TV Answer Man, I’ve tried two different streaming services and March Madness Live and I keep getting that little spinning wheel or some other thing that interrupts my picture. Am I doing something wrong? How can this be improved, please!? — Marshall, Evanston, Illinois.
Marshall, you’re not alone. The ‘spinning wheel’ can be an occasional occurrence when watching any live streaming service, such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live, FuboTV and DIRECTV Stream. You will be watching a game or show when suddenly the picture will freeze and a small spinning wheel will appear in the middle of the screen. Or sometimes, the picture will just freeze or pixelate for several seconds or longer.
It can be awfully frustrating, as these YouTube TV subscribers relate:
@YouTubeTV keeps crashing during the @MarchMadnessMBB games!!! We use this service to be able to watch sports but it's terrible.
— Sarahfranswanson (@Sarahfranswans1) March 18, 2022
.@YouTubeTV my local cbs feed being out for March Madness isn't great. It's been 2 days now, figure it out.
— Conner Klotz (@ConnerKlotz) March 18, 2022
And these Hulu Live subscribers:
@hulu_support @CBSSports Why has the stream of March Madness been so choppy all day long? My internet speed is better than good. Are you having a problem?
— JT, The Vicar of Wilcrest (@theboy1der) March 18, 2022
@hulu_support My local CBS goes out regularly during NFL games and now it’s happening during March Madness. Will this ever stop happening? Live sports is essentially what I’m paying for
— Bobby Crosland (@BobbyCrosland) March 18, 2022
And so on.
The cause of the problems?
The Internet. It’s not exactly an ideal infrastructure for delivering live video. If the speed of your home Internet network dips below the minimum requirement needed for a consistent picture, it can cause picture buffering (aka the dreaded spinning wheel). And if the streaming service has a temporary delay on one of its servers, that can cause it. (There are also viewer reports that CBS today is having trouble with its game streams so the problem could be their end.)
Welcome to the joys of streaming.
Fortunately, live streaming services have improved their delivery systems in recent years so it’s less noticeable than it used to be. (Home Internet services have also increased their speeds and efficiencies.) But it’s still a problem.
If your streaming picture is consistently marred by the spinning wheel, you can try the following steps to fix the issue:
1. Change the channel, and then go back to your original channel. This will sometimes allow your original channel to ‘catch up’ with the data (programming) that’s being delivered to your home.
2. Reset your home WiFi network. Your Internet service may be operating erratically, causing the dips in picture quality. You may also need to upgrade your Internet service plan to a faster speed.
3. Delete and reinstall the app. The live streaming app sometimes can get corrupted, creating a host of problems. A simple reinstall could eliminate the spinning wheel.
Marshall, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
Never a problem with Directv (satellite). You buy cheap TV service you get what you pay for. The thing is though, the pricing for Directv is almost comparable to Fubo. As I said in another post, Spectrum is even advertising in my area for a bundled package for internet and cable TV for $49.99 per month. Streaming is steaming as in pile of…
Unfortunately most steaming problems are due to bit rate. Without reliable, fast service you will have occasional problems. Most of the country does not have either!
It’s truly unfortunate that the Govt. and the people haven’t determined that fast reliable internet service is 100% necessary in today’s world.
I have gigabit/fibre since its been available via Verizon and luckily I can afford it, but thats the thing, its damn expensive!
As long as the gov is backing the communication co’s, they should demand that they wire every address possible in America for fibre.
The youth and America deserve it plus if we want to continue to be the best educated, tech savvy, and advanced country on the planet, we damn well better do it!
If you are using wireless internet, switch to wired internet if you can. Wireless internet has plenty of outside interference whereas wired internet doesn’t.