1. A reasonably good computer (Pentium 3 / AMD K6-II minimum).
2. A broadband internet connection of at least 0.5Mb/sec.
3. Up to date versions of Windows Media Player, Real player, and Winamp.
The streaming Technique - Buffering
The high load on servers as well as other internet related disturbances makes it hard to stream videos without any disruptions. To overcome these problems and offer a continuous broadcast, the different media players use a method called Buffering. The video streams are not shown live, and are delayed by a couple of minutes. This gives the players time to buffer the bits of video that are to be shown. This way when the broadcast is disrupted the player can go on playing for a few more seconds before it runs out of video segments to show. When streaming resumes the player will once again buffer the bits that are to come ahead.
The size of the buffer is important. If can't be too small, otherwise frequent interruptions will cause many delays. On the other hand the player has also got to show the stream and not to be solely occupied buffering it. It is recommended that the size of the buffer is set to 30 seconds.
Setting the buffer size in windows media player:
Choose Options from the Menu toolbar. Then click on the Properties tab, and set the number of seconds buffered to 30 (Figure1).
 |
| Figure 1: Setting the buffer size in WMP |
Setting the buffer size in Real player:
Choose Preferences from the Tools tab. Then go on the left to General -> Playback settings. On the bottom right side of the screen set the number of seconds to 30 (Figure2).
 |
| Figure 2: Setting the buffer size in Real Player |
Winamp does not require that any special settings be made.
