As with all technology, the Internet is changing at an extremely rapid rate. Things that used to work great with your existing computer might not work as well today as they 
did a couple of years ago. You might even find that your Internet seems slower. Any of these issues can cause your movies and online programs to run choppy and sometimes often buffer. There are some things you can do to get better performance and there are other things that are out of your control.
Remember, a couple of years ago you probably only had one computer on your network. Things are a lot different today. Now you probably have at least 2 computers, a Smart Phone and most likely a tablet or two. In addition, your Blu Ray player and TV probably both have their own independent Internet access. All these devices use bandwidth and sometimes they even perform automatic updates, similar to your computer. All these devices can cause your movies to stream slower then they used to.
Another problem that can slow down your Internet download is if you have an IP conflict on your network. This can happen when you have multiple devices all-connecting to the same network. Shutting off one device at a time until you find the offending device can help you locate the offending part. Once you find the computer or phone that is causing the issue you can try putting a static IP on the device instead of just letting the router decide what IP it should issue it.
There are times when your Internet service provider causes the issue you are having with your videos. We have heard many a case where people were actually throttled by their ISP while they were trying to view either You Tube videos or Netflix. The truth is that most Internet Service Providers usually have a TV service along with the Internet service. When subscribers get most of their video and movie content over the Internet it can cut into their TV subscriptions. In order to avoid this revenue loss, you might experience what seem to be intermittent slow downs of your Netflix or You Tube stream. There is nothing you can do about this type of interruption bur grin and bear it.
Sometimes simply changing the video quality in You Tube will solve bandwidth problems caused by congestion or throttling. If you look at the bottom of the You Tube video window, you will see a little gear icon. When you click on this icon choose the Quality setting. Try using a lower quality setting to see if that resolves the issue. The picture might be a little fuzzier but at least you will be able to watch the video.
If after trying all the above items you are still having issues, you might want to try the basic cleanup activities on your computer. First, try deleting all the Temp files and cookies from your browsers. Next, run a Malware and anti-virus scan using your favorite tools. You might also want to shut off any running programs that are not necessary to run on your machine. If after doing all of the above and you still are having issues, try to use another computer on your network that is known to be in good health. Test to see if the problem still persists. If it does, the most likely cause is your provider. Make an appointment to have them come out and check all your outside lines and phone or cable boxes coming into the house. Bad connections can often be the cause of trouble.
In short, 90% of vide streaming issues are not directly related to a computer issue, it is usually a network or Internet service provider problem.
Article posted by, Ross A Deprey From The Online Computer Geeks
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