Why Doesn't Cable TV Buffer?

[@jeremymeadows372]

My video started buffering and I had to rewind to make sure it wasn't a joke -_- Can't trust Linus's editors

[@ZecVal]

Jeremy Meadows hehe they would do that 😄

[@aherprasad]

They're Brad#2

[@li_tsz_fung]

So disappointed by that red buffering bar

[@jjt171]

my video started buffering as soon as he said buffering and thought it was a joke and sat there for half a minute before realizing my video is actually buffering

[@ENDRMiK]

Same

[@TachyKusanagi]

I worked for a German cable company (using the EuroDOCSIS standard) and recall that multiple channels were able to use the same frequency. Based on modulation they would seperate the TV-signals from one another. Even multiple HD-signals were able to sit on one frequency (usually 4) without much problem.

[@FD404OG]

Pfp source?

[@osurgac]

Actually mine does when there is wind and rain

[@dakshmalhotra2223]

Do you have a dish installed in your backyard or on your roof? Cuz i have one and it does the same when its rainy.

[@Zodiac.]

@@dakshmalhotra2223 That isnt cable. Thats satellite

[@8-bitarcadebrawlergaming176]

Well i do have Cable internet & TV And when it's raining and wind Cable Never buffering either the Cable in Belgium it's more Powerful and installed on a Power line from the outside and wind powerful and rain Cable in Belgium Doesn't buffer either LOL

[@Ok-ls7ri]

Maybe you have satellite

[@chrisfamos]

Satellite is dying fast. 5G will takeover.

[@bibasik7]

For the same reason that your electricity doesn't buffer.

[@saltysoysauce954]

Except capacitors! :p

[@wonshitong6285]

What about blackouts? Aren't they considered as electricity buffers?

[@mwbgaming28]

It does when some dumbass crashes his car into a power pole

[@earumamaadu]

Actually electricity does buffer during peak hours.

[@gynaecide4382]

And why doesn't electricity buffer?

[@M4ZyM0Ny]

Cable TV... Shows a picture of Sky TV.

[@star9ine276]

i dont get it

[@sudarshan3965]

🤣

[@dangreenberg4752]

All us Brits know that sky is hosted

[@dangreenberg4752]

Goated*

[@writer_novice.]

@@dangreenberg4752 I'm a Brit.

[@KylesDigitalLab]

Better Question: Why Doesn't Satellite TV Buffer?

[@brandenlucero]

it does at times, especially during a power outage.

[@thecarterkent6571]

According to my friend his satellite buffers everytime a cloud is above his house

[@KylesDigitalLab]

Satellite TV only buffers for me when there's a fucking monster storm outside. I don't even watch Satellite alot anymore, KZbin + Netflix + Plex + DVD/Blu-ray discs is all I need for entertainment.

[@brandenlucero]

i gave up on TV in general as well. KZbin as basically became my primary source of entertainment for now, regardless of the stupid hoops i have to go through to watch something that isn't repeated. Netflix once in a while, VUDU occasionally because i loaded dozens of digital copies from Blu-rays/DVDs to there.

[@KylesDigitalLab]

I agree, cable/satellite is overpriced. Netflix is only like $12 a month, I have my own media server (Plex), and DVDs/Blu-rays.

[@VincentMartens93]

Digital TV channels on coax does not have one frequency per channel, they are divided in transport streams of 8MHz wide with usually QAM256modulation wich is about 50Mbit wich supports about ~5 digital channels. The reason analog dissapeared is mainly because it uses up too much room on the cable and nobody ever uses it. (This is purely based on my experience as field tech. Netherlands) Also, we have 500mbit on coax wich uses 20 channels, and next year DOCSIS 3.1 is enabled wich uses frequencies of up to 1200Mhz.

[@johnlow3894]

we've got 3.1 here already and it's modulated at 1024QAM. oh fuck yeah! 10Gb here we come baby!

[@Thomas_Valentino]

I am a tech as well and I'm running 3.1 at gig speeds it's amazing but will get better when we accomplish node to 0 configuration

[@jamess1787]

John Low Qam4096 with 5 ofdma downstream is 9Gbps... Not Qam1024. Consumer hardware only supports a maximum of 2 ofdma downstream channels.

[@jamess1787]

If you're in Europe, yes. North America is 6Mhz.

