SpeedTest measures your network's ability to stream video
The world leader in mobile intelligence, broadband, application testing, and technology, Ookla, announced today that its SpeedTest app for iOS can now measure the quality of streaming video over the Internet.
While the service typically checks general connectivity metrics such as maximum download and upload speeds and latency, the new test focuses specifically on video.
The application attempts to broadcast over a variety of beats, and then measures download times, buffering and adaptive bit rate, so that it is able to anticipate current network conditions.
Ookla explains that it has added the new test given that the time we spend online includes streaming video.
"Most of us spend a lot of time consuming online video of one kind or another, and given the amount of time we all spend streaming video, the ability to directly measure the video experience is an important network management tool," she said.
And while the standard speed tests give a general idea of the total bandwidth of your network, Ookla points out that ISPs often prioritize video traffic differently than other traffic.
This means that video can perform very differently from the rest of the things you do online, regardless of your network's download speed, so the best way to measure video streaming performance is to broadcast video samples.
Accurate video scaling requires actual video playback, because video traffic over the network cannot be simulated.
Testing of video streaming is only available via the iOS app at the moment, although Ookla says it is reaching more platforms soon.
During testing, the app broadcasts a video at a variety of beats, before including details such as: the maximum resolution of the Internet connection and the upload time of the video broadcast.
And if the video tester finds that the video streaming quality meets or exceeds the resolution your device supports and is still unable to stream the video, Ookla says: The app links to DownDetector to check if the service is having problems.
SpeedTest's video streaming standard is available with the latest iOS updates to the service, along with a slightly redesigned interface.
