Downloading vs. Streaming

MSD

Hey guys,
I am not sure if it is just me, but I've been noticing that downloading a youtube video instead of watching it in the flash player (streaming) is much faster and much more stable when it comes to download speed. I am using a download accelerator called GigaGet, I don't think it has to do with the accelerator itself, also the download is from a single source (not by aggregating multiple sources like accelerators do).

So, why is it so? And are there ways to make watching it streaming as fast as downloading it?

Xsever

Can Flash being slow be the culprit?

Ever tried browsing and watching videos on Youtube using HTML5 instead of Flash?

jsaade

Are you using GigaGet in accelerated mode.
When you stream, you have one connection to the server which can be at like 5-10KB/s
when you are downloading using an accelerator, it does 5-10 connections each @ 5-10KB (for example).

ali-koubeissi

Youtube does not stream videos. Streaming means that you cannot rewind or stop, it's a one way, forward, watching and everyone will watch it exactly the same. It's like broadcast. Youtube videos gets downloaded when you watch them, the difference is that the browser is only limited to 4 connections by default to any server. Your download manager can go up to 10 connections per server. Now I'm not sure 100% if that's the case. I get the exact same effect as you and I always download videos with my download manager, Orbit.

Joe

Streaming definition is a bit hazy. Some people define it as ali.koubeissi describes it. Other say it's the ability to play the beginning of the video without having to wait until the end of it.

The point is that, in order to achieve the latter, Youtube is probably fragmenting its video files in a particular way, which would explain why streaming is so slow. When this wouldn't show very much on a fast connection, it is more evident in Lebanon.

I'm just speculating.

Kassem

I do not know for sure that what I'm about to say is true but this is what I was thinking of last week in my OOP (Java) class about I/O. I think that streaming is sort of using buffered input (download). First, you have to wait until the buffer is full, it then flushes the buffer and you get to start watching the video. Meanwhile, the buffer is getting refilled again and it only stops and put you on hold when the buffer is empty until it gets filled & flushed again and so on...

dp0001

shady youtube mobile

so i have an ogero 512 connection at home -

when i 'stream" from you tube i.e. just press the play button on 240p i get some lag when connection is ok

here's the shady part

when i login to youtube from my windows mobile phone or blackberry to my same home WIFI, go to the same video and press play, it's flawless

my conclusion is that google detects that it's a mobile phone, and hence "streams" it in less than 240p,

anyone experienced this?

MSD

OK here is an update:
The download speed when watching directly on youtube is variant (maybe depending on peak times either on my shared connection or on youtube) while it seems to be at full speed (60 - 62 KBps) when using a download accelerator. I do get full speeds on youtube but less frequently than using a download accelerator, it is weird. If it were a problem of the _local_ network being overloaded because of many users, then why would the download accelerator still work at full capacity. Still trying to figure it out.

ZeRaW wroteAre you using GigaGet in accelerated mode.

I am not sure what that is since there is no setting for it _that I could find.
GigaGet is downloading from only one source (youtube), now internally what it is doing exactly (like how many connections to youtube is it opening concurrently) I am not sure.

@ali: I meant by streaming the way rahmu describes it