[@RaymondHng]

I'm aware of the limitations with Cat5, Cat6, and RS-232 cabling. How many frequencies or transport streams or channels or bits or whatever-you-call-them can you push through a coaxial cable?

[@quinton1661]

Correction: digital channels typically have between 2 and 20 channels, depending on SD or HD. Each channel can support approximately 38 Mbps, divided up among all stations.

[@dtvfan24]

quick note that 1:05 the UK Sky Satellite guide is shown behind Linus. its NOT cable

[@mscheese000]

I was just excited that it had Babylon 5 in the programming.

[@MaxFPSGamer]

Yeah I just commented that. Maybe though it’s because they’re unfamiliar with Sky as it’s not a thing in Canada.

[@manw3bttcks]

I've noticed that amazon tv has this initial low res when you start a new stream, then it gets better in about 15 seconds. I suspect they hide buffering by running at low res for awhile

[@TurpInTexas]

True, both signals are digital, but one is packed switched (IP as in Internet Protocol) whereas all the little packets of data are broken up and reassembled at the destination, and the other is circuit switched, meaning it is essentially a continuous stream of data on its own dedicated circuit. Also, packet switched is susceptible to net-splits, so even if the end user has piles of bandwidth, the re-syncing that has to happen once the network path is switched from one major path to another, can also result in momentary disruption. Dedicated circuit switched streams are just that, a circuit dedicated to that stream, so users don't have net-split issues. I know some of my terminology is somewhat confusing, packet switched, and circuit switched come from the old days of telephone.

[@sleepysteev2735]

Some actual pro-cable arguments: -dedicated channels for specific genres and topics -all programming is synchronized across time zones (great for live events) -no risk of signal interference -high speed internet is not required -no depletion of bandwidth -live events can be broadcast in HD at 60fps without any buffering -most subscriptions include DVR service and on-demand/streaming access through the cable box And for for premium channels: -ad-free -uncensored -price model is based on individual channels instead of packages which can lead to lower subscription fees in some cases -allows for pay-per-view access And now some anti-streaming arguments: -most high-quality content is fragmented across different platforms which all require different payment plans, even if the content itself is from the same studio, creator, or TV series -available content is often inconsistent due to changes in licensing rights -there is virtually no quality control -any free services have ads (which are often very haphazardly placed throughout the show or movie) -high speed internet is required -buffering can be a problem -signal interference can be a problem -access to live events costs extra -higher quality picture and faster frame rates eat up TONS of bandwidth and may not even be possible depending on where you live

[@JamieVegas]

-no risk of signal interference [same as Internet, which might arrive via cable connection] .. -live events can be broadcast in HD at 60fps without any buffering [buffering isn't actually needed for Internet video either] -high speed internet is not required [cable is just a high speed packetized digital data connection... nothing different] -no depletion of bandwidth [ehhh... well... your cable connection is literally nothing more than a 3.1 Gbps data connection, with a nice 90% bandwidth chunk being missing and dedicated to 250+ video streams that you aren't watching at any given moment]

[@chrisklugh]

HAHAHA! At 21 seconds in, my video stopped, and started to buffer. I though it was your video/editing... As rare as it is to be buffering these days (for me), the timing was impeccable! :)

[@shinevisionsv]

3:55 thats a soyuz, not a satellite..... right?

[@2406ab]

technically a soyuz is a satellite when its in orbit

[@shinevisionsv]

what i mean with "Satellite" is a thing that relays and or transmits TV data to customers.

[@polyjohn3425]

You're right that it's not a telecom satellite, but I'm pretty sure that's a render concept for the Progress spacecraft, and unmanned cargo ship/satellite based on the Soyuz model.

[@Parrot4859]

That is the result of the editor just quickly googling "satellite" instead of "telecom satellite". Quantity over quality yo. It's the same with the diagram at 3:09 which just came straight from the Wikipedia page "Cable television"...

