[sprite1]

With regards to the buffering, i can confirm that using an Ethernet cable will stop this. I have had the Apple Tv three days and have received no buffering using the latest nightly. The only problem i have now is stuttering video. I think were just going to have to hang on a while XBMC on the Apple TV is new and will need time to develop. Currently i am only able to watch small MKV's anything larger (1080p) the stuttering makes it unwatchable. I do wonder some time though whether all of our problem would have gone away if the Apple Tv came with a gig nic!

[Fire69]

I can confirm it doesn't, since I've been using it hooked to a cable since the first day I had it.

[Kudd]

What about posting mediainfo for the files. All the issues I have encountered with H264 and buffering issues has always been that the person encoding the files has done something stupid like setting the number of ref-frames to 16 or something like that (read: non-standard encoding).

[Haudegen]

that's not the fact. i have the same hardware. isn't it possible to build a firmware, which can play most of codes from a smb-device without stuttering or buffering?

[Fire69]

What about posting mediainfo for the files. All the issues I have encountered with H264 and buffering issues has always been that the person encoding the files has done something stupid like setting the number of ref-frames to 16 or something like that (read: non-standard encoding).

I can post that if you want, but the files I'm talking about are all 1:1 dvd-rips to ISO (tested in video_ts-format also, same problem).
So no h264 with non-standard encoding...

[dukevim]

Fire69...did you also try ftp. I still have the buffering as I have mentioned on smb but...Some people have found that ftp has worked for them. I got stuck because mac's native ftp share doesn't allow for anything outside the home directory..and sharepoint is not available for leopard. I'd have to install xcode, etc. to install a ftpserver....so I didn't keep at it.

Try a symbolic link - ie. the external media folder as a link in your home folder, I have not tried it but it should work.

This is different to an 'Alias', which probably won't work.

[BritBloke]

Fire69, I was having lots of problems with SMB sharing over wired ethernet. Tried lots of differents setups like yourself. I then setup an FTP server and now all my MKV's stream beautifully (even 1080p).

Like you, I prefer the simplicity of SMB (I also run a dedicated XBMC Live HTPC that has zero issues with SMB) but for the sake of my kids getting upset every time they see "Buffering...), I'm happy I switched to FTP!

[Most Wanted]

I won't try an ftp server but i have no plan how i can make an ftp server?
Can anybody help me?
?Try a symbolic link - ie. the external media folder as a link in your home folder?

[6corewhore]

Fire69, I was having lots of problems with SMB sharing over wired ethernet. Tried lots of differents setups like yourself. I then setup an FTP server and now all my MKV's stream beautifully (even 1080p).

Like you, I prefer the simplicity of SMB (I also run a dedicated XBMC Live HTPC that has zero issues with SMB) but for the sake of my kids getting upset every time they see "Buffering...), I'm happy I switched to FTP!

I'll research this when i have time as I have the same setup. Seas0nPassed aTV 2 on 4.3 (4.2.2) with the last XBMC before Keith's newest build connected via ethernet to a second "Time Capsule" using SMB to access the TC's 2TB HDD. I experienced a few issues and began removing installed extra's, main issue seemed to revolve around NitoTV (also installed aTV Flash Black). I started free with only XBMC, and mkv's that had severe buffering (even simple SD mkv's) work flawlessly, with DTS passthru. I was able to get a 10GB 1080P mkv to play that would crash instantly, however after a few minutes XBMC would crash and reboot the system.

I'll check into FTP as an option is this is truly as beneficial as claimed. Thanks.

[0xsegfault]

From the tests i made, the CIFS/SMB server used by Airport Extreme/TimeCapsules aren't recommended to our setup, ATV2 accessing it directly via SMB.

Maybe when we see AFP support via XBMC it could work OK, but i had nothing but trouble using it.

Also, i had setup my Macbook to share a SMB folder, while using the Airport Extreme shared via AFP, and it worked OK, no buffering. But here, see the difference: Mac OS X uses Samba as CIFS/SMB server (Airport/TimeCapsules don't -- IIRC they use NetBSD plus an Apple daemon for CIFS/SMB), and the Macbook uses AFP instead of SMB. So, Samba makes the difference here.

Since i changed my NAS to a LaCie one, its Linux based and uses Samba as CIFS/SMB server, i got everything working smoothly with XBMC. I can even stream 1080p movies when needed.

[Fire69]

Fire69, I was having lots of problems with SMB sharing over wired ethernet. Tried lots of differents setups like yourself. I then setup an FTP server and now all my MKV's stream beautifully (even 1080p).

Like you, I prefer the simplicity of SMB (I also run a dedicated XBMC Live HTPC that has zero issues with SMB) but for the sake of my kids getting upset every time they see "Buffering...), I'm happy I switched to FTP!

Set up an ftp-server, tested in XBMC => same result.

[...]

Since i changed my NAS to a LaCie one, its Linux based and uses Samba as CIFS/SMB server, i got everything working smoothly with XBMC. I can even stream 1080p movies when needed.

I'll see if I can test with an Ubuntu Live-cd or something, but I sure hope that's not the solution for me! Don't really want to go and replace my Server2008 with a Linux-distro...

[keith]

From the tests i made, the CIFS/SMB server used by Airport Extreme/TimeCapsules aren't recommended to our setup, ATV2 accessing it directly via SMB.

Maybe when we see AFP support via XBMC it could work OK, but i had nothing but trouble using it.

Also, i had setup my Macbook to share a SMB folder, while using the Airport Extreme shared via AFP, and it worked OK, no buffering. But here, see the difference: Mac OS X uses Samba as CIFS/SMB server (Airport/TimeCapsules don't -- IIRC they use NetBSD plus an Apple daemon for CIFS/SMB), and the Macbook uses AFP instead of SMB. So, Samba makes the difference here.

Wow, this is quite a great post. I will ask JD2157 to add it to the official FAQ because so many people complain about TC/AE streaming issues.
Good info!

[activate]

Try a symbolic link - ie. the external media folder as a link in your home folder, I have not tried it but it should work.

This is different to an 'Alias', which probably won't work.

Thanks, you had my hopes up but xbmc doesn't route to it. I tried a folder as well as a file. It looks at it and goes..."Hmmm..who are you.."

Additionally..

1. I tried copying a 12gig mkv into the home directory so it can be picked up via ftp by xmbc. It only recognizes it as a 2gig file.
2. Still buffers.

Set up an ftp-server, tested in XBMC => same result.

Which ftp server did you try ?

[jd2157]

Also, i had setup my Macbook to share a SMB folder, while using the Airport Extreme shared via AFP, and it worked OK, no buffering. But here, see the difference: Mac OS X uses Samba as CIFS/SMB server (Airport/TimeCapsules don't -- IIRC they use NetBSD plus an Apple daemon for CIFS/SMB), and the Macbook uses AFP instead of SMB. So, Samba makes the difference here.

Not sure I'm following you 100%. So you're saying you had a folder on the APE shared to your Macbook (via AFP) which you re-shared from the Macbook to the atv2 (via SMB) and it worked without buffering?

[keith]

Not sure I'm following you 100%. So you're saying you had a folder on the APE shared to your Macbook (via AFP) which you re-shared from the Macbook to the atv2 (via SMB) and it worked without buffering?

Yup because SMB sucks on TimeCapsule/Airport Extreme because it uses a netbsd client, not Samba.

If/when afpclient gets refactored then we'll have native AFP in XBMC and hopefully that's better.