Why is this converting?

Sometimes, when you press play, you'll see a message that Loombre is preparing your video before it starts, or the picture looks a little softer than you expected. Here's what's happening and why.

What's going on

Every device — a TV, a phone, a laptop, a streaming box — can only play certain kinds of video and audio directly. When the movie or show you picked isn't in a form your device can play on its own, Loombre converts it on the fly so it plays correctly instead of failing or looking wrong.

This isn't a bug and it isn't something you need to fix. It's Loombre doing extra work automatically, in the background, so playback just works.

Why this happens

A few common reasons:

• Your device doesn't support the video's original format. Some devices are pickier than others about what they can play directly. Loombre checks and converts only when it needs to.
• Your network connection is slower than the video needs. If you're watching over a slow connection — especially away from home — Loombre may lower the picture quality automatically so playback keeps up without constant pausing to catch up.
• Subtitles need to be drawn directly onto the picture. Some subtitle styles can only be shown this way, which requires converting the video.
• Whoever administers your Loombre has chosen settings that affect how videos are sent to certain devices or networks.

What to expect

• Picture quality may be slightly lower than the original file, and a few seconds may pass before playback starts, while Loombre prepares the first bit of video.
• This is automatic — you don't need to change any settings for it to work correctly.
• It only happens when needed. If your device can already play a file directly, Loombre sends it as-is, at full quality, with no delay.

Still looks wrong, or won't play at all?

If playback fails outright, or quality seems unexpectedly poor even on a fast connection, let whoever administers your Loombre know — they have tools to see exactly why a particular decision was made (see the Admin Guide) and can adjust settings that affect it.