[@shinevisionsv]

Haha, yeah. noticed that one too. to be fair, i thought they always used those stock photo sites, kinda surprised they just use... google :P

[@honzajuricka2612]

Says everyone sees the same stream, shows TVs watching the same channel seeing something else than the other. Great job Linus

[@tylerstuart9799]

great video. good information, i am a cable technician, and this is nearly spot on. All of the information is broad, albeit this is tech quickie. the signals that are particularly different is that your internet (cable modem) runs on DOCSIS. which can be a mixture of set downstream channels, and usually, 4 upstream channels. Usually, cable companies only cover docsis 3.0 and 3.1. 3.1 is just more channels to bond to so it is faster. Your cable box, like Linus said, is covered by a bunch of separate downstream signals usually referred to as the DS spectrum, and contains hundreds of frequencies that are always live. good video Linus

[@markajoseph1980]

Video unwatchable keeps buffering

[@kepler666]

get the privateinternetaccess

[@markajoseph1980]

Audrius Nezinau the subtleties of humour is lost I see

[@kepler666]

you should work for linus

[@Major_Mason]

Excellent video! I will add that a piece of software is used on a server called a "Play Through Scheduler" which maps out what shows play at what specific times.

[@TechTonor]

Hi Linus. The fact that only a single channel is on a frequency, isn't quiet right. Digital compressions allows 7-8 SD/ 2-3 HD channels in a single QAM. You're thinking about the old analog signal - and that's years back now... Another fact is that nowaways you can even esperate the downstreams and upstreams on COAX Internet (before and after the tv-frequencies), allowing us to handle even more seed on a single cable. Here in Denmark, YouSee are currencly upgrading the main-network, allowing us to reach speeds up to more than 1000Mbps on COAX :-) TL;DR - Analog tv = 1 frequency | Digital tv - Multiple channels

[@johnlow3894]

that depends on your modulation. we've been avg'ing 15 HD chs per QAM for over a decade

[@TechTonor]

John Low Sure! You're totally right :-) My input was based on our modulation-standard. I missed that fact.

[@jeffrydemeyer5433]

QAM would make for an interesting techquicky

[@agent007jr]

They have both 720 and 1080 channels, and a single 2160 at the moment.

[@michaeldickens1101]

He also didn’t mention SDV, which is basically a single physical channel that displays variable logical channels (depending on what channel you tune to)

[@WiiHaveDowns]

Additionally, TV signal tends to just jump to the next image as its a "dumb" signal. The TV (traditionally) can't tell the input to wait until the buffer fills before continuing which is where you get choppy signals from during a storm. The pausing, fast forwarding, and rewinding is through a cache on board your cable box and not through interaction with the input.

[@arjunarunkumar3097]

Well I am going to watch this video... ...just as soon as it stops buffering

[@shadowmist8485]

Stops or finishes?

[@amendorato]

2:18 - Actually each frequency can carry more than one (set top box) channel. They're not dedicated for each channel, unless you use that amount of data, of course. If isn't HD channel it's possible to put something like 8 channels on the same freq. Dedicated frequencies for each channel, like you said, is for analog TV (one freq for image, another for color and another for audio)

[@RobertDunn310]

I agree, I read this somewhere else and when Linus mentioned it in his video, it set off my BS alarm.

[@DJPsyq]

RIP Techquickie Intro

[@TeamTeddy666]

My cable box includes netflix. I was guessing it was using internet for netflix until i unplugged my modem and it still worked. So, does this mean that the "coaxial" cable is delivering the internet that netflix in the cable box uses?

[@IncoherentOrange]

Yes, the cable box has its own modem. It gets an IP address from the WAN like an internet modem does, but it doesn't route.

[@daniel_960_]

There are providers who provide internet through tvcables too.

[@misternewwyy2655]

Yes, and no. Some cable boxes have built in modems for this purpose, while some only have wireless cards and require you to be an internet customer to use services like netflix or youtube.

[@sabretechv2]

You have spectrum don’t you

[@TeamTeddy666]

No, I live in canada and have Shaw. Upload speeds are shit, but 150 down is good for me.

[@GoodKyn]

I love it when questions I never thought of gets answered

[@doveshouse]

This is just such a great video. This is one of those questions you ask yourself and you think nobody else would be asking themselves this question... And then you find a video like this which is a great explanation and also notice there are tons of comments!

[@simpsons703]

Sky (the image used to show cable TV at 1:05) is a satellite based TV service in the UK. Not cable.

[@asaaii3872]

simpsons703 you can get cable

[@simpsons703]

Angela Ziegler that's not my point. I'm pointing out that the image used in the background was not cable TV. Sky is mainly a satellite TV company. Not a cable TV company.

