Cant watch video clips on pc

[samuelcat]

Hi. I am having problems watching video clips on my desktop pc. Music vids, news reports, youtube etc. The clips keep stopping and starting. Any help will be gratefully received. I'm not very technical so easy answers please. Thanks

[VHG]

When you watch something that is on the interent (YouTube, iPlayer etc) it has to be downloaded to your PC FIRST, before you can watch it.

Normally once a few seconds has been downloaded then the video will start.

If you have watched those first few seconds and the next "section" has not downloaded then the video will stop, waiting for the next bit to download.

So basically you are watching it quicker than it can download, so it has to keep waiting.

Normally the only way round this is to get a faster broadband connection.

Other options are:

Let more of it (or all of it) download before you start watching it (you can see the "bar" move across the screen as it downloads)

Watch it when the internet is quieter (in the middle of the night or middle of a weekday for example).

If other people in your house are also using your broadband, watch it when nobody else is using your broadband connection.

Watch in lower quality (if there is that option).

Compared to simple text (which downloads quickly) video is huge and takes much longer to download than text and pictures.

[samuelcat]

ok.
i have the fastest broadband that sky offers.
youtube vids start on thier own so cant wait for download.
dont really want to watch vids at midnight (sleeping) and midday (the boss might moan.)
no one else in house
but thankyou for your reply anyway

[rojash]

"youtube vids start on thier own so cant wait for download."
Yes, you can - just click the pause button, then click play when the video is completely downloaded, as indicated by the progress bar

[VHG]

What is the speed of your Broadband from Sky?

Have you checked you are getting this speed?

How old is your PC. If you have a very old PC, or are short of memory, that MAY be causing the problem.