What Does “Real Time” Mean? Less than 30 Milliseconds
Real‑time transaction processing and analytics have become an important building block for compelling digital experiences. How do we characterize what real‑time is? Research suggests real‑time has to be less than 30 milliseconds (ms).
Consider these proof points:
13 ms for humans to process images.According to a study by neuroscientists at MIT, the human eye can process and identify entire images in as little as 13 ms.Researchers asked subjects to identify a series of six to twelve images, each presented for between 13 and 80 ms. The fastest rate at which subjects identified these images was 13 ms.
20 ms to synchronize video. An IEEE paper about using ‘Media fingerprinting’ technology to prevent loss of synchronization between image and sound when delivering video content states that the tolerable limit for latency is between 6 and 20 ms.
30 ms to deliver wireless data. Ubiquitous connectivity is on the horizon with the introduction of 5G technologies, which promises peak speeds of up to 1 Gbps and latency of less than 30 ms. Why such low latency? Because 5G needs to be that fast to replace in‑home WiFi and wireline broadband like fiber and cable modems.
Real‑time transaction processing and analytics have become an important building block for compelling digital experiences. How do we characterize what real‑time is? Research suggests real‑time has to be less than 30 milliseconds (ms).
Consider these proof points:
13 ms for humans to process images.According to a study by neuroscientists at MIT, the human eye can process and identify entire images in as little as 13 ms.Researchers asked subjects to identify a series of six to twelve images, each presented for between 13 and 80 ms. The fastest rate at which subjects identified these images was 13 ms.
20 ms to synchronize video. An IEEE paper about using ‘Media fingerprinting’ technology to prevent loss of synchronization between image and sound when delivering video content states that the tolerable limit for latency is between 6 and 20 ms.
30 ms to deliver wireless data. Ubiquitous connectivity is on the horizon with the introduction of 5G technologies, which promises peak speeds of up to 1 Gbps and latency of less than 30 ms. Why such low latency? Because 5G needs to be that fast to replace in‑home WiFi and wireline broadband like fiber and cable modems.