Re: Bandwidth
The bandwidth is really the data transfer rate.
There is another thread on Broadband speeds here somewhere but simply put, if you are concerned as to why it takes so long to download certain Web pages or other files to your computer especially videos, it's all determined by the bandwidth of the connection between your computer and your Internet Service Provider. There are so many things that go toward a decent speed but perhaps the biggest for non cable users is the bandwidth contention ratio.
Once you access your broadband the signal joins a cable or pipe that connects your neighbours and others to the web; so the more people using it at once, the slower it can become. This is often why people see their broadband connection slow down during peak usage times. A higher broadband contention ratio means more users potentially sharing your connection.
To try and get a idea of bandwidth and using a very simple example, you have a full glass of water (which represents the broadband bandwidth capacity at the ISP) you use a very narrow straw with which to drain the glass (which represents your connection) It takes a very long time to get a drink. now if you have the same glass with a much larger straw the flow rate is much quicker and unhindered and your thirst is quenched all the sooner.
If you have a very slow connection there are a couple of things you can do to eliminate the 'buffering 'of videos.
When you want to watch a video, close down all other instances of your browser including any messenger type apps and especially any P2P things you may have running.
The 'Buffering' is simply that your computer is downloading the video to a temporary file location so that it can play it to you.
If you have a poor connection to the particular site that hosts the video then the buffering will be slower than the video playback and you get a jerky video. To stop this, use the pause button and wait for the buffering to finish and then watch your video stream.