MILLIONS of Fire TV Stick owners are set to receive a big boost from BBC iPlayer that aims to end buffering.
The broadcaster is aiming to reduce the lag experienced by streamers watching live sports, ahead of the Wimbledon championships.
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Fans watching on traditional TV can sometimes be ahead of the action.
This is especially the case if your house has slow Wi-Fi, or your areas bandwidth is being pushed to the max.
A delay in your streaming can happen when watching all kinds of content – but it’s most noticeable during sports events.
For example, you might hear your neighbour cheering for a goal before you see it on your screen.
The delay will always vary between users – but it can be up to a minute long.
The BBC is therefore trialling a low latency version of the BBC Two live stream – the one that will air this summer’s Wimbledon matches and Glastonbury sets.
The goal is to cut the delay between the version of BBC Two broadcast via Freeview, satellite and cable and the iPlayer.
Low latency refers to the time it takes for a TV signal to travel from one point to another, ideally with minimal delay.
The BBC is trialling it in a beta version of the iPlayer app – and only on four TV streaming devices:
- 3rd generation Amazon Fire TV Stick
- 2nd generation Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
- Samsung CU8000 TVs
- Samsung CU8500 TVs
To try the BBC Two low latency, viewers will have to tune into a live stream between 9am and 5pm.
Accessing the BBC iPlayer beta requires a quick settings change – simply open the settings menu in the app and toggle on for ‘iPlayer beta’.
Viewers will also need to have their iPlayer region set to England and Scotland.
There is no low latency version of BBC Two Wales or BBC Two Northern Ireland.
Where to buy a Fire TV Stick
Fire TV Sticks are an easy way to add streaming to an older television. They’re manufactured by Amazon, but you can buy them from a number of different stores.
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