Learn English – Name of the quality of the bad sound that you have in Skype

internetsoundsterminology

When you talk through the internet by using some programs like Skype or Hangout, the quality of the sound may not be good. What is the name of that quality? There are some idea in my mind, but I don't really satiate with:

  • Bad quality: It's not wrong, but it may not describe that quality exactly.
  • Noised, lagged and not cleared: more specific, but it's too long.

I have tried to search on the Skype's Speakers/Headphones Troubleshooter page, but they don't contain the word I'm looking.

Best Answer

There are several networking terms that can apply here.

  • Poor quality indicates that there is an issue with the recording or playback of the audio. It can refer to the quality of the microphone, the ambient noise in the microphone's location, the processing capability of the computer to which the microphone is connected, the microphone's attempt to alleviate feedback, the quality of the speakers at the receiving end, or the processing capability of the computer receiving the audio.
  • Lag generally refers to the delay between transmission of the sound and reception of it. If the other person is listening to you through a set of speakers, you will sometimes hear an "echo" when your voice is played through the other's speakers.
  • Latency refers to the ability of the network to continuously stream the audio. This sounds like the other person is "breaking up" because the network is losing pieces of the audio stream.