No more video buffering, thanks to AI

Seems like our never-ending cries about buffering videos and poor quality are finally heard and we no longer have to wait for our videos to buffer or watch videos with bad pixilation, thanks to artificial intelligence.

Researchers from MIT have created an AI system called ‘Pensieve’ in order to get rid of problems of buffering videos that never fails to bother us while keeping the video quality intact.

Depending on network conditions, the newly created system makes use of machine learning technology in order to pick algorithms. Because of the system, the video buffers in less time and provides a better streaming experience for the users, reports Tech Juice.

Pensieve streams videos with 10 to 30 percent less rebuffering than other technologies like YouTube’s adaptive bitrate (ABR) algorithms approach and increases 10 to 25 percent in terms of quality experience. In order to keep the video playing, YouTube lowers down the video quality making it less impressive for viewers. However, the new AI technology functions well even where internet connections are bad where it reduces rebuffering by almost 30 percent.

MIT Professor Mohammad Alizadeh exclaimed, “Studies show that users abandon video sessions if the quality is too low, leading to major losses in ad revenue for content providers.”

The AI technology also allows the user to choose how to stream the video. For instance, if the user is about to hit the dead zone, he can lower the bitrate in order to prioritize buffering over resolution. The lead author Hongzi Mao said, “Our system is flexible for whatever you want to optimize it for. You could even imagine a user personalizing their own streaming experience based on whether they want to prioritize rebuffering versus resolution.”

As Daily Mail informs, the team wants to test Pensieve for virtual reality in near future. “We're excited to see what systems like Pensieve can do for things like VR. This is really just the first step in seeing what we can do,” concluded Alizadeh.