The Streaming Edge: Staying Ahead in the Digital Age with Comprehensive Testing

Streaming refers to any media content—live or recorded—delivered to computers, TVs, and Mobile devices via the internet and played back in real-time. Streaming services often require fees, either per view or subscription. Streaming continuously transmits audio or video files from a server to a client. In simpler terms, streaming happens when consumers watch TV or listen to podcasts on Internet-connected devices.

We have two types of streaming – audio and video.

Audio Streaming is one-way audio exportation over a data network. We use it to hear audio clips and radio from the Internet on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Machines can also be set up to stream a user’s music collection to a digital media hub connected to a stereo or home theatre.

Video streaming is a type of media streaming in which the data from a video file is continuously delivered to a remote user via the Internet. It allows a video to be viewed online without being downloaded on a host computer or device.

Your business could benefit from offering services or promoting your products online using video and streaming services.

How Could a Streaming Service Benefit Your Business?

Many services and providers are available—consider which option could work best for you. Streaming content has a somewhat different application with different requirements, but it can still be an adequate product.

Here are a few factors of how a streaming service could benefit your business.

Brand Visibility: Streaming Administrations, a significant component of advanced change, have become game-changers for brands, advertising numerous focal points that can change their advanced nearness and commerce results

Stay Relevant: Numerous businesses have internet nearness within the shape of websites and social media pages. Whereas these are fantastic devices for promoting your products and administrations, other ways exist to urge your title. With a streaming benefit, you’ll be able to effectively keep your gathering of people locked in and educated about the most recent things happening at your company.

Audience Reachability: The internet is a prominent place where you can sell things to people worldwide through streaming. Streaming provides a unique experience for your viewers. Talking to your audience as they watch, helping them with their questions, and sharing helpful information is an excellent ways to keep them interested and coming back.

Conversion Rate Improvement: Streaming lets your business find more potential customers and bring in new ones. Watching regular shows online can bring more people to your website, help you make more sales, and find potential customers for your business. It also enables you to guide your customers to do something that helps them learn more about your business, like signing up for your email list or trying out a free version of your service. It’s essential to make content that is fun and interesting and meets the needs of the people you are trying to reach. Effective marketing will attract your audience to interact with your brand regularly.

Customer Retention: One great thing about having a streaming platform is that it helps keep current customers and make new ones loyal to your company. People like to keep using companies that consistently provide a good experience when using their products or services, no matter how they reach out to them. This means getting your current customers to buy from you again and telling others about your business, which can be more accessible. Keep your loyal customers close. Stay in contact with them and continue your friendship. Live streaming allows you to connect with your customers as they are happening.

While streaming services could vastly improve your business, effective Streaming Testing is essential.

Why do we need Streaming Testing?

According to a survey conducted by UMass-Amherst, consumers give up on an online video if it doesn’t load in two seconds. A dissatisfied customer will tell between 9 and 15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people.

When watching a movie or video program, the video gets paused, the picture gets pixelated, or the voice is not audible. This adversely impacts the whole user experience. No company wants to be the subject of an X-storm or other social media or wind up on the form pages for the wrong reason.

Testing for audio/video streaming is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it helps identify and rectify issues such as excessive buffering, ensuring a smooth viewing experience for users. Additionally, testing ensures that programmed advertisements play seamlessly without interruptions. It also ensures users can return to the video after ad playback without glitches.

Moreover, testing addresses issues related to device orientation, ensuring that the streaming content adjusts correctly based on the device’s orientation. Scrubbing functionalities, such as rewind and fast forward, are also tested to ensure they work properly.

Furthermore, testing verifies the correct display of closed captions, preventing any accessibility issues. It also ensures that the correct video is played and that metadata is displayed accurately. Lastly, testing is essential for maintaining high-quality video and audio streaming, ensuring an immersive and enjoyable user experience.

Considerations for Effective Streaming Testing

Here are a few considerations for effective streaming testing.

• Bit Rate – Understand the video quality your users are experiencing.
• Buffer time – want to know how long your users wait before a video starts playing.
• Lag length – The viewer will see their content in one smooth playback post-video plays
• Play length – understand capacity, estimate peak data volumes, and demand for streamed data.
• Lag Ratio – You can’t quite get this ratio to “0” in the initial buffer period. But you can get it to be pretty low.

These aspects guarantee comprehensive streaming testing and lead to a refined and efficient customer interaction experience. Planning test cases for streaming testing is also key to effective testing.

Planning Test Cases for Streaming Testing

Here are some examples of things to check when planning test cases for streaming testing.

System Related (Software and Hardware)

• Availability of appropriate device
• Availability of Audio/Video streaming software
• Compatibility of device and audio/video streaming software
• Proper multimedia settings of the device

Streaming Related (Both Audio & Video)

• Availability of Online video
• Correct Video File format
• Audio Clarity
• Lag-free between Audio & Video
• Systematic approach to video playing: Functionalities like play, pause, fwd., etc.
• Check how buffering acts while streaming the content (paused, moved, backward, etc.)
• Displaying proper message in case a corrupted file is streamed.
• Retaining the point to resume when the video is paused, or the player is closed.

Network Related

• Proper internet connection
• Measuring the buffering time for different internet speeds
• Auto adjustment of video quality based on internet speed
• Manual adjustment of video quality based on internet speed
• Displaying proper “signal lost” message in case there are internet issues
• Addressing frame loss

Conclusion

Testing such Streaming Services is monotonous as it requires deep knowledge of the application and detailed end-to-end testing for all the streaming flows. Various tools are available for testing streaming services, simplifying a tester’s job.

Customer satisfaction is essential to every organization. Considering the investment in business and customer satisfaction, Streaming services (Audio/Video) testing can meet the customer’s required expectations.

Cigniti helps organizations benefit from their streaming platform with functional, automation, performance, security, browser, and compatibility testing, among other services.

Need help? Contact our Streaming Services Testing experts to learn more about streaming services and how to stay ahead in the digital age with comprehensive testing.