[@simpsons703]

Angela Ziegler also in the UK they don't offer it via cable themselves but virgin media offer sky channels via cable.

[@asaaii3872]

Being mainly a Satellite TV company ≠ not being cable tv. I still get your point.

[@Krytern]

That specific picture was for satellite. Being able to get cable is completely irrelevant for this comment thread.

[@itskdog]

Video on Cable TV, at 1:07, uses Sky (a SATELLITE service in the UK) - Well done on the research everyone at LMG!

[@techphil2573]

Error @ 1:04 - The TV Guide in the background is the UK Sky TV Guide. Sky is a Satellite TV provider, not cable.

[@asaaii3872]

TechPhil you can get cable at least in Germany

[@techphil2573]

Angela Ziegler In the UK, sky provides Satellite TV. Cable options are available through companies such as Virgin Media, but Sky (which was shown in the video) does Satellite.

[@Krytern]

Angels Ziegler - That TV Guide is the UK one, not German so them providing cable in Germany is irrelevant.

[@falconmm1614]

Sure it may be an error but what difference does it make?

[@findingnemowebhaumea]

@@techphil2573 I think this isn't applicable anymore. AFAIK, Sky uses internet lines now. But, yes, originally they used satellites.

[@GGO_Tube]

had this question on my head for years , never searched for an answer ,thanks Linus

[@SoumyadeepBanerjee007]

Satellite: *There's an eclipse anyone got some double a's* ?? Oh Linus you are funny man

[@danishdezembro1116]

Soumyadeep Banerjee you are even funny

[@billkeithchannel]

tinyurl.com/BalloonSatellites tinyurl.com/FElinks

[@BDUDE]

Now I got the joke.it says A*s.

[@bikerchrisukk]

The video buffered as I watched, thought it was part of the video! Great video, interesting stuff.

[@johanjoseph4802]

2:27 when Linus transforms to Seinfeld

[@losttownstreet3409]

In some countries you might get a "buffer free" TV-Internet stream as it is transmitted as a broadcast (its expensive). All unicast traffic might get a buffer problem but that is why multicast exists. You might get a sat to Multicast converter (example: eyetv netstream sat). If you are watching TV over cable with you PC you might able to play with the buffer setting (I had put it to 500ms and add some cache). All DVB recivers use a buffer. It's a hugh pain if you try to aim your dish or set up your cable box (if you had to adjust the gain of your cable box). With IPv6 you might get a better multicast performance (as your internet provider and/or router isn't going to filter all multicasts out)

[@Hdtjdjbszh]

In the UK; Cable TV, with 330 Mbps internet, a phone line, and a mobile (handset included) contract with unlimited everything costs just £56 a month. Which is pretty amazing. I feel sad for the people in the Americas

[@AvengedSeven09]

AceRidesBikes dam it 140 dollars for 50 mbps,phone line, and like 160 channels for my cable bill

[@karavidov]

Great explanation Linus (and team)! Thanks!

[@thomaswillis2382]

I'm the only one within my group of friends who still watches cable TV.

[@Natalie-ez1zc]

Thomas Willis it was the opposite for me lol..

[@chiller1199]

Thomas Willis i went from tv to online in 2014 and now i am slowly coming back 😅

[@no00ob]

Thomas Willis naah only when Im sick or bored

[@ponyslavestation2973]

I quit watching tv since 2010, fuck that expensive shit. PopcornTime on my pc is all i need...

[@formerlycringe]

Thomas Willis yes you rich boi

[@guginskibg7973]

i love both of ur channels. keep up the great work!

[@darknessblades]

but how does this work with fiber optic cable?

[@blaccpacc]

Hey, Linus I love your channel. It’s one of my favorite

[@Guldaar]

As someone who works in operations for a major ISP in Canada, I give this explanation an 8/10. It won't get you a job, but it's comprehensive yet simple enough for most people to understand.

[@MorbusSchmorbus]

That is the whole purpose of this channel i guess.

[@rayn1ful]

you may be able to answer this question then , why when im watching a video on saturday or sunday from about 9am til late afternoon do i get so much buffering during those times ?

[@petera8083]

Love your content. Just a little detail you might want to make a note of. BSkyB (Sky) is a satellite broadcasting company

[@_jamesbradley__]

great info, thanks!

