Streaming only helps if it plays where you actually watch. This is what works and what does not.
Phone and tablet
The common case, and the one everything is tuned for. Playback runs in the browser; no app to install
and therefore nothing in an app store history. On iOS the player uses the system video layer, which is
why it behaves like any other video on the device.
Desktop
Any current browser. The one recurring cause of a black player is an extension that blocks the video
host as a tracker — allowlisting the domain fixes it. A private window is a quick way to test whether
that is what is happening.
Television
Casting from a phone works in most setups. Smart TV browsers are the weak point: many are years
behind on video support, and it is usually faster to cast than to fight one.
Connection
The stream adapts, so a weak connection means a softer picture rather than a stalled one. If it does
stall repeatedly, the bottleneck is almost always local — congested wifi rather than the source.
Data use
Roughly a gigabyte per hour at 1080p, less at lower resolutions. Worth knowing on a metered mobile
plan; irrelevant on wifi.
