Problem: Audio stream skips, pauses, or buffers while I listen to Live365 stations

What is buffering?

The buffer in a streaming audio player temporarily stores the last few seconds of your station’s playback. In the event that your network connection slows down or is momentarily disrupted, the station you’re listening to will play back from the buffer until the connection is restored. If the buffer runs out, the audio will begin to skip or possibly drop off completely. This is similar to a buffer on a CD discman, which prevents your portable CD player from skipping as you jog.


How live365.com support offers to solve problems with audio stream (skips, pauses, buffering)

• Make sure your Internet connection is the same or higher than the bitrate. (You cannot listen to a 56K bitrate stream with a 28.8K modem.)
  
  
• If you use Real Player or Windows Media Player, you may experience skipping or dropping. Live365 recommends using our web-based Player365 or stand-alone Radio365.
  
  
• Most MP3 players have audio-buffers that can be adjusted.
  
  • For Winamp, Control-P will display Preferences. Select Plug-ins/Input, then select the Nullsoft MPEG audio decoder plug-in. Click on Configure. Select the Streaming tab of the window, and increase the Streaming Buffer sliders. Click OK, click Close.
    
  • If you use the browser-based Player365, you can increase the buffer size by visiting your Player365 Settings Page. The default setting is for "4 Seconds" and listeners experiencing consistent problems are encouraged to increase this number to 10 seconds.
    
  • If you use the stand-alone Radio365, you can increase the buffer size by clicking on the ? icon, selecting the Systems tab and picking Big Buffer from the pull-down menu.
  
  
• The stuttering could be a problem with the connection between your ISP and our servers. Advanced users can traceroute programs to test the Internet connection:
  
  Visual Route (PC) or IPNetMonitor (Mac)
  
  If packet loss is occurring, send a copy of the output to Live365 Support by filling out the form and attaching the output. If the problem is anywhere else, contact your ISP for assistance

Related links:
Troubleshooting: Poor audio/video quality of a stream

[dah68154]

These are very good suggestions. Thank you. I will post an update with the result of implementing what you suggest.