Port Townsend, today. Like me, I’m sure you may have experienced total frigging meltdown when playing a YouTube or other web based video clip.
Does this sound about right? You eagerly click on the link taking you to the video clip, and watch a little circular spinner whirl around indicating the clip is loading. This we know instinctively, because nobody ever explained this to us.
Finally the much anticipated video clip begins.
Yeah!
Get some popcorn!
Then, inexplicably, the video clip stops!
Some geeky message pops up with a vague clue something to do with “buffering,” and generally a “percentage counter” spins up to 100% whereupon the “action” continues – for another stretch of time.
And so the video playback goes – “herky-jerky” – until it mercifully comes to the end.
Normally we wouldn’t complain, after all, a TV program inexplicably stops every three minutes for a Gecko commercial. But this is a different venue, and we expect to watch a video clip from beginning to end without “herky-jerky.”
Initially I thought that by getting a new computer with a faster processor, the problem would be cured, and that premise became justification for purchasing a super wiz-bang multi-megahertz desktop, into which I installed a super-duper giddyup-go graphics card.
Eagerly I loaded up one of my favorite video clips, and “boom!” There it was again frigging “buffering!”
In an earlier post, I suggested a remedy that got me past the “buffering” pauses so that I could enjoy the clip non-stop the way it was intended to be viewed. I suggested pressing “play” and then go get a cup of coffee, wash the kitchen floor, feed the dog, whatever. By the time you come back, the “buffering” process is complete.
Selecting “replay” and voila! The clip plays nonstop.
Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I set out to find out more about this “buffering” problem, that I once only associated with aspirin. Since this IS a rail blog, ‘nuff said – not going down the technical road!
However, in a passing conversation, a friend of mine volunteered the following information about how HE cured his “buffering” problems.
Once the YouTube video screen comes up, and the video starts to play, he single clicks on the [II] icon (pause) on the playback progress bar at the bottom left of the screen. The [II] icon switches to [>]. After a second or so, a DIM red indicator bar progresses from left to right across the bottom of the screen to the end.
Momentarily the dim red bar reaches the far right. You have just witnessed the “buffering” phenomena taking place fairly rapidly!
Click on the [>] icon and right before your unbelieving eyes, the video clip plays NON STOP – just the way god intended.
In experimenting around with this today, I’ve discovered you do not need to wait for the dim red progress bar to completely travel to the right. After the bar has reached about half way, you can go ahead and click on the [>] arrow; a disk will proceed over the dim red bar, and as long as the disc doesn’t catch up with the end of the dim red bar, you will enjoy “herky-jerky” free TV!
Okay!
Ready to try out your newfound skill?
How about a little “wig-what?”
Does this sound about right? You eagerly click on the link taking you to the video clip, and watch a little circular spinner whirl around indicating the clip is loading. This we know instinctively, because nobody ever explained this to us.
Finally the much anticipated video clip begins.
Yeah!
Get some popcorn!
Then, inexplicably, the video clip stops!
Some geeky message pops up with a vague clue something to do with “buffering,” and generally a “percentage counter” spins up to 100% whereupon the “action” continues – for another stretch of time.
And so the video playback goes – “herky-jerky” – until it mercifully comes to the end.
Normally we wouldn’t complain, after all, a TV program inexplicably stops every three minutes for a Gecko commercial. But this is a different venue, and we expect to watch a video clip from beginning to end without “herky-jerky.”
Initially I thought that by getting a new computer with a faster processor, the problem would be cured, and that premise became justification for purchasing a super wiz-bang multi-megahertz desktop, into which I installed a super-duper giddyup-go graphics card.
Eagerly I loaded up one of my favorite video clips, and “boom!” There it was again frigging “buffering!”
In an earlier post, I suggested a remedy that got me past the “buffering” pauses so that I could enjoy the clip non-stop the way it was intended to be viewed. I suggested pressing “play” and then go get a cup of coffee, wash the kitchen floor, feed the dog, whatever. By the time you come back, the “buffering” process is complete.
Selecting “replay” and voila! The clip plays nonstop.
Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I set out to find out more about this “buffering” problem, that I once only associated with aspirin. Since this IS a rail blog, ‘nuff said – not going down the technical road!
However, in a passing conversation, a friend of mine volunteered the following information about how HE cured his “buffering” problems.
Once the YouTube video screen comes up, and the video starts to play, he single clicks on the [II] icon (pause) on the playback progress bar at the bottom left of the screen. The [II] icon switches to [>]. After a second or so, a DIM red indicator bar progresses from left to right across the bottom of the screen to the end.
Momentarily the dim red bar reaches the far right. You have just witnessed the “buffering” phenomena taking place fairly rapidly!
Click on the [>] icon and right before your unbelieving eyes, the video clip plays NON STOP – just the way god intended.
In experimenting around with this today, I’ve discovered you do not need to wait for the dim red progress bar to completely travel to the right. After the bar has reached about half way, you can go ahead and click on the [>] arrow; a disk will proceed over the dim red bar, and as long as the disc doesn’t catch up with the end of the dim red bar, you will enjoy “herky-jerky” free TV!
Okay!
Ready to try out your newfound skill?
How about a little “wig-what?”
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