Comment Re:Ha (Score 1) 52
Not quite. Streaming video typically begins with fetch of a manifest which offers several renditions of a given title at different encodings (resolution, bandwidth, baseline/HDR/Dolby Vision). The player selects an encoding that is compatible with available decoding features, resolution, and estimated link rate. It then pre-fetches segments into a buffer to cope with short term variations in content bulk versus transmission rate. It also can move up or down the list of available encoding rates according to observed transmission performance. On YouTube you can observe the succession of rate/resolution steps with "Stats for Nerds".
The large buffer is important for ordinary content, but introduces latency that is not compatible with realtime game video. A separate issue popularly termed "bufferbloat" also arises from latency introduced by buffering in routers and edge equipment.