🛜 Latency Management & Best Practices
Optimize your audio and video sync by managing latency effectively.
- Author
- by Admin User
- 23 days ago
⏱️ Why Latency Matters
Latency is the time delay between when something is said and when it's received as captions or interpreted audio by your audience.
Minimizing latency is crucial for:
- Interpreters, who need to hear speech in near real-time to stay in sync
- In-person audiences, who expect immediate feedback
- Live captions, which should appear as the speaker talks
⚠️ Some delay is unavoidable — especially with AI voice synthesis or broadcast streaming protocols — but it can be optimized.
🔧 Key Factors That Affect Latency
| Factor | Impact on Latency |
|---|---|
| Streaming Protocol | RTMP adds 3–10s; SRT is faster; WHIP is low-latency; Web Agent/Desktop Agent are lowest |
| AI Voice Interpretation | Adds 5–15s for voice processing and synthesis |
| Network Conditions | Poor bandwidth, high jitter, or Wi-Fi instability cause inconsistent delivery |
| Device Performance | Underpowered computers or overworked CPUs can delay audio encoding and push |
| Video Embeds (YouTube/Vimeo) | Built-in platform buffering adds 5–30s depending on player and CDN behavior |
✅ Best Practices to Minimize Latency
🔌 Use the Right Audio Input
For in-person or real-time interaction, use:
- Streamer Dashboard
- Desktop Agent
- Mobile Browser
Avoid RTMP/SRT/WHIP for local audiences — they're best suited for online-only events where latency is less critical
🌐 Optimize Your Network
- Use wired Ethernet over Wi-Fi
- Minimum upload speed: 5 Mbps per stream
- Avoid background downloads or network congestion during live sessions
📢 Communicate Expectations
- AI voice interpretation introduces 5–15 seconds of delay
- Warn interpreters and audiences if using delayed video or AI voice
- Encourage interpreters to adjust pacing or use dual-channel monitoring if necessary
🎥 Sync with Video
- YouTube/Vimeo streams already have delay due to buffering
- InterScribe can synchronize translated captions to match delayed video
- Always test timing in advance to ensure good alignment
🎵 Manage Music Carefully
- Background music disrupts speech recognition
- Pause captions or activate a “🎶 Song Playing” overlay when music is present
🛠 Technical Tips
Keep your signal chain clean Minimize unnecessary devices (e.g., mixers > converters > interfaces) — each adds processing time
Monitor latency live Ask a teammate to join as a test viewer and report the delay between live speech and captions/audio
Keep software updated Agents, streaming tools, and firmware often receive latency fixes in new releases
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I eliminate latency completely? No — some delay is inevitable. But with proper setup, you can keep latency low enough for real-time use.
Do more languages increase latency? No — translations are processed in parallel.