Best network protocol
#1
Hi all,

I have just purchased two atv2 and I have a QNAP 419 to share the video files on. Can anyone give me any advice on whats the fastest protocol to use as most of my files will be 1080 or 720 and both the atvs will be watching. I think smb but my friend says ftp.

Thanks
smurff
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#2
I use nfs for my files and smb for pathsubstitution
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#3
SMB is better in my experience with atV2. Sometime you get rights issues trying to write back into your N/W drive while using FTP
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#4
I think SMB protocol is best solution if you don't have any Time Capsule/Airport Extreme.
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#5
NFS>FTP>SMB/AFP

I haven't noticed any differences between smb and afp in terms of buffering. FTP is a noticeable improvement from those two, and NFS is by far the best. I have never had any buffering issues using NFS. The xbmc wiki does a nice job of explaining how to set this up
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#6
nfs is what works well for me....smb had constant buffering...
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#7
I've found that HTTP (Web Directory) works best on my ATV2. Never had any buffering issues, and all files, including 1080p starts playing within 1-2 seconds. Smile
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#8
Thanks guys. I will have a read Smile
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#9
I find that SMB works best for me. I have used it very reliably from both a Windows PC acting as my file server, and more recently from my NAS when I migrated to it.

My NAS does support AFP and NFS. I have tried just for giggles to use the other protocols and while I was successful in establishing a connection with those, I did not see any performance difference regardless of protocol.
With a stable network connection I don't believe that one protocol will make the difference between buffering vs not.

I would say the protocol best used would be dictated by the device serving the files. Using a Windows PC, I would choose SMB. From a Linux PC, I'd recommend NFS. etc.
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
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#10
It depends on your skill level and what you are trying to achieve.

If you are trying to push high bitrate over wireless then you should pick the lightest/fastest protocol you can implement. If you are using a wired connection it really shouldn't matter which one you use as long as your server can deliver data quickly enough.

If you are lazy like me and have a solid N-wireless connection and you don't try and run high bitrate content just use the easiest one for you.

Just don't use upnp as is won't work with the library.
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#11
NFS is a faster read protocol. Period. Right now there is a bug in the way NFS is handled on Beta 1 that effects NFS shares on windows, this should be fixed for Beta 2. For linux based NAS like your QNAP, NFS is definitely the way to go.
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#12
renhack Wrote:NFS is a faster read protocol. Period. Right now there is a bug in the way NFS is handled on Beta 1 that effects NFS shares on windows, this should be fixed for Beta 2. For linux based NAS like your QNAP, NFS is definitely the way to go.

Are you revering to the 2gb file limit on windows?
AppleTV4/iPhone/iPod/iPad: HowTo find debug logs and everything else which the devs like so much: click here
HowTo setup NFS for Kodi: NFS (wiki)
HowTo configure avahi (zeroconf): Avahi_Zeroconf (wiki)
READ THE IOS FAQ!: iOS FAQ (wiki)
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#13
There is no 2GB limit on 64bit "Services for Network File Service". I think that 2GB was the limit on "Windows Services for Unix".

I was referencing XBMC's overload of concurrent connections that causes Windows to disconnect the share.
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#14
renhack Wrote:There is no 2GB limit on 64bit "Services for Network File Service". I think that 2GB was the limit on "Windows Services for Unix".

I was referencing XBMC's overload of concurrent connections that causes Windows to disconnect the share.

I was refering to the 2gb limit which was in the XBMC for Windows on beta1. It wasn't server dependend but an XBMC for Windows issue.

And right - both are fixed in b2 Big Grin
AppleTV4/iPhone/iPod/iPad: HowTo find debug logs and everything else which the devs like so much: click here
HowTo setup NFS for Kodi: NFS (wiki)
HowTo configure avahi (zeroconf): Avahi_Zeroconf (wiki)
READ THE IOS FAQ!: iOS FAQ (wiki)
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#15
Thanks for all the work on NFS support. Can't wait for B2.
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