THERE’S not long to wait for The Traitors finale – but viewers have been warned to watch out for a common problem that can spoil the result.
Millions will be tuning in to see whether Rachel and Stephen can take it all the way or the Faithful can root them out at 8:30pm tonight on BBC One.
But if you’re streaming the show you risk finding out the result later than friends watching TV the traditional way.
This not only applies if you’re watching BBC iPlayer from a phone or tablet, but also Sky Glass and Sky Stream that also use internet instead of the humble aerial, cable or satellite dish.
Streaming can leave viewers with as much as a 45-second delay compared to regular telly.
It’s a massive problem football fans are all too familiar with, hearing reaction to goals well before they’ve had a chance to see it themselves.
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Sky has managed to bring the lag down to 22 seconds now but that is only available on its sports channels at present.
So to avoid disappointment of friends pinging you the result or it coming up on social media, Traitors fans should switch the way they watch.
If you’re watching on Sky Glass, there is a little-known aerial port you can take advantage of.
Plug in an aerial, then head to the TV aerial button on the main screen.
But if you are stuck with broadband-based streaming as the only option, there are other ways you can minimise the risk of lag and spoilers.
If others in your home are gaming or streaming your connection speed will suffer, says Uswitch broadband expert Richard Dowden.
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Consoles like Xbox or PlayStation are notorious bandwidth hogs – disconnect any unnecessary devices to ensure your stream stays as close to “live” as possible.
And don’t cast live streams from your phone to your TV either.
Watch directly through your Smart TV app instead – casting sends footage from one device to another, adding layers of delay.
“Even on the fastest broadband, digital streams lag behind live action,” he warned.
“This ‘spoiler lag’ happens as internet delivery requires extra processing steps that traditional aerial TV doesn’t have.
“If you’re 100% faithful to avoiding spoilers, a cable TV connection may be the best option for you, as it will come with the minimum live-lag time.
“At present, Virgin Media is the only provider offering this in the UK.
“To stream in HD or above, you will generally need a broadband connection offering at least 25mbps download speeds to avoid buffering.
“For a connection that won’t betray you mid-episode, plug an Ethernet cable straight into your router for the smoothest stream.”
Only six contestants remain heading into the series finale of The Traitors.
The final six are:
- Rachel Duffy (Traitor)
- Stephen Libby (Traitor)
- James Baker (Faithful)
- Faraaz Noor (Faithful)
- Jade Scott (Faithful)
- Jack Butler (Faithful)
