videoqualityreport
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Google takes American ISPs to task over video buffering
You don't like when YouTube videos pause during playback, and neither does Google. More often than not, your internet connection is to blame, shifting the responsibility to provide consistent performance from Google to your ISP. In an effort to increase transparency (and perhaps highlight your own service provider's bandwidth limitations), Google's making its Video Quality Report available in the US. The tool launched in Canada earlier this year, and should be making its way to other countries within the next few months, detailing streaming quality and local consumption trends, graphed by time of day. Google's also endorsing certain providers as "HD Verified," making it clear which ISPs meet YouTube's standards, and which do not.
Google can now say if your internet connection is quick enough for YouTube
Many are tempted to blame stuttering YouTube streams on our internet providers, but who's really at fault? Google may shed some light on the subject now that it has launched a Video Quality Report. The tool tells surfers how well their providers typically handle YouTube in a given region, breaking reliability down by the feed quality and time of day. Services that properly load at least 90 percent of 720p videos get a "YouTube HD Verified" badge, while those that tend to choke wind up in standard definition and lower definition categories. Only Canadians have access to the report at the moment, although it should reach other countries in time. Wherever it goes, it should help viewers decide whether or not it's time to switch networks -- and it just might spur some companies into making much-needed upgrades.