[@IAMCY8ORG]

Might also help to note that Cable TV generally uses UDP, so there effectively isn't any Buffering. KZbin uses the TCP Protocol so it needs to buffer to avoid packet loss. Although if it was a live stream, this uses UDP any any data lost during transmission is dropped and forgot about. The same way Skype or Discord transmit data.

[@maximilianmorse9697]

i just got the notification for this video after i finished watching it lol

[@csproductions]

It's not quite true that each cable channel has its own frequency, usually 4-6 channels will share 1 single frequency, this is called a multiplex and will transmit data streams in Variable Bitrate, so if one channel is just broadcasting a static image, that requires less data so the other channels on the same multiplex can use and bump up there data from another channel.

[@danielchild8131]

I have wondered this for years!

[@nikitshetty931]

#metoo 😛

[@sagarrawal8332]

I was searching for same couple of months ago.but couldn't find any satisfactory answer. Thanks for uploading this.

[@tunagay]

You used an image of the Sky guide and the clues kinda in the name, SKY isn't a cable provider it's satellite TV :P

[@0xbenedikt]

Here in Germany you get Sky via Cable

[@Krytern]

Benedikt - That TV Guide they showed for Sky is the UK one not German so irrelevant.

[@jur4x]

I think in Germany you only get few Sky channels from your local cable provider. In UK, Sky is big satellite TV provider, that offers their own channels and some others as well.

[@Tedd755]

Fun fact: Both satellite and cable television buffers, but only by about less than a second, in order to assemble a few video and audio frames, and for forward error correction. That's part of why changing channels isn't instantaneous.

[@chrissxMedia]

Next time on Techquickie: "Why doesn't TeamSpeak buffer?"

[@RailfanSrikrishna]

i had this question for years thanks for the video

[@Aditya_V_R]

Let's Get TVQuickie

[@Kayash_Kino]

forgot to like video, came back, liked it, thank you Linus!

[@TheMysticMonk0]

WHO still has cable?

[@KylesDigitalLab]

I still do, but KZbin, Netflix, Plex, and DVD/Blu-ray discs are all you need for HD entertainment nowdays.

[@romano5785]

I do :(

[@KylesDigitalLab]

Yes, But I have Blu-ray. I have some TV/stuff on DVD that was never released in Blu-ray or HD. I am aware that DVD is 720x480.

[@appa3535]

like everyone in my area. I don't have netflix because my dad's a cheapass so we pirate tv shows and movies on an apple tv.

[@ponyslavestation2973]

Kyle2000 YT, PopcornTime, YTS is all i need.

[@LReBe7]

2:27 is wrong, individual TV channels are mostly time multiplexed together onto one frequency, because one 6 (or 7 or 8 in Europe) MHz wide channel has more capacity than needed for one HD transport stream. They do however keep that 6/7/8 MHz bandwidth to make spectrum planning easier and also to speed up the decoder's to sweep for available channels. The general idea of this video is right however: cable TV needs no significant buffering, because the traffic is broadcast and the necessary capacity is known in advance.

[@vasilepuscasu3048]

I never asked myself this question, but I still watch the video 😂

[@kodeypatterson8973]

This is a question I never thought but is really interesting. Great job

[@metaleggman18]

Is the only reason I've never had this thought because I'm old enough to remember rabbit ears lol?

[@mgkleym]

Remember? Over the air tv is popular with cord cutters.

[@metaleggman18]

biohazard 918 when people say "rabbit ears" we're talking about old analog ota antennae that came with a set, whether built in or placed on top. The ones you'd have to fiddle with, or put tin foil on in hopes of getting a "better" signal. I'm sure you could theoretically pick up a signal with that kind of design nowadays, they still make em, but where I live and the general surrounding area, you'll need a fairly powerful outdoor antenna to get a powerful enough signal to be able to receive digital ota channels. Too hilly or too dense or both. Rabbit ears doesn't just generically mean ota. It's a generational colloquiliasm from a time long gone.

[@Up8Y]

It's not exactly an old thing. Portable TVs still came with them up until the mid-2000s, and you can still buy indoor antennas similar to those- even if they're not too great.

