Ok..will definitely stay with UDP or TCP but maybe see if switching has any effect..
And I know I'm still learning on a lot of this so more questions (sorry, and not trying to be difficult - just like to learn and understand!)
Isn't NordVPN hiding the true source of the broadcast I'm receiving? So my internet provider only sees the IP address on the Nord server to which I'm connected? If they're realizing and "managing" throughput from your VOD servers, what positive function is NordVPN providing me?
Thanks!
NordVPN hides the destination and source of your traffic. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) cannot see that you are connecting to an IPTV or VOD server; all they see is encrypted traffic traveling between your device and the NordVPN server IP.
Because of this, your ISP
cannot selectively "manage" or throttle the throughput of your VOD servers while you are on the VPN, because they don't even know those VOD servers are involved.
If you are still experiencing buffering on VOD while NordVPN is active, the bottleneck isn't ISP throttling—it is happening somewhere else. Here is what is likely going on and what positive function NordVPN is still providing:
Why is VOD still buffering if the ISP is blocked?
- The VOD server itself is struggling: Live TV and VOD usually run on entirely different backend server infrastructures. Live TV streams a single feed to thousands of people at once (multicasting/caching is highly efficient). VOD requires the server to pull a specific, heavy file and stream it individually to just you (unicasting). The VOD server might simply be overloaded or poorly optimized.
- The VPN hop is adding latency: Connecting to a VPN adds an extra "stop" on the map. If the NordVPN server you chose has a poor route to the specific data center where the VOD files are hosted, your speeds will drop.
- IPTV provider limits on VPNs: Some providers or their server hosts accidentally (or intentionally) limit bandwidth coming from known data centers or VPN IP blocks to prevent scraping or server abuse.
What positive function is NordVPN actually providing you here?
Even if it isn't fixing this specific VOD buffering issue, NordVPN is doing two critical jobs for you right now:
- Privacy and Protection: It ensures your ISP (and copyright enforcement agencies) cannot see that you are streaming from a third-party IPTV service.
- Bypassing Broad ISP Blocks: Many ISPs implement blanket blocks on the web domains or IP addresses used by IPTV networks. The VPN completely bypasses these blocks, allowing you to connect in the first place.
What should you do next?
Since you are currently testing switching servers, try picking a NordVPN server that is physically closer to you, or try switching between
UDP (faster, lower overhead, better for streaming) and
TCP (slower but more stable and better at correcting lost packets). If the buffering happens across multiple countries and protocols, the issue is almost certainly a capacity limit on the IPTV provider's VOD backend.