Live TV 'jamming'

[Rex A. Butcher]

What ho one and all,

I am using XP Pro, sufficient RAM, etc, etc, and Firefox 24 ESR. I do not often what live TV, but occasional do want to watch breaking news and recently, Wimbledon on the BBC.

What happens is that initially, all is well, then the picture 'sticks' and the circular timer appears and it never 'catches up.' So all I can watch is usually less than 5 mins. On the other hand, watching anything on the iPlayer is just fine, no delays whatsoever.

Any ideas on why this would be happening?

Toodle pip and thanks

Rex

[Welshjim]

Rex A. Butcher--
Is this connected in any way with your PC? or rather is it your TV? If the latter do you need to buy a subscription to that channel?
I have no idea what their support service is like, but ask BBC.

[fink]

It could be a buffering/bandwidth problem. The iPad app would likely need less bandwidth for a much smaller frame size so that would explain that.

Is there an option to watch the event with lower resolution? If so try that and see if it makes a difference.

[jdc2000]

You did not mention which software you are using for tis, or if it is always the same programming source or if it happens on different sources. Also, it is possible that your ISP may be to blame, either by throttling certain types of content or just not being fast enough. Another possible solution could be the number of people attempting to access the same live feed. If there are more than the feed is capable of supporting, then you can get this problem. You may want to check to see if anyone else is having the same issues with the same programming. Try checking with friends or neighbors, or a Google search for complaints of troubel receiving this content.

[Rex A. Butcher]

Thanks for the replies.

Personally, I think it is a bandwidth problem,(although I really don't know what that means!) because I have no problems watching 'catch-up' programs from the BBC or any other channel. I rarely watch 'live' tv, but is is nice to watch Wimbledon while working on the computer.

It is not a TV problem, and I really don't know. All the highlights, full screen, no problems, just live broadcast. Software, just on-line, using Firefox. I agree that there could be too many people on-line, but if that is the case, why would any of the 'highlights' play with no problem?

As for contacting the BBC, forget it. Have tried in the past and it is like finding a snow ball in the desert.

It ain't the end of the world as I know it, just very annoying.

[Train]

Band width.

In computer networks, bandwidth is used as a synonym for data transfer rate, the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). Network bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps); modern networks typically have speeds measured in the millions of bits per second (megabits per second, or Mbps) or billions of bits per second (gigabits per second, or Gbps).

Note that bandwidth is not the only factor that affects network performance: There is also packet loss, latency and jitter, all of which degrade network throughput and make a link perform like one with lower bandwidth. A network path usually consists of a succession of links, each with its own bandwidth, so the end-to-end bandwidth is limited to the bandwidth of the lowest speed link (the bottleneck).

Different applications require different bandwidths. An instant messaging conversation might take less than 1,000 bits per second (bps); a voice over IP (VoIP) conversation requires 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) to sound smooth and clear. Standard definition video (480p) works at 1 megabit per second (Mbps), but HD video (720p) wants around 4 Mbps, and HDX (1080p), more than 7 Mbps.

Effective bandwidth -- the highest reliable transmission rate a path can provide -- is measured with a bandwidth test. This rate can be determined by repeatedly measuring the time required for a specific file to leave its point of origin and successfully download at its destination.

[Rex A. Butcher]

Don't know what the specific issue is, but it is being caused by one of my Add-Ons. Running FF in safe mode and live Wimbledon is just fine. Back to the drawing board!