How Live Video Quality Affects User Engagement

Buffering. Frozen screens. Broken audio. Things we all hate. 

Nothing is more annoying than cuddling up and getting comfortable on the couch with your favorite snack to binge your new show, only to be hit with a spinning wheel every 2 minutes. Buffering isn’t even the only type of live stream nuisance; there is the choppy audio, blurry video, and even those times when the audio does not match up with the video.

This is a big issue when it comes to streaming the newest season of the latest show. It can be an even bigger issue when you are live streaming to your online audience. Even going live on social media outlets can get messed up if you have bad service, you start breaking up, or your video begins to freeze. When you have a bad live stream, it negatively affects user engagement.

According to TechRadar, more than 50% of live streaming viewers leave a low-quality stream in 90 seconds or less. Phew. Kind of makes you want to make sure you have the best quality possible, doesn’t it?

In 2015, a study of millennials between the ages of 26-34 found that 75% of millennials would “give up” on a video stream within four minutes if the quality was subpar.

Admit it - you’re guilty of turning off your TV when a show started to buffer or you’ve quit watching a live stream on Instagram because it froze or was too blurry. 

Students at Stony Brook University conducted a study on the impacts of video quality on user engagements with Conviva, which is a real-time intelligence platform for optimized streaming. 

This study looked at all types of content, but the one that was most impacted by buffering was live content. What they found was that lowering the buffering ratio will ultimately increase user engagement with your content. Engaged users make for a successful live stream, and they help you maintain a loyal following.

To keep viewers’ attention and keep them engaged, you need to think about what you can do to stay ahead of any trouble by getting some good equipment. Depending on the year your smartphone was made, you might have high-quality video quality with that. However, if you want to guarantee clear video, you could invest in a modern video camera to set up and connect to your computer.

Using a better video camera is also helpful because many users are watching live content from their mobile devices, meaning they need to see your content clearly on a smaller screen. Crisp audio is also necessary for a great video stream. 

Put the best possible content out there for your viewers. Don’t let buffering, fuzzy video, or bad cell service stop you from a flawless live video. 

When you do everything you can to stream a clear, audible, perfectly-synced video, you should continue to have great engagement. 

High-Quality Audio: The Key to a Great Live Stream

Of course you want your audience to see your video and visuals, but what is even more important than those? Your audio! 

With all of today’s updated technology, you can record video in 4K on a smart phone and it will look incredible. However, the audio can still be muffled by a finger blocking the microphone or the sound of wind if you’re outdoors. 

It’s awesome to see your content, but broken audio will turn viewers away because they can’t hear anything you're trying to teach or share. How can we guarantee that our live streams will not only look professional, but sound professional, too? 

We have some tips to help you achieve your best audio quality, but first -- let’s talk about some common audio issues we come across.

Problems with Audio

• Background Noise

• Muffled Speech

• A Humming or Buzzing Sound

• No Sound

• Sound is Too Quiet or Too Loud

These problems are far too familiar for anyone that has gone live on the web or live streams regularly. Sometimes a poor connection can factor into this as well, but that is not the streamer’s fault. 

We can avoid these problems by using better gear, placing the microphone in an effective position, eliminating outside noise, controlling the audio feed through a sound mixer and the platform, and always testing it before going live.

What kind of microphone should I be using?

While you can use your built-in mics on your phone or computer, it is much more effective to own an external microphone that you can control better. 

The perfect microphone for you depends on the type of content you are streaming. For example, if you are staying close to the computer to teach a language or a quick history lesson, you would want an XLR microphone to achieve your professional audio quality.

XLR Microphone

The XLR cables associated with this type of microphone will carry and send balanced audio, which will isolate noise input and put out clean, crisp sound. You’ll want to move this microphone closer to its intended source, probably directly in front of you, so that you don’t catch any distracting sounds in the background. 

It also helps to be in a smaller room, where there is less space for sound to bounce around. While choosing to go with an XLR microphone can be costly, it doesn’t have to be. You can definitely find some that will heavily increase your sound quality without breaking the bank!

If you are teaching an online fitness class, you would want to have a lavalier microphone that you can attach to your shirt, keeping the mic close to your mouth and still providing professional audio quality. It would not be wise to have an XLR mic when you’re 3 feet away from the video source doing jumping jacks, but the lavalier mic makes this possible.

Man adjusting his Lavalier Microphone

You can plug these microphones into smart devices as well, so you are able to adjust your streaming setup to fit your needs. Lavalier microphones won’t hurt your wallet either, and it is well worth the extra dollars to improve your audio quality and your overall live streaming experience.

Thanks! Now what?

Building your perfect, professional setup does not have to happen overnight. You want to make sure you are getting the right materials for you and your content, rather than just aimlessly spending hours and money on things you might not actually need. 

Even if you want to record on your smartphone, you can invest in a better microphone to make your stream that much better. We want to hear what is going on when we tune into your content! Visuals are great, but they don’t really do much when we are distracted by your dog barking in the other room or if you sound totally muffled the entire time.

The bottom line here is that your audio can make or break the quality of your live stream, and we want to make sure you have the correct equipment.

You will feel more confident sharing your content when it is professional, and you will have a greater chance of viewers interacting with you and sharing your stream with others.