When you consider that over six billion hours of video content are viewed every month on YouTube, it is hardly surprising to learn that some of us don’t get exactly the viewing experience we want out of our time online when we visit the site.
Video congestion and slow loading speeds with that irritating buffering icon swirling around in front of us are issues that a number of has to contend with and one of the reasons why Google launched the Video Quality Report Tool.
The tool does what it says on the tin, aiming to pinpoint why you are having a problem and providing some useful data and tips to help you resolve the issues.
There are many reasons why a video ends up streaming at a lower quality than it should or you want it to, and it could be simply down to your bandwidth plan, the quality of your Wi-Fi connection or even the number of browser windows you have open at the same time.
It could also be that your Internet Service Provider falls into the lowest ranking for video quality performance. If your ISP is ranked as Lower Definition, this will mean you can regularly expect your videos to load slowly and you will frequently be viewing that buffering icon.
If your ISP is HD Verified, your viewing pleasure should not be interrupted by buffering about 90% of the time and you can expect the YouTube video to load at a speed of 2.5 megabits per second.
This guide highlights the useful aspects of the Google Video Quality Report Tool such as being able to view a volume chart of video consumption in your area and being to compare the video quality of your ISP compared to others in your local area.
YouTube is enjoyed by billions of viewers around the globe and it is even more enjoyable if you don’t experience any problems downloading or viewing the video you have chosen to watch.
