Tips to Improve Video Streaming at Home

Author: Rich Tull

In the digital era that we are living in, video streaming has become a popular source of in-house entertainment. With video entertainment platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBB, etc, gaining popularity, video streaming at home has grown rapidly in recent years. However, video streaming is no fun if you suffer the buffering. This buffering can easily drop the quality of your video streaming at home. This is where fiber optics solutions can make a difference. Fiber optics solutions are known for high quality, high-speed and high-resolution video signal transmission. Well, why do you exactly suffer the poor quality of video streaming? What are its causes and how can you overcome the problem? If these are the questions bothering you, then this post is for you. This post discusses the causes of poor quality video streaming followed by a few tips to potentially improve the quality of video streaming at home. You will also find a list of devices that can help you boost the quality of video streaming at home.

Why Do You Suffer Poor Quality of Video Streaming?

There can be multiple possible reasons for the poor quality video streaming, especially at home. Generally, one might only think of poor internet connection as the reason behind the buffering, however, poor quality of video streaming has different aspects. Let us discuss different factors that may cause poor quality of video streaming.

  • Slow Internet Speed: The slow speed of the internet results in delayed data packet delivery. This leads to buffering while video streaming.
  • Obsolete Devices: Using obsolete devices for streaming videos through modern streaming platforms may cause poor quality of videos. This may also include streaming errors like low resolution, frame skipping, etc.
  • Electromagnetic Frequencies/ Radio Frequencies: Since the internet access may be affected by electromagnetic frequencies, and radiofrequency, the data may also be affected due to the same.
  • Third-Party Intrusions: The third-party intrusions, data theft, etc is a constant issue in wireless signal transmission. Video streaming over Wi-Fi is a cloud-based application that can be exposed to problems like third-party intrusions.
  • Lack of Bandwidth: Video signals consist of bulky data packets with images (video frames) and audio. Being multimedia, the video signals require higher bandwidth to transmit. Therefore, if the transmission media such as LAN cables, Ethernet cables, etc are not capable to offer higher bandwidth, the video quality may suffer.
  • Too Many Devices: If too many devices are connected to one streaming channel, the quality of the signal eventually drops due to signal distribution.
  • Incompatibility of Router and Streaming Equipment: Often if the streaming equipment is not updated to the latest configurations, then buffering may occur due to device incompatibility.

    Now that all the causes of poor video streaming at home are discussed, fiber optic solutions for video signal transmission are proven to be an ultimate way of improving streaming quality. Let us discuss a few ways to achieve optimum streaming quality.

    How to Improve Quality of Video Streaming?

    The following are few ways of implementing fiber optic solutions to enhance streaming quality.

  • Adopt Fiber-based Internet: Fiber-based internet is faster than copper-based internet. Fiber optics internet can offer up to 10Gbps of data speed whereas the copper-based, or cellular internet offers comparatively slow data speed. Adopting fiber-based internet can automatically enhance the quality of streaming.
  • Fiber-Based Network Video Solutions: The fiber-based network video solutions are an integration of network video recorders (NVRs), multiplexers, fiber optic media converters, etc. These solutions are beneficial to use in tactical environments. If the radio frequencies or electromagnetic frequencies are intervening nearby your home, the NVR can be helpful. It offers low attenuation, buffer-free, and high-speed video signal transmission via fiber optics.
  • Use Fiber Optic Multiplexers for Streaming: If multiple streaming devices are linked to one video source, the fiber optics multiplexers can enhance your experience. The multiplexers are the devices that split the video signal into multiple streams without damaging the video quality. The multiplexer unit may include amplifiers to enhance the video frequency before distributing it to multiple devices so that the signal strength does not diminish.

    Opt for Fiber Optic Modems: The fiber optic modems or routers are also known as Serial data modems is one of the essential integration in fiber optic solutions for enhancing streaming quality. The fiber optic modems offer high-quality internet.

    Adopt Fiber-LAN: Adopting fiber-LAN between the source and streaming devices can reduce data losses in the video transmission.

    Implementation of all the above-mentioned tactics of fiber optic solutions may require a few intermediate devices. The intermediate devices required in fiber optic solutions for video transmission are listed below.

  • Media Converters
  • Video/Audio Amplifiers
  • HDMI Cables
  • Multiplexers/Fiber optics splitters/ Mux/Demux Units

    Adopting fiber optic solutions in the above-mentioned ways can easily enhance the quality of your video streaming experience at home. However, it is essential to choose high-quality components in order to high-quality streaming experience. That is why you must source all the fiber optics products from the MSA-compliant equipment providers.