[@metaleggman18]

Up8Y I mean, technically they would have been considered old back in the mid 2000s; hell, portable TVs were considered old back then, it's part of why they died well before phones and tablets became able to play live TV. But more to the point, you guys are being too pedantic about this lol. The whole point is that if you remember tuning in with rabbit ears, you knew, more or less, that you were tuning into specific frequencies to pick up different channels. Analog cable wasn't really dissimilar; it's why we had to tune to a specific channel to use the vcr or a game console. Come on guys, I know it's the internet and all, but this isn't like some sort of strange notion. Can't tell if you guys are just bored or if you're young. 😝

[@Up8Y]

CRTs and portable TVs really didn't die off until 2008-2011 in my experience. It seems like most people kept them until then, with the whole switch to digital and all.

[@penatur]

You haven't explained Switched Digital Video (SDV) where cable providers only broadcast a channel as needed in that neighborhood. Which is why there's sometimes a need for a tuning adapter device if you have a TIVO in your home.

[@feschber]

This is a little like asking why radios don't buffer

[@billkeithchannel]

That is tomorrow's video.

[@feschber]

for sure :D I'm waiting

[@matthewfard2196]

Woah, linus is back!

[@feynstein1004]

2:27 Uh why is Linus impersonating Jerry Seinfeld?

[@GurjeetSingh-bm6us]

Finally answered. Had this question in mind for years.

[@MaxWinning]

This video has a lot of misinformation but overall his point is fairly accurate. As others have stated digital channels in fact have much more than a single channel per frequency. The number will vary by definition if the channel, encoding type, as well as bitrate configuration. Those configurations directly translate to picture quality, given the same source content. When Linus said there is no server waiting to send you a channel, well, yes there can be. That’s called Switched Digital Video and many MSO’s use this technology to cram low viewed content in much greater numbers per frequency. However once that channel request comes in, it’s still sent out in a similar QAM modulation method as standard linear broadcasts so there is no buffering. OnDemand can be a grey area as many operate somewhat similar to how I just described Switched Digital Video but with the addition of content servers, however some MSO’s utilize IP OnDemand, I suspect that these IP streams are heavily costed on the network to reduce the chances of buffering, and honestly just originating from their own network and content servers greatly reduced the chances, but I don’t have experiencing managing an IP VOD system. Source, I’ve managed these systems for about 15 years.

[@TheTotalGinger]

The frequency on the coaxial isn't always dedicated. Look into SVD (Switched Digital Video) for more. The US has a lot of this. (Have worked for major Cable companies)

[@PrayTellGaming]

Haha you almost made me believe - oh no the video is actually buffering :/

[@weneverstoodachance6995]

Cable company also stream certain channels with something called switch digital video not all channels have a static frequency. due to giving customers more internet bandwidth we allocate more of their channel on sdv which is more like streaming on demand but more instantaneous.

[@justiny.2653]

Hold on guys, I'm evolving.

[@flareflo362]

Justin Y. 2 pokemon?

[@flareflo362]

@ *enters the room* Anyone up for a conversation about charles darwin and why you should believe in his theory? - yeah sounds about the typical question :)

[@CoolDudeClem]

0:58 should be "as you flip though an array of HD channels, you have a sudden thought ... THERE'S NOTHING GOOD ON!"

[@mouja475]

Not correct. I have up to 30 TV Channels at 1 frequency

[@Aleks6010]

that's physically impossible, channels are several megahertz in bandwidth and therefore cannot be transmitted at the same or close to a frequency of another channel, because they will interfere with one another and you won't get any signal

[@mouja475]

Al Eks It's possible and it's easy. We have DVB-T 2 or Satelit. I checked it I have on 1 frequency up to 78 differed channels. For example I have on the same frequency HBO HD and HBO 2 at my satellite

[@Krytern]

Al Eks - You need to get with the times this isn't analogue TV anymore we aren't in the 90s.

[@Aleks6010]

sure, but technically it's not at one frequency, it cannot be transmitting at one frequency unless it's transmitting in ook (like morse)

[@DanielFildan]

Hmm isnt channel 42 most populated ? For NOVA , Prima , Prima cool etc. ? Cuz we still have dumb SD quality when prima cool discontinued HD ._.

[@mchenrynick]

There ARE times when either Cable or Satellite signal doesn't keep up. Haven't you've ever seen TV channels that just "freeze" for a few seconds, then "jump" to the current signal? You're right it doesn't buffer--it just skips to the current signal and you miss out what was broadcasted during that frozen moment of your TV signal.

