There can be several reasons why you may have buffering problems when watching videos online.听Even the best broadband speed can vary dramatically over time due to:

  • other people in your household overloading your router by streaming, downloading or simply browsing the web
  • neighbours with the same internet provider using the听internet heavily - this can be particularly noticeable at peak times
  • the current status of your service provider
  • the current status of your computer or device.

As buffering issues are caused by your local broadband connection, or the device you are using to access the content, they are outside of our control. We can only offer tips and advice on how to combat the problems. We hope these tips will be helpful.

How to improve your viewing experience

Change to a different stream quality听

During live webcasts:

Use the buttons听underneath the video player to switch between video qualities:

  • Standard Definition (SD) quality or High Definition (HD) quality
  • Automatic quality (automatically adjusts the quality of the video stream based on the detected internet speed)

If you're currently viewing in HD or Automatic quality,听switch to SD quality.听

Watching videos within our CPD hub or webcast on-demand catch up:

Hover over the video until you can see the progress bar at the bottom. You鈥檒l see the letters HD on the right hand side at the bottom. Click on these letters and the video quality will adjust to SD.

Make sure that no-one else in your household is heavily using the internet

Watching Netflix or a similar streaming service, downloading software or apps, online gaming or even just browsing the web could affect the stream.

Check to see if other devices in your household are using your internet connection at the same time. More devices will consume the bandwidth听of the connection. (Bandwidth is the听maximum amount of usage that your internet connection can handle at any one time.)

Many home internet routers cannot handle more than a couple of devices at a time and can quickly become overloaded if a household is using many devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, smart TVs or similar).

Check that your router can cope with multiple device usage, or disconnect any devices that are not required during the stream.听

Check your internet speed

Low internet speed can cause buffering.

We recommend a minimum internet speed of at least 5 Megabits per second - you can听听(you need to check the 'download speed').

Contact your internet service provider if you're unsure about your internet speed, if you think your connection is slower than expected, or if you experience any other issues with your internet connection.

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Make sure听you are using the most up to date version of your internet browser and any web plugins

It's important to update your internet browser and web plugins (JavaScript and Adobe Flash player) regularly to ensure the best performance of your browser.

听If you're unsure how to update your browser, you can find tutorials online via a Google search.

Make sure听your anti-virus protection is up to date

Out of date anti-virus software can interfere with the performance of your device.

听Make sure that you regularly update your software to ensure your computer or device is properly protected.听

Check what else is happening on your device

Make sure that the device you're using to access the video content isn't running any updates, and close any non-essential programmes while watching the stream.

Watching videos using the internet will use your device's resources. If it's running a lot of programmes or systems in the background, this could cause buffering issues.听

听

If I'm having trouble during a live webcast, will the on-demand service or CPD hub be better?

If you've experienced buffering problems during the live stream, you should find that viewing the on-demand catch up service is better.听

During the live stream, your computer or device will download the video being sent out from our webcast in real time. Due to the nature of a live stream, your device has a limited amount of time to keep up with the supply before it will buffer (stop and start). This is typically 20 鈥� 40 seconds. If the internet speed isn't high enough to maintain this, or if the factors above are affecting your device, you may have difficulties.

When viewing the on-demand catch up service, your device will only begin to play the video once it has downloaded a sufficient amount to begin playback. Provided the file can download faster than the video is playing, you shouldn't get any buffering with the video. If any of the factors above cause buffering, the video will simply pause until the device has caught up. You can improve your chances of avoiding buffering by following the steps above.