Accessing streaming media content has been the majority of many people’s internet consumption, but with streaming media comes the almighty evil, buffering. Preventing streaming services from being bogged down by demand or network load requires several solutions. Delayed content can be caused by poor connections or high demand on content server side or poor connection and high demand on the user side. Companies looking to deliver streaming media to their users need to do everything in their power to ensure they are not causing content to lag.
Microsoft Azure offers a range of services to reduce the potential content delays and now has done even more to improve streaming media quality. Bringing data in closer physical proximity to its intended destination can help improve network performance. This is because switching between networks introduces small amounts of lag with each connection. Azure has a system which distributes content to be as close to its intended recipient as possible called Content Delivery Network (CDN).
This network leverages datacenters located in different countries to shorten the route data needs to travel before it completes its journey. Microsoft has now enabled Azure Media Services to take advantage of this CDN. Enabling this connection means better connections to users which can bring higher quality streaming media. Improvements like these pave the way for more streaming events with less buffering and lag.
Companies should see their users experience a better experience with the content they provide, and users should begin to see less buffering and faster load times. Big names who have used the Azure Media Service include NBC Sports, the CW, and Xbox Media. These companies rely upon the cloud to deliver their content in this new generation of consumers who are looking more and more to the internet for their content. Cable TV has been on a decline for years now and Microsoft wants to make Azure the service which companies use to stream their content over the internet.
