Perform an Internet Connection Speed Test
For this, you can use a free service such as SpeedTest.net to test just how fast your internet connection really is. Ideally, you’ll want your broadband/cable speed to be:
3 Mbps or higher for standard definition (SD) video streaming. 5 Mbps or higher to stream high-definition (HD) video (720p+).
Once you’ve done this test, look at the download speed result to see if your connection is fast enough to stream video. If you are getting at least 3 Mbps, hen tweaking Windows Media Player is the next step.
Tweaking Windows Media Player to Optimize Video Streaming Performance
In the following steps, we’ll show you which settings in WMP to adjust to improve playback when watching video streams from websites.
Switch to library view mode if not already displayed. You can hold down the CTRL key and press 1 to access Library view. Select Tools and choose Options. If you don’t see the main menu bar at the top of WMP’s screen, it has probably been disabled. To toggle the menu display, hold down the CTRL key and press M. Alternatively, hold down the ALT key and press T to display the tools menu. You can then press the letter ‘O’ key to get to the settings menu. On the options screen, select the Performance tab. Select the radio button next to Buffer in the Network Buffering section. The default setting is 5 seconds. Type “10” in the box to increase it. Using too much buffer time (step 4) can impact WMP and overall system performance, so it’s wise to change the buffer value in small increments until you’ve got satisfactory video streaming. Select the Apply button and then OK to finish.
Other Ways to Improve Video Streaming Playback
If you find that video playback still isn’t ideal, then there are further tweaks you can do to try and improve this. These are:
Disable UDP Protocol
Some home routers that use NAT don’t forward UDP packets correctly. This can result in buffer looping, freezing, etc. To combat this, you can disable UDP in Windows Media Player. To do this:
Go to WMP’s Options menu and click the Network tab. In the protocols section, clear the RTSP/UDP setting. Select Apply and then OK to save.
Tweak WMP’s Connection to The Internet
If you are having streaming problems that seem to be related to your Internet connection, then try the following:
Go to WMP’s options menu and select the Player tab. In the Player Settings section, make sure that the Connect to the Internet (Overrides Other Commands) option is enabled. Select Apply and then OK to finish.
