Is it possible to play streaming audio/video with no buffer? How?

[smith800]

Hi,
I need to be able to hear something that's broadcast in "real time" as fast as possible. Unfortunately, it seems the software buffers the "live" stuff like 30 seconds or more. Is there any software and methods I can use that can play the audio as quickly as possible with no buffer? I understand the reason for the buffer is to keep the audio smooth, I don't care if it cuts out every now and then or gets choppy at times, it's more important to get most of it as quick as possible than nice a smoothly.

As for formats, what I'm listening to is broadcast in both real audio, real video, quicktime video and quicktime audio. Getting the video isn't important at all, it's all about the audio.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[tgm4883]

I believe that most buffering is in the player. You can set it to buffer as much as you want, but its up to the client to do that, not the distributor.

Someone chime in if theres an exception to this

[thecoalman]

I know in WMP there an option for turning off buffering. Don't use the two you mentioned so I don't know.