Of considerable competitiveness to any television based business is IPTV, however the service comes with some issues such as IPTV buffering which is very annoying as it obstructs one’s access to certain programs. It is irritating, be it while watching a live event or any sort of epg. For those in search of smooth streaming experiences and wondering why their IPTV shuddered repeatedly, this article is just for you as it covers all the key aspects of IPTV buffering, its common causes and a few solutions too.
What is IPTV Buffering?
This phenomenon is known as IPTV buffering, and it occurs when a video stream is stalled for a period of time, preventing the pace of data transfer from the server to the customer equipment from exceeding acceptable levels. Connect a number of devices and various IPTV subscriptions to the same device at the same time, sometimes overloading the current network, and playback will stutter as the data is being buffered.
Why Does IPTV Buffer?
So, what causes a frozen screen with constant loading time, or lagging in general? There are quite a few factors that are responsible for latency, obstructions or lag. We will highlight the most basic elements and what they have to do with buffering of an IPTV system within the section below:
Common Causes of IPTV Buffering
Slow Internet Connection
Inadequate or low speed internet connections are the key culprits for unending buffering around the world in the first place. Seeing that HD or 4K type of content requires relatively large amounts of bandwidth, IPTV services require at the very least a standard bandwidth in order to function properly, which is often difficult for constant viewers.
HD Streaming: Minimum speed required is around 5-10 Mbps.
4K Streaming: Minimum 25 Mbps of bandwidth is essential for smooth streaming.
Solution: To check your internet speed, visit websites like speedtest.net. If too slow, it may be worth upgrading your plan or switching to using a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi.
Network Congestion.
If your phone, computer, game consoles, and other devices are connected to a network, they will compete for the available bandwidth and this can lead to slowdowns. There are peak times, primarily when most people are online, be it streaming or gaming, where saturation means user stream is prone to a lot of buffering.
Solution: Unplug connectors and devices that are not being used or switch to a higher speed plan. Yet, you are able to take either of these routes, in addition, you can go a step further and use Quality of Service QoS settings on your router to rank your IPTV device in the priority list.
ISP Throttling.
This is a rather unfortunate occurrence where some Internet Service Providers ISPs will purposefully throttle your bandwidth whenever you are streaming or downloading heavy files. Which results in Intel P TV that is constantly buffering a lot of times or for long.
Solution: A VPN can hide your activity related to the streaming content. This is able to avoid ISP throttling along with enhancing IP TV streaming performance.
IPTV Servers that are Overworked
The IPTV server may become overloaded, causing it to buffer and lag as this happens when many people are online. This cannot be avoided as it tends to happen during peak hours, for example, when many viewers are watching a popular show or streaming a live sporting event.
Solution: In spite of the fact that an IPTV provider may not have the best server infrastructure, it is worth choosing one for reliability. If there are additional server locations that are closer to your region, use them in order to decrease latency and improve streaming quality.
Constraints of the Device
The IPTV device that you are using such as smart TV, set-top box, matrix tablet sash or any other device might not run any HD content for lack of performance especially if the device is old or running a lot of applications in the background.
Solution: Verify that the television you are using supports high-definition content, or else upgrading your device may be necessary. When using a set-top box, always look for software or firmware updates that may improve your current performance. Otherwise, any issues can also be resolved by switching to a more potent device.
How to Resolve IPTV Buffering: Tested and Trusted Methods
Consider Increasing Your Internet Speed
When using IPTV, the internet is critical for smooth streaming. High-definition content requires a minimum bandwidth of 5-10 Mbps, while 4k video requires 25 Mbps or more. If the horizon is lower than this, one should upgrade to a higher plan with their ISP.
Switch to a Wired Connection
Wi-Fi has its disadvantages as it can be unstable often due to interferences. Therefore, one’s IPTV device may benefit more from a wired Ethernet connection because it will provide a faster and more reliable connection that is less prone to buffering.
Change the Buffer Size in MPEG Settings
This is a common question with many IPTV apps such as TiviMate allowing users to change certain settings and in particular, the buffer size. Sometimes increasing the buffer size can help pre-fetch data which improves load speeds.
How to change bandwidth usage in TiviMate:
Open the Settings in the TiviMate app.
In the preference section, look for Playback or Buffer Settings.
Change the buffer size to a higher value and hit save.
Lower Video Quality
In cases where your device or connection becomes a bottleneck, video quality is one threshold that can be reduced. Several internet protocol television apps allow LD or SD video streams to help alleviate the load on your network.
Change the IPTV Provider
All Internet Protocol Television providers are not alike. Some have more reliability, server performance, and customer care than others. One should always read reviews or do some research before signing a contract with an IPTV provider to reduce stream buffering problems.
Use a VPN to Avoid Throttling.
In the event that you suspect that your IPTV stream is being limited in some way by your ISP, connecting to a VPN may be able to help you resolve the issue. Also, A VPN encrypts your internet traffic so that your ISP is unable to recognize your streaming activities and intentionally lessen your bandwidth usage.
Conclusion.
IPTV buffering can be quite the pain in the neck, however, if you take the correct actions, it can be reduced or resolved altogether. It is all about getting a fast enough internet connection, changing the settings on the device/app, and using a trustworthy IPTV service so that you can watch whatever you want without any interruptions.
Do not give up even if you are still having some problems because it is advisable that you contact your IPTV provider or you can find other services that can work for you.
