We all consume several media contents nowadays through Streaming. Streaming content has become an integral part of our daily lives. Music, Movies, Education and Games are watched over internet. With the network speeds increasing, streaming of media has become a primary way for sharing of information to mass audiences.
For the companies, it is critical that the content runs properly for every user who is visiting the website, and with whatever device. However, it is easier said than done. The dependency on the network speeds and the vast number of platforms result in varying performances for the streamed contents.
Gaming Industry has been using the streaming service through its Multiplayer Online games for a long time. There is a shift from offline gaming to online gaming like PUBG and Fortnite etc. Some of the renowned gaming streaming applications already existing are:
· XBOX Game Pass
· Twitch
· GEFORCE Now &
· PlayStation Now
The big players from the industry: Sony, Microsoft, Amazon and Google are banking heavily on the Streaming applications and services. The description of not requiring expensive gaming pc or a dedicated game console. And being able to instantly play games using Google’s Chrome browser on a phone, tablet, PC or TV.
Testing Streaming Applications
When we say Streaming, general assumption is that the performance depends on Internet Speed and Connectivity. Which is not completely true and there are several other factors for smooth functioning of streaming applications. Organizations find it very important to test their streaming applications for:
· Consistent quality
· Huge traffic handling
· Handling Low Network conditions
· Cross Platform Performance
· Browser Compatibility and performance
And for above several test scenarios are to be created and executed. Thinking and using application as the end user is also very important. Down below are some of the areas to consider/verify the performance:
· Platform Compatibility – Consistency across all the supported Devices and Browsers
· Bit rates – This is to ensure we are getting proper resolution
· Lagging time
· Data consumption
· Buffer time
· Text Contents
It is always advised to perform a Beta Testing done on the application. This also gives us clear results from end user perspective and the issues they might face due to difference in network and platforms
In order to serve quality to our customers, you should run appropriate tests before the launch and should also consistently monitor the performance across varying environments. There will be challenges for sure in testing and we shall discuss on the challenges in testing in our next article.