CERTAIN EXTERNAL FACTORS COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DATA LOST AND DATA FOUND
HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER
and you could lose all of that data. But if you still have some data left on the server, then you’re alright.” In other words, a lower latency also lowers the likelihood of loss due to human or technical error. ONE AND ONLY Dynamic latency is ‘something only Zixi can do,’ according to Garverick. “Zixi can also do ultra-low latency – all the way down to tens of milliseconds.” With this ability, though, comes limitations. “It’s a trade-off,” Garverick describes. “If you lower the latency, that’s great, but then you could also increase the size of the stream, which could be problematic if you do not have the bandwidth on your internet connection.” He concludes: “There is a fine line based on your network and what it can do.” With Zixi, it can do much more.
STEADY STREAM Ben Garverick (left) details the essential role of dynamic latency in stable viewing experiences for end users
Dynamic latency isn’t always right. For instance, sports broadcasts tend to have a fixed latency, even if a lower latency is possible. As Garverick says: “You don’t want one house to receive a stream four seconds behind another.” This difference could spoil a result. In most other instances, latency does not need to be static, it can be variable. “When you’re managing FAST channels or internal workflows – that’s when you want it,” states Garverick. “Allowing the network to dictate the latency allows for more resiliency around the stream and ensures packets arrive at the next hop as efficiently as they can. This will allow downstream devices to receive packets sooner and get into their system quicker. Dynamic latency will also allow engineers to determine the
network’s optimal latency if they prefer static latency. Watching the latency value over a couple of days will show the highs and lows of the latency.” External factors – such as your device or power going down – could mean the difference between data lost and data found. “In my experience, it’s more likely that something happens to the internet or the network than it does to the device,” admits Garverick. “Someone could take out a fibre line,
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