Video hangs while running?

The HLS protocol is the protocol used by Panda to deliver video content. It is the same used by any video streaming services such as Apple TV, Netflix and others. This protocol aims to reduce latency issues and deliver the best possible quality, even on unreliable networks such as cellular networks in transit (where the user switches from one antenna to another from the cellular operator).

HLS, as explained in traffic article, delivers different qualities depending on the available speed of the user. So it's normal for the player to start playing the video with a lower quality and then adjust/improve it as the video runs. This helps to have faster video playback, but reduces the initial quality. This particularity found in all streaming services is seen as something positive, as it helps a user with a bad connection to not have a long time when the video is stopped (loading).

As it is only possible to know the bandwidth availability while the video is playing, it is possible that a user with high connection availability at some point has the network congested by a system update download or another device on the same network using the available bandwidth. It is also possible temporary connection problems while connecting the video. Usually, video playback problems are related to the bandwidth available on the end client.

Intermittent problems with very random users are difficult to diagnose, however, the most important thing in these cases is to identify some pattern among users so that it is possible to find a solution or cause of the problem (provider, device, resolution, etc).

Here are some things we can ask users with problems:

What is the speed of the Internet connection?
How many computers share the Internet?
Is it via WiFi or 3G/4G?
Ever tried from someone else's connection?
Have you tried from another computer/mobile phone?

See below for more information on what information we also need to find issues.

The player cannot be loaded?

With error 403, it's a domain lock issue. In this case, the domain you are embedding the player is not released. Some member areas have their own domains, so you also need to release the host of your member area or CMS so that you can view the video while configuring your platform.

What information do we look for to find problems?

There are several factors that can make accessing videos difficult, so we have gathered some necessary information so that you can give us enough data for our team to investigate the source of the problem. Therefore, this article is meant to be the source of information for our customers' support team who should look for issues by following the list below:

IP Address Accessing sites like whatsmyip.com show the IP of the provider. This information is necessary because problems can happen in the networks along the way (data interconnection points and others).
Traceroute (player) Each client has a player host, traceroute helps to show which points on the Internet the user passes through to reach our servers. A routing problem can be detected with this information.
Traceroute (video) Just like the traceroute above the player, it is necessary to make a traceroute for the video hosting location.
Print or Screenshot A full screen print showing the address bar and where the player is located. This information helps you know which stage the problem is at (player loaded? video loaded? which browser error message?)
Print from browser console Every browser has a way to get additional information from the console that helps a lot in error messages to detect the source of the problem.

Traceroute or Tracert

Traceroute is a tool that shows details of the path taken until reaching the destination . It mainly shows the IP address and the time it takes to get there. How to make a traceroute? To run, just enter Windows (Start → Run) and type cmd to enter the DOS screen. There enter the command (replace with the host of your player in Panda).

We need two traceroutes, the player host and the video data host:

C:\Users\Test> tracert player-vz-05e06853-571.tv.pandavideo.com.br

Hosting the video data is just replacing the word player with the letter b, like this:

C:\Users\Test> tracert b-vz-05e06853-571.tv.pandavideo.com.br

Got any questions?

Just call us in our support chat and our team will do everything possible to resolve your doubts or difficulties. Still not using Panda Video? In case you still don't know, both our player and our prices are unbeatable, if you're interested, take a look at our plans, that way, you can see a plan that makes sense for you and that way you can also be part of Panda Videos . 🐼

Updated on: 04/11/2023