There’s nothing more disappointing than looking forward to watching a movie or your favorite TV show and then being greeted with constant buffering and low quality video. It’s a common problem we usually face, and there’s one culprit we often blame: our internet connection. Of course, when we experience lag or buffering, we assume our internet is too slow or unstable.
And while that’s often true, there are actually several other factors that can affect your TV streaming experience, many of which you can control or fix right away.
Common Causes of Poor TV Streaming Quality
As we’ve mentioned above, there are various potential reasons why you experience poor streaming quality. It can be due to one reason, but sometimes, there are several reasons that you must address to actually enjoy streaming movies and TV shows. Here are some of the most common causes of poor TV streaming quality:
- Slow internet connection
- Streaming service issues
- Network congestion
- Poor WiFi signal
- Internet service provider problems
- TV specs
Easy Ways to Improve TV Streaming Quality While Watching Streaming Services
A no-brainer solution would be to upgrade your internet connection — that’s for sure. And when you mostly use your mobile for streaming, then you’d also upgrade your mobile plan to something better for streaming, like Boost Infinite, for example. But beyond that, here are the other things you can do to improve your streaming experience:
- Give the video time to buffer.
The easiest way to improve your TV streaming quality is to just pause the video for a while and let it buffer. It’s what many people have been doing, including us, way before when we had to work with an extremely slow internet connection.
- Lower the video quality setting.
Compared to traditional TV streaming like the one you get from DISH TV packages, for example, video quality is as is. However, for most on-demand streaming services or platforms, the video quality is usually set to “Auto” so that the quality is automatically adjusted based on your current internet speed. While this works in many cases, it can also cause the video to switch between high and low quality during playback. To avoid this from happening, you can manually set the video quality to a lower resolution like 720p, to lessen the strain on your internet.
- Use a wired connection if possible.
Using a wired connection is the best option for streaming because it’s a bandwidth-intensive activity that needs a stable and consistent internet connection. It’s because WiFi signals can fluctuate or drop depending on your distance from the router or interference from other devices. These so-called small interruptions can cause lags or buffering that lower your streaming quality.
- Update your device.
Sometimes, if your device is outdated, streaming apps might become incompatible or may not work as smoothly as they should. That’s why it’s important to update your device as soon as possible. Also, it’s not just about compatibility but updating your device also has security benefits. It also improves the speed and efficiency of your device so your apps will open faster and operate smoothly.
The Bottom Line
We all share the same frustration whenever we experience poor streaming quality. However, as streamers, we can all do something to improve our experience, and it doesn’t always mean emptying your pocket. There are some steps you can take so that you don’t have to settle for pixelated videos and constant buffering. Sometimes, it’s just about being a little smarter with how you use your streaming services.
