bb_matt
Executive Member
For the longest time on both diginet (up until early last year I had access to 128k diginet) and now ADSL I couldn't watch any of the BBC streaming media, in real media format, any higher than "narrow band"
I could launch a broadband session and get audio, but the video would be like a slideshow, with every 10th to 20th frame being visible - in other words, completely impossible to view.
The narrowband option was pretty much a fuzzy blur - slow moving video was sort of watchable, anything fast was a fuzzy blur of a fuzzy blur (if you get my meaning)
Today I decided to view some BBC video stuff and started of with the generic news cast - I noticed immediately that the fuzzy blur was somewhat less fuzzy and that my stream rate was hovering on a nice steady 37k per second - that was for a 240x120 window.
Hmm, interesting.
I decided to give click online a try, as I know they have two definative options - narrowband (or as I term it, unwatchable) and broadband (slideshow)
Interestingly enough, it was watchable for the most part - I'd get 30 to 40 seconds of perfectly good streaming at 320x240 followed by 5 to 10 seconds of streamining and so on.
So, what's happened ?
Have BBC optimised thier media formats or added a truck load more bandwidth, or have Telkom optimised something there end ?
For the record, I'm running on an uber-squeaky-clean winXP with real alternative.
Those on ADSL or iBurst, check it out :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/default.stm
Try the broadband link and tell me how you fare.
If you don't have real media, get the alternative (do the dog, not the donkey) :-
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm
I could launch a broadband session and get audio, but the video would be like a slideshow, with every 10th to 20th frame being visible - in other words, completely impossible to view.
The narrowband option was pretty much a fuzzy blur - slow moving video was sort of watchable, anything fast was a fuzzy blur of a fuzzy blur (if you get my meaning)
Today I decided to view some BBC video stuff and started of with the generic news cast - I noticed immediately that the fuzzy blur was somewhat less fuzzy and that my stream rate was hovering on a nice steady 37k per second - that was for a 240x120 window.
Hmm, interesting.
I decided to give click online a try, as I know they have two definative options - narrowband (or as I term it, unwatchable) and broadband (slideshow)
Interestingly enough, it was watchable for the most part - I'd get 30 to 40 seconds of perfectly good streaming at 320x240 followed by 5 to 10 seconds of streamining and so on.
So, what's happened ?
Have BBC optimised thier media formats or added a truck load more bandwidth, or have Telkom optimised something there end ?
For the record, I'm running on an uber-squeaky-clean winXP with real alternative.
Those on ADSL or iBurst, check it out :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/default.stm
Try the broadband link and tell me how you fare.
If you don't have real media, get the alternative (do the dog, not the donkey) :-
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm
(I still haven't upgraded to V1.01-EN-GB), anyways I was too knackered to start messing & installing codecs & whatnot, so I aborted the mission & got some shuteye...