[@Stennishh]

unwatchable, video started buffering and killed my internet

[@mordant221]

An answer to a question I've never thought of asking. THANKS TECHQUICKIE!

[@williamg209two]

why did you use a british sky box for your picture at 1:05

[@BassRacerx]

thats what the stock photo company had?

[@ahusyn]

Same question. It's a satellite box not even cable.

[@Krytern]

BassRacerx - Company uses satellite not cable, same question applies.

[@Parrot4859]

Result of quick editing. Give "tv guide" a Google. For me that 'screenshot' was on the third row.

[@Kannamoris]

A lot of TV services in the Netherlands just use internet, but most ISPs give TV priority over everything else. But if things go South really bad, even the TV will buffer.

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

If it's all the same digital data. Why can I leave 5 TV's on 24/7 and never hit a data cap? Have they just sold me an internet package , just like TV but said you can only watch 2 hrs a night? Can't get Netflix even though I have a 175/175 service because I'd go over this draconian cap in 4 days. ISP data caps are a scam. At least the tiny caps they have now are a scam. $120/month for this.

[@Krytern]

The cable box uses it's own connection to recieve the TV channels. There is no data cap. The internet connection formed from the modem in your router is capped.

[@Parrot4859]

Cable TV uses Multicast which basically means the signal is pushed to every cable box. The cable box does not have to request anything. Unlike internet which works with a way of requesting data and then receiving it.

[@GraveUypo]

yes data caps are a scam. they tried multiple times to implement those here in brazil and failed each time because the people went up in arms. only mobile has data caps here.

[@prsplayer210]

My data cap is 2000 gb,I've never even came close

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

I get an overage charge of $40 about every 3rd month.

[@Castlee]

Oh tech quickie finally got Linus tech tips in their videos, well done

[@BrandenMcNabb]

Cable TV is a luxury item for convenient entertainment. It is not something that people need. My argument is that people can stop bitching and moaning about the costs of cable or the "monopoly" that Charter and Comcast supposedly have (even though Dish Network and DirecTV are direct competitors with each). Charter and Comcast lose money on their cable services due to broadcasting fees, updating/maintaining equipment, etc. Stop bitching when they charge you $200/month for TV. That's retail price. Your $40 introductory rate is only to encourage you to sign up. They can't hold that rate without going bankrupt. Spectrum internet and voice on the other hand are almost pure profit.

[@LReBe7]

$200 a month for TV? That's absolutely retarded! This side of the pond, you can get TV, 200Mbps internet, telephone and a mobile package for less than $200 a month! I must say, however: broadcasting ought to be a thing of the past, especially analog broadcasting. The amount of junk TV channels eating valuable spectrum is ridiculous! I worked at the cable company in my country: more than 50% of their available spectrum is allocated for broadcast TV. They don't even dare take FM radio off their spectrum. Who even uses cable for the FM radio?

[@ratchanan_sr]

Are you sure that "Digital" cable TV put each channel in dedicated frequency? I think a frequency will have a few TV channels "MUX"ed together (similar to how it's done for terrestrial digital TV). However, most of your points are still valid. The frequency is dedicated to TV transmission only, and the signal is broadcasted.

[@Alex-xc3ki]

A like if you don't have a cable TV!

[@nico_poriol]

I was questioning this myself throughout the week but always forgot to search. Lucky me, Linus to the rescue hahahaha thanks!

[@maxbradley9477]

Not first

[@sabretechv2]

