Buffering problems can be diagnosed fairly easily, however fixing them can be more involved.  Typically, they are unrelated to PRONETLicensing because the stream doesn’t actually run through us we simply monitor the server data to pull the info needed. We also provide a player page, but again that simply tunes into your server. If you are connected with a good stream host provider who doesn’t “overbook” their bandwidth the problem is rarely with the server either. This is a key point. Sometimes budget stream hosts don’t have their act together, but again, if you are using a solid provider, your stream host is going to be the last place I will suspect. Usually the problem is going to be somewhere between your computer and the streaming host. It could a congested Internet provider. It could be a bad Internet modem, firewall, or not enough memory in your computer, or not enough bandwidth in your Internet Provider Plan.

To quickly eliminate troubleshoot here is what I recommend:

1)Tune in using Winamp. If the problem remains, you know you don’t have flash player problem (which is what we use on our Quick Launch Page.) Flash players use a lot of processing power and if the listener's computer has limited operating margin you will hear stuttering when doing anything else on the computer (like switching windows or checking mail). The value of flash is it works on most all computer operating systems. Sometimes a flash player will stutter on a marginal stream when Winamp will hold the stream. This is not the norm but I've seen it happen.

2)If the problem remains you need to probe deeper.

3)If you have autodj as part of your Stream Hosting Package, stop broadcasting live and turn on the autodj.  That takes everything out of the circuit between you and your stream server.

a.Now listen and see if the buffering is gone. If the stream is now solid with no buffering you know the problem is not with the server or the stream coming back this way.

b.If your station works well with the autodj on, you need to determine is the problem your computer? Your Internet provider? Too narrow bandwidth between you and your stream server? Your modem? Your firewall? Are you multitasking on your on-air computer?

c.    See Number 8 below for a good solution if you determine the problem is your system or between you and your Stream Host.

4)Here are some general facts that may help:

a.Buffering can also be caused by a station trying to broadcast at a bitrate that's higher than the dj's or station's base computer can handle.  Try reducing your stream bandwidth temporarily and see what happens. If you have several streams kill all but one and see what happens.

b.If reducing the bandwidth helps you have discovered the problem is somewhere between your computer and your stream server.

c.Other factors can also affect stream quality. If you or one of your dj's does not have a powerful enough CPU on their computer and try to perform other tasks while broadcasting, you will have skips and buffers.

d.If your or your dj’s internet upstream speed (download speeds are irrelevant for broadcasting) isn't large enough to handle the broadcast's bitrate, you  will have the same problem if you or your dj trys to surf the web while broadcasting.  Many station's try to broadcast at 128k stereo and the average ISP upstream bandwidth is still only 256k.  This means half of the bandwidth on their own connection is sucked up by the broadcast itself. Anyone trying to run a station or dj on one shouldn't be doing anything except broadcasting when connected live to your stream server, unless your have large Internet bandwidth.

5)On the listener end, buffering can mean that the listener's computer can't handle the bitrate the station is using (or the listener is multitasking, etc.) Switching to a lower bitrate will help alleviate this problem.

6)As you see we’ve touched on quite a few possibilities for a buffering problem to take into consideration before blaming the server. You need to eliminate each problem before blaming your server (or PRONETLicensing for that matter!)

7)At any rate once you do as much troubleshooting as you can so you have a good handle on what may be happening now is the time to get your Stream Host involved to help you determine where is the bottle neck causing your buffering. A good Stream Host can help you troubleshoot the problem.  Typically you will find them more helpful if you have some idea of these concepts before you contact them and if you come asking for help rather than blaming them for the problem.

8)Finally, one good solution for those with iffy Internet connections is to use LiveWebDJ (available from www.livewebdj.com). This automation system is based at a datacenter. This takes out all the problems between you and your stream host. Using livewebdj gives you 100% big pipeline between you and your stream host. It gives you 24/7 reliability because datacenters have backup power and generators. And it has easy hookups for when you or your dj’s want to take over and broadcast live.

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