that. You either have to completely hack the process with third party software (I don't know how since I don't stream but if I did, I would) or sometimes Real Media Player 11 can be used to save a copy in its own proprietary format on your system for playback later.


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

http://www.applian.com/download-videos/

Found this program on the interwebs, don't know if it can help but doesn't hurt to try. There was a program mentioned by Steve Gibson in passing on the Security Now podcast that he uses and which captures just about anything that streams. If you go to GRC and look up the podcasts, there may be a search feature to find that reference, or it may have been too obscure. It was within the last 10 episodes though, I think.


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