Linus, this video is good but there are some inaccuracies here. I am a research and development engineer for the largest cable company in the US. First, each channel does not necessarily have its own dedicated frequency over the coax plan. In practice they do, but there aren’t 800 different frequencies if there are 800 different channels. Some channels that are statistically always watched are put out over broadcast frequencies, and if you flip to a channel that isn’t on the broadcast carousel, the STB will initiate a switched digital video session over a different part of the spectrum with the headend to deliver you that channel. They are essentially divided up into 6 MHz channels modulated via QAM that are bonded for HD video and are split into broadcast, switched digital video, video on demand, DOCSIS, and management frequencies. DOCSIS 3.1 also delivers RF a bit differently over the plan by using OFDM/OFDMA like 4G LTE does to support up to 4096-QAM. Also, providers including Comcast have also changed to IP video for their X1 platform. Instead of SDV they send out their broadcast channels over RF and their unicast channels over IP. This technology has been licensed by Shaw in Canada. Also, with WorldBox initiative, other providers are going to fully IP-based set top boxes which allows us to integrate services like Netflix. Some of these are very interesting, including essentially WebKit frames assembled into video, dynamic ad insertion to tailor your cable TV ads to what you like, and more. The reason this works better in comparison to Over The Top (OTT) streaming services is because the CDN traffic and such that deliver content to these IP video services are more carefully QOS’d than what’s commonly coming over DOCSIS. Many of us cable TV engineers believe that streaming and OTT are the future. It’s why we do research and development into this field and because the majority of people in the US and North America get their internet by cable, I believe more and more of the spectrum will be reallocated for DOCSIS going forward.

[@asdasddas100]

Good question... lol

[@crabjitsu7816]

A comparison between coaxial TV service and IPTV service would be nice. Does IPTV run into the same sort of buffering/slowdown issues, detailed in this video, as streaming does?

[@Hitaf777]

21st like

[@thatrealba]

This was a great quickie!

[@flameshana9]

That's what she said.

[@22techinfo]

how does techquickie work eh? like and replay if you agree

[@nanopulga098]

Well that method may be used in other countries, but in Spain all the cable TV I have seen working connect to the router/modem, and if you unplug the router, you won't have cable TV, if you are using Mega to download a 4GB files and your internet connection isn't the best, that could make the cable TV image freezes a little. I can also notice in the internet speed tests when the cable TV box is turned on or turned off, I see my connection is slower when the cable TV is working and it will be a little more faster when the TV box is turned off.

[@22techinfo]

What is encryption and how does it work like if you agree

[@fayadkevin]

ahmed hassan he already did a video on it

[@KuraIthys]

Let's see if I can make a guess before watching: Same reason digital television in general doesn't buffer. It's not an 'on demand' system. The signal is sent out on a fixed schedule. You either receive it or your don't. If you miss part of the signal for whatever reason you get a momentary dropout or signal degradation until you reach the next chunk of usable data. Buffering means the receiving device waits until it gets enough data to play the video without problems, and start and stop it in arbitrary places. Cable simply syncs you to the video already in progress, and if you miss a piece of it... Too bad, you just resume from where you left off. You can't pause, rewind or the like, and you DEFINITELY can't fast-forward. (of course, if your local device has time shifting capabilities you may well be able to pause and rewind and even go back to something you missed, but that's the device recording the video behind the scenes just like a VCR would've been used to do back in the day. It's got nothing to do with the signal transmission itself.) Well, let's see what your explanation is... XD

[@yacko00]

Always had this question, great explanation!!!

[@MrJeroendemuzikant]

@Linus: I don't know how it is in the U.S.A. but here in the Netherlands we have DVB-C. And that uses transport streams to carry more then one station in it. So it's not really one station per frequency...That was with old fashion analog tv. Who remembers how bad that looked?

[@andy02q]

Some TVs can buffer cable TV. This of course only works if you wait a few seconds before anything starts. Also some can also buffer the adjacent canals too, so no need to wait again if you switch canals by 1. Also you can pause and reverse which increase your buffer so you can skip ahead which of course you would do during the advertisements.

[@pantsaregood1028]

This is partially incorrect. Modern cable providers often use Switched Digital Video. Using SDV, specific frequencies aren't tied to specific channels - the broadcast is only generated on an open frequency when a cable box requests it. Other cable boxes will then be instructed to tune to said dynamic frequency if they request the same channel. After a timeout period of no viewers, the channel will stop broadcasting and its carrier frequency will be reused.

[@chtitdraco]

Very clear and concise video! However, how does cable allow you to restart programs or watch them at a later date?

[@bunnybreaker]

Those captions for the couple on the sofa. Savage.

[@subrisubrika5652]

I've ofteb wondered about this. Thanks for the explanation

[@rhyscampbell7673]

Buffering is not when the video stops playing. It's actually kinda the opposite. It's when your device is loading the video into memory so it can play with no interruptions. The video is always buffering as long as you have a stable connection. When it stops playing, that means it's not buffering (loading into memory) or struggling to keep up.