Why does pausing a video cause it to become jerky when resumed?

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In summary: I've found that youtube lately can be very slow and the buffering poor.I believe youtube changed their streaming politics some time ago - they stream the data only as long as you are watching the video, so it is no longer possible to buffer it all and watch later.In summary, youtube can be slow and choppy when buffering, and waiting for the video to buffer can fix the issue.
  • #1
3.141592
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Hello all,

Often when I try to watch a video online it will stop every few seconds to buffer (whatever that means) the next few seconds of the video. This is annoying, so I tend to pause the video until the little time bar at the bottom shows it's all, or nearly all, buffered.

But often I find that, if I wait a long time, when I continue playing the video, the picture is all jerky and stilted whereas before, when I first played it, it was smooth.

Can anyone tell me why this is and if there is a way to avoid it please?

Sometimes it seems like, if I can pause it right after it starts, even before any image appears on screen, this jerking effect after waiting for it to buffer doesn't happen. But this might just be coincidence.

Thankyou.
 
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  • #2
What sites? I've found that youtube lately can be very slow and the buffering poor.
 
  • #3
I believe youtube changed their streaming politics some time ago - they stream the data only as long as you are watching the video, so it is no longer possible to buffer it all and watch later.
 
  • #4
Hi Borek, Greg,

Thanks for replying. Youtube has not given me much trouble of late. It's a variety of sites. I am thinking of when watching tv shows off of fastpasstv, which collects links. So mostly putlocker or nomamov or gorillavid.

I don't watch them as they are being shown on tv, if that's relevant.
 
  • #5
It could be due to the fact that with a long pause, you've run out of cache for the hard drive, and the reading and writing locations on the hard drive are far enough apart that it's causing a lot of random access overhead. There's also the issue of all the directory and the list of allocated clusters being updated during writes. However if you wait for the entire video to download, this shouldn't be a problem.

If indexing is enabled for your hard drive, you might want to turn that off (this can be done in Windows XP, not sure about later versions of Windows).
 
  • #6
Borek said:
I believe youtube changed their streaming politics some time ago - they stream the data only as long as you are watching the video, so it is no longer possible to buffer it all and watch later.

ahhhhhh very interesting. Thanks for that bit of info Borek!
 
  • #7
Greg Bernhardt said:
ahhhhhh very interesting. Thanks for that bit of info Borek!

That's just an observation I made some time ago, can be I am wrong.
 

1. Why does the video become jerky after pausing?

There are a few reasons why a video may appear jerky after pausing. One possible cause is a slow internet connection or a busy network, which can result in the video not being able to buffer enough data to play smoothly. Another reason could be an issue with the video player itself, such as outdated software or browser settings. Additionally, the video file itself may be corrupted or of low quality, causing it to appear jerky when paused.

2. How can I fix jerky video after pausing?

There are a few steps you can try to fix jerky video after pausing. First, try refreshing the page or restarting the video player. If that doesn't work, check your internet connection and make sure it is stable and fast enough to stream videos. You can also try clearing your browser's cache and cookies, or updating your video player software. If the issue persists, it may be due to a problem with the video file itself, in which case you may need to find a higher quality version of the video.

3. Is it normal for a video to be jerky after pausing?

In most cases, no, it is not normal for a video to be jerky after pausing. A properly functioning video should pause and resume smoothly without any lag or jerkiness. If you are experiencing this issue, it is likely due to a technical problem with the video or your device. However, if you are watching a live stream, a slight delay or jerkiness may occur due to the nature of live video streaming.

4. Can my device affect the playback of a video?

Yes, your device can have an impact on the playback of a video. Older devices or devices with lower processing power may struggle to play high-quality videos smoothly, resulting in jerky playback. It is also important to have a strong and stable internet connection for smooth video playback. Additionally, outdated software or settings on your device can also affect video playback.

5. Are there any preventative measures to avoid jerky video after pausing?

To prevent jerky video after pausing, make sure you have a strong and stable internet connection, and that your device and video player software are up to date. It is also helpful to clear your browser's cache and cookies regularly to avoid any potential issues. If you frequently experience jerky video playback, try using a different video player or adjusting your video quality settings. Additionally, choosing higher quality video files can also help prevent jerky playback.

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