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IPTV buffering fix: 7 causes and what to do

Does the picture keep freezing, or do you see the loading circle a lot? It’s usually your connection, your device or your service. Here’s how to find out which, and what you can do in Lounjy.

Lounjy doesn’t provide any content.

You watch with your own IPTV service. Only use a service that holds the rights to what it broadcasts. Lounjy plays whatever that service delivers, so buffering can also come from the service itself.

1. Your internet is too slow (how to test it)

Start by measuring. That tells you whether the problem is your own internet or your service. Lounjy has a built-in test for this.

  1. Open Settings and go to the About section.
  2. Choose Status and diagnostics.
  3. Under Speed, choose Measure. It takes about 15 seconds.

Lounjy measures two things: the speed of your own internet, and the speed at which your service delivers. You then get a conclusion in plain language. For example, that your own internet is slow, or that your internet is fast enough but the service delivers too little.

Note: the test briefly uses one connection of your subscription. If you’re watching on another device at the same time, the measurement may fail (see Too many connections).

2. Wi-Fi or cable

Wi-Fi is often the cause of a stuttering picture. A wall, a microwave or a busy network next door can make the speed dip for a moment. A stream notices that straight away.

  • Use a network cable on your TV if you can. It’s the best fix.
  • If you can’t, move the router or a Wi-Fi extender closer to the TV or TV box.
  • Pick your router’s 5 GHz network if it has one. It’s usually faster, but has a shorter range.
  • Using a VPN? It can slow your connection down. Measure once with and once without it.

Measure again with Status and diagnostics after each change, so you can see straight away whether it helped.

3. Increase the buffer

The buffer is a small stock of video that Lounjy fetches ahead of time. If your connection drops for a moment, Lounjy keeps playing from that stock. For films and series, a larger buffer helps when your connection is unstable, because Lounjy can then load further ahead. For live TV, Lounjy can’t load more than the service is broadcasting at that moment. There, a larger buffer mainly lets you rewind further.

  1. Open Settings and, in the Advanced section, set Advanced settings to Show.
  2. Under Buffer, choose Large. The default is Normal.
  3. Close the player and open the channel again for the new buffer to apply.

A larger buffer uses more memory. On a simple TV box with little memory, Large can actually make things worse. If you notice no difference, set it back to Normal.

4. Keep hardware decoding on

Video has to be unpacked before you can see it. With Hardware decoding, your device’s video chip does that job, which is fast and efficient. It’s on by default, and that usually works best.

  • Only turn Hardware decoding off if you get picture glitches or a black screen. You’ll find it under Advanced, just below Buffer.
  • With it off, your device has to work harder. On a TV box, that can actually cause stuttering. If so, turn it back on.
  • A new choice only applies after you close the player and open the channel again.
  • Do the menus or controls feel sluggish on a simple TV box? Under Panels over the picture, choose Solid. It’s lighter than glass. On Android TV, Lounjy picks it for you if you leave the default, Automatic.

5. Enter your service’s user agent

The user agent is the name Lounjy uses to identify itself to your service’s server. Some services only allow certain names, or treat unknown apps differently. A stream may then start badly or keep dropping.

Usually you don’t need to change anything. If your service gave you a user agent, enter it under Advanced, in User agent, and confirm with Enter (or OK on the remote). The button inside the field restores the default. Read more in What is a user agent, and when do you need one?

6. Too many connections

Many subscriptions only allow one or two connections at the same time. If you watch on two devices at once, the service refuses the extra stream, or cuts it off.

  • With Xtream Codes, Settings shows under your playlist how many connections are in use, for example ‘2 of 2 connections’. Status and diagnostics shows it too. The number is from the last time Lounjy refreshed your playlist.
  • If the service refuses a channel, Lounjy tells you that all your connections may be in use.
  • Stop watching on your other devices and try again. Your service decides how many devices can watch at the same time.

7. Service overloaded

Does the speed test say your internet is fast enough, but the service delivers too little? Then the buffering is probably on the service’s side. That often happens at busy times, such as in the evening.

  • If a stream drops, Lounjy automatically tries again up to three times. You’ll see ‘Reconnecting…’.
  • If Merge duplicate channels is on (under Channels), Lounjy switches to another version of the channel when reconnecting doesn’t work.
  • If the stream offers more than one quality, choose Picture and sound and then Quality while watching. A lower resolution asks less of the service.
  • Using Xtream Codes? Check in Status and diagnostics that your subscription is still active (as of the last update).
  • If it keeps buffering, contact your service. Lounjy can’t make a slow server faster.

Read more

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