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| SpeedTest measures your network's ability to stream video |
Ookla, the global leader in mobile intelligence, broadband, application testing, and technology, announced today that its SpeedTest app for iOS can now measure the quality of online video streams.
While the service typically checks general connectivity metrics such as maximum upload and download speeds and latency, the new test specifically targets videos.
The app tries to send at different times and then measures download time, buffering, and adaptive bitrate to predict current network conditions.
Ookla stated that the time we spend online that includes streaming videos adds new testing.
“Most of us spend a lot of time consuming one type of video or another over the internet. Given the time we all spend streaming video, the ability to directly measure the video experience is an important tool for managing your network,” she said.
Although the standard speed test provides a general concept of the total network bandwidth, Ookla noted that ISPs often prioritize video traffic differently than other traffic.
This means that regardless of the network download speed, video performance can differ significantly from other online operations. Therefore, the best way to measure video stream performance is to send video samples.
Accurate video scaling requires actual video playback because network video traffic cannot be simulated.
Currently, it is only possible to test the video stream via the iOS app, although Ookla has announced that it will soon use other platforms.
During the test, the app sends the video at different rates and then contains details like the maximum resolution of the internet connection and the time to download the video transmission.
If the video tester determines that the video stream quality meets or exceeds the resolution the device supports, but the video still can't be streamed, Ookla said: The app is linked to DownDetector to check if the service is causing a problem.
SpeedTest's video streaming standard comes with the latest iOS update for the service, and the user interface has been slightly redesigned.