Ustream website

[3andstop]

Now before anyone goes off on me saying things like it's free stop complaining, I would like to ask a question.

Being in the class of old timer, I'm not up on all these computer web sites or how or who they are run by.

I wouldn't know who runs a Ustream website from a Youtube website.

However, my observations have consistently been that any streaming video coming from or through ( or however they do it) the Ustream website is ALWAYS choppy. There will be those rare times when it flows for a while only to freeze dead while it re buffers and then starts going.

Conversely, for example, when I watched the World Straight pool stream it was OUTSTANDING. Now, I can only assume that similar capabilities exist for both locations.

Is it only me that notices this or is this common?

It is a shame, because it seems that if one location can produce a quality that rivals a TV broadcast the other should be able to also.

 

[JAM]

I am not an expert, and, in fact, I may be a wee bit technologically handicapped, but I have extensive experience working from audio and video. :wink:

I deal with quality issues in my job all the time as it pertains to technology.

For example, sometimes I get a link to an Internet webinar, and the speakers sound as if they're on the Space Shuttle in outer space. Then another company will send me a link, and the audio is crisp and clear.

I think that two issues come into play when it comes to the quality for Ustream. One is the equipment used to record the proceedings, and the other is the Internet connection. The Internet connection for the users is another possible factor, whether they are on dial-up, DSL, high-speed cable, and T3.

If you ever go to the U.S. Open and see the equipment Pat Fleming and Accu-Stats uses to produce their high-quality DVDs, you can gain an understanding for what's involved in producing one of those. WOW!

Still using the U.S. Open as an example, BCN experienced problems livestreaming the U.S. Open TV table matches a few times because the Internet connection at the Chesapeake Conference Center, the venue for the U.S. Open, was not quite as good as elsewhere. So, if you have a crappy Internet connection, the feed is going to suffer.

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will chime in with a better explanation, with more specifics, but these are my initial thoughts! :smile:

 

[Jerry Forsyth]

Choppiness in a stream has a lot of causes. Usually it is slow upload feeds from the venue where the event is held. But it can also be caused on the viewers end if other programs or windows are left open, if other browsers are open or if your internet is on a slow connection itself. Check your speed at www.speedtest.net.

Also, if your computer has a slow graphics card, or a very slow processor, chop results. I am sure other streamers like Fast Lenny and Justin and Matt can chime in here with other stuff. But the deal is that we are in the Model T days of streaming. It will get better, and very fast, soon. Within three years it should be as smooth as TV as long as the upload and download pipes are big enough to hold the traffic or if the codecs can compress for small pipes.

 

[3andstop]

Thanks for the replies. Based on what you have told me, what I assumed must be true. Since other websites stream just fine and my problems always seem to be just when using Ustream, it must be on that end.

I am a stickler for not keeping programs or processes running in the background on my pc, but, be that as it may, the issues are still pretty much only from that site and not all.

I right click on the stream and I have an option on how much to save on my PC, but nothing seems to make a difference, so it would further seem that if a choppy feed is coming in to me, saving more of it in a buffer, would only result in more saved chops.

The bittersweet news is, I suppose, the one pocket is ending and the ten ball is starting, so I won't have to be torturing myself to watch that part.
thanks again.