Yesterday, I was watching IPL on JioHotstar, and my internet wasn’t in the best mood.🚶
That got me thinking— "How do different streaming platforms handle low-bandwidth situations?"
So, I went on a little experiment! 🎭
🔄 First stop: YouTube – It took a moment to adjust... ⏳
🔄 Next: Amazon Prime Video – A bit of buffering... ⏳
✅ Then I opened Netflix and BOOM— buttery smooth streaming! 🎥✨
Yes, Netflix did better ?! 🤯
I always thought YouTube had the best video optimisation. But Netflix? It’s on another level! 🚀
At low bandwidth, Netflix seems to be one step ahead, making sure the experience stays seamless.
But how? Let’s break it down! 👇
(And don’t ask how I compared live streaming with video streaming 🤣. It's just a trigger for my experiment. 😆)
❓ #Question1: Where is Netflix hosted?
📌 Answer: Amazon Web Services (AWS).
💀 Wait, WHAT?!
So, Amazon is literally hosting its biggest video streaming competitor on its own cloud— And yet, Netflix delivers smoother streaming than Prime Video in tough network conditions?!
That’s some next-level engineering from both companies. 🎩🎭
❓ #Question2: What is video streaming?
📌 Answer: Imagine you have a big video file. Instead of downloading it all at once, your device receives small chunks of data in real time, so you can start watching immediately while the rest loads in the background.
❓ #Question3: How does streaming actually work?
📌 Answer: Think of it like this—
👉 A portion of the video (X seconds at Y resolution) is sent to your device.
👉 That data is temporarily stored in a buffer.
👉 Once the buffer fills up, older data is cleared out as new data arrives.
At any given moment, your device only keeps a limited amount of data—just enough to ensure smooth playback.
And here’s the fascinating part: That X (duration) and Y (resolution) are dynamically adjusted in real-time using incredibly smart algorithms.
So, your video quality and buffering adjust automatically based on your internet speed and device performance.
❓ #Question4: What does Netflix do differently?
📌 Answer: We all know streaming platforms use:
✅ Smart Compression – Reducing data use while keeping quality high.
✅ Adaptive Bitrate – Adjusting resolution to match internet speed.
✅ Efficient Codecs (AV1, HEVC) – Delivering better quality with less data.
Netflix obviously does all this, but so do YouTube & Prime Video—some better, some differently.
So what’s the real game-changer?
🚀 Netflix Open Connect
A dedicated, Netflix's in-house network designed specifically for Netflix content delivery
Instead of relying entirely on cloud servers, Netflix built its own custom CDN called Open Connect.
Unlike other platforms that mostly use third-party CDNs
👉 Netflix places dedicated caching servers (OCA - Open Connect Appliances) directly inside ISP networks (Maybe Jio, Airtel, ... ).
👉 So instead of fetching videos from a distant AWS datacenter, Netflix delivers content from a local ISP server near you.
📌 Result?
✅ Lower latency – Videos start playing instantly.
✅ Minimal buffering – Content is closer to users.
✅ Better experience on slow networks. 🚀
This clever approach optimizes speed, reduces buffering, and improves streaming quality even in less-than-ideal network conditions.
And that’s why Netflix often feels smoother even when other platforms take a second to adjust.
Final Thoughts!
💡 These are just my observations based on my experience. If you feel differently, don’t take me wrong! 😃
Every streaming platform has its own strengths and weaknesses—not just in business but in technical aspects as well.
After learning about Netflix’s Open Connect, I couldn’t help but wonder—since Jio is the largest ISP in India and owns JioHotstar, wouldn’t it have an incredible advantage in optimising video streaming? Maybe they could do something even better by leveraging their ISP infrastructure!
🤔 Feel free to share your thoughts if I missed something!
Cheers! 🥂
