Two of the biggest complaints about Webcasts are that they're choppy and the
quality of the images is poor. Some of this has to do with the video itself.
The video might be compressed to decrease the file size and, therefore,
decrease the time it takes to transfer. But there are a number of things you
can do to ensure you get the best quality possible from the Webcasts that you
view.
One aspect of Web video you may overlook is the size of what you’re seeing.
You view most video from the Web in an area only a few inches square. Most
content providers do this so that the video is clear and so it transfers to
your computer faster. If you try to increase the size of the viewing area, what
you see becomes distorted. Using your media player in full-screen mode can make
the video unwatchable. So, unless you have a good reason to do otherwise, you
should keep the video at its original size.
Net Troubles
Get the fastest connection to the Internet that you can afford. High speed
Internet, either through a cable modem or DSL, is your best bet. These
connections can transfer data up to 100 times faster than a phone line. The
only problem is that high-speed access can be expensive.
Another reason for poor reception is high amounts of Net traffic. A large
number of people could be using the Web, and connecting to the same site
hosting the Webcast you’re viewing. This can slow the server down tremendously.
You might find that trying to visit another site while watching a Webcast can
slow or stop the transmission. Real Player, for example, will display an error
message attributing the problem to "Net congestion." It will then try
to restart the video stream. More often than not, though, the video stream will
hang and to get it started again you must shut down the player.