Enveu Media & OTT Glossary

A practical knowledge base for OTT platforms, streaming tech, monetization, playback, analytics, DRM, FAST, and media operations. Use A–Z to browse or search to jump to a term.

Latency

Latency is the delay between video capture and playback.

What is Latency?

Latency is the time delay between when a video signal is captured or generated and when it is displayed on a viewer’s screen. In OTT streaming, latency determines how far behind “real time” a live stream actually is.

Why latency matters in OTT platforms

High latency can negatively impact viewer experience, especially for live sports, news, interactive shows, and real-time events. Delays can cause issues such as out-of-sync experiences, spoilers from social media, and poor interaction with live features like chat or polls.

How latency is introduced in streaming workflows

Latency is added at multiple stages of the streaming pipeline, including video encoding, packaging, CDN delivery, and player buffering. OTT platforms balance latency with playback stability by tuning segment sizes, buffering strategies, and delivery protocols.

Where latency is measured and monitored

Latency is measured using player analytics, live stream monitoring tools, and Quality of Experience (QoE) dashboards. Metrics such as live delay, startup time, and rebuffering are used to understand and optimize latency across devices and platforms.