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Buffering might be the most annoying part of streaming, but a new study suggests the fix could be surprisingly simple.
Rather than stopping your video to buffer, streaming platforms could slow it down slightly so it plays smoothly instead of getting stuck, and you may not even notice.
Researchers from Lancaster University have found that viewers prefer minor playback speed changes over interruptions. When your video pauses to load, it is because the player has run out of data. Slowing playback gives it more time to catch up, avoiding that abrupt pause altogether.
Can slowing down the video actually feel better than buffering?
The research found that slight drops in video quality are often less noticeable than buffering. Combining small quality and speed adjustments could reduce interruptions even further.
The study found a sweet spot, where dropping the playback speed to 90% speed is barely noticeable. In many cases, even 80% speed went unnoticed, depending on the content. However, dialing it down to 70% starts to feel distracting.
Viewers were also comfortable with playback speeds up to 30% faster. This helps live streams, like sports events, stay close to real-time by adjusting speed to manage latency.
This also prevents sudden jumps that can make you miss key moments like goals, especially in live matches.
How this could change your viewing experience on streaming platforms
The findings come from multiple studies involving over 200 participants and hundreds of test clips across genres like sports, drama, and gaming. The goal was to understand what actually bothers viewers the most.
The answer is clear. You would rather watch a slightly altered video than deal with constant pauses due to buffering.
This could change how streaming platforms are designed. Instead of freezing playback, future players could quietly adjust speed and quality in the background to keep things smooth.
Similarly, studies have also shown that when apps load too fast or too slow, it can feel like a longer wait, and a moderate pace can actually make the loading experience feel quicker.
If adopted widely, this approach could finally make buffering feel like a problem of the past, or at least something you barely notice anymore.
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