[unabatedshagie]

I thought it was my powerline adapters that were causing the buffering issues when trying to play 720p and 1080p files.

I'm removed them from the equation by plugging the media center PC (running OpenElec) into the router (BT Homehub) that the main PC that's serving the files from is plugged into.

I'm still getting buffering when playing these files (although the files play fine when copied over to the media center)

I'm not sure how to proceed in figuring out what the bottle neck is in my setup.

Original Post

I'm currently using a powerline adaptor (Netgear HDX101) to connect my XBMC box to my main PC upstairs.

However whenever I try and play any 720p or 1080p files it constantly buffers, they are basically unwatchable.

After doing a little research I came across an Amazon review that said that if you're using the powerline adaptor over different rings (ie upstairs ring to downstair ring) in your house the transfer rates are terrible (around 3/4mbps) which is why I think the 720p and 1080p files are constantly buffering.

Would switching to wifi enable me to play these files without buffering (my wifi signal is quite strong) or am I basically screwed for playing the HD files?

[romwarrior]

Wifi (802.11n) is certainly capable of 1080p, but it depends on range, placement, interference, etc. Only way to know for sure for you is to try it out and see. You can use LAN Speed Test (free) to see what kinds of speeds you are getting and can try to adjust placement if necessary. Blurays generally don't go more than 40 Mbps so if you can attain that speed (or even somewhat close to it) then you should be good. Of course, other sources may have considerably lower bit rates so depending on what you are playing the requirements may be less.

I have heard reports of the powerline adapter not being ideal for video, but I don't use them myself.

[DoctorDyna]

I have issues streaming some things over wifi. The best way to check if it's going to work is to begin copying the file and if the remaining time is longer than the movie then you're going to have issues.

[aptalca]

I'm currently using a powerline adaptor (Netgear HDX101) to connect my XBMC box to my main PC upstairs.

However whenever I try and play any 720p or 1080p files it constantly buffers, they are basically unwatchable.

After doing a little research I came across an Amazon review that said that if you're using the powerline adaptor over different rings (ie upstairs ring to downstair ring) in your house the transfer rates are terrible (around 3/4mbps) which is why I think the 720p and 1080p files are constantly buffering.

Would switching to wifi enable me to play these files without buffering (my wifi signal is quite strong) or am I basically screwed for playing the HD files?

Do you have either powerline device hooked up to a surge protector? When I did, I was getting 3-4Mbps. I removed the surge protector and speeds jumped to around 35Mbps (with encryption), upstairs, downstairs, doesn't matter. It's fast enough for all 720p scene rips (and the few 1080p scene rips I have). It only struggles when I try to watch a 1:1 rip and only when the variable bitrate goes above 30Mbps during certain scenes.

Wifi N over 5Ghz was very similar in terms of speed and playability. I choose powerline because of wake-on-lan

[unabatedshagie]

No both powerline adaptors are plugged straight into the wall.

[sialivi]

I recently tried using wifi for streaming movies and had very mixed results.

I have an HTPC with 802.11n connected to a TV with built in 802.11n. Both the HTPC and the TV showed full signal strength and are the same distance from the 802.11n router. The media is stored on a PC that's using a wired connection to the router.

Playing a bluray remux (1080p, roughly 30mbps bitrate) file on the HTPC in xbmc was unwatchable, buffering for ages.

Playing the same file directly on the TV through DLNA worked perfectly, didn't even need to buffer for more than a second or two at the start and not a single stutter during the 2h runtime.

[patseguin]

I had terrible results trying to watch hi def on my wifi network. I ended up putting a switch in the basement and ran a cable to my bedroom (my living room HTPC is already wired).

[bluray]

No both powerline adaptors are plugged straight into the wall.

If you have 200mbps powerline adaptors, I doubt that you'll be able to stream 1080p blu-ray file fluently. I couldn't do it with the highly rated 200mbps Linksys powerline either. You might have better luck with this 500mbps version- Actiontec PWR511K01....

[stammie]

I don't know if a completely wireless enviroment will work but I have two pc's I stream pretty high bitrate 1080p (my highest is 20 odd gb in file size) movies through just fine, one pc is wired to my router, the other is connected via a wireless N connection,
I had to faff around a fair bit with router settings but I can now stream 1080p mkv files between the two perfectly,
I don't do it often but on pc 1 I can play a 1080p file stored on pc 2 and at the same time play a 1080p file on pc 2 that is stored on pc 1 without any buffering issues at all.
As for the Homeplugs a lot depends on how good your house wiring is, I had a pair that I could get around 40mbps with in my old home but in my new place the same pair can only manage about 15mbps

[unabatedshagie]

Right, I've moved my media center upstairs and plugged it directly into the router that the file server (main pc) is connected.

Trying to play a 720p file and it's buffering straight away.

This is a completely fresh install of OpenElec on my Zotac Mag Mini and I'm unable to play these files. I'm guessing my media center just isn't up to the job of playing these files?

[artrafael]

Try copying one of the video files to the hard drive of your Zotac and play it from there. If it doesn't buffer playing the file locally, then it's a network issue.

[newoski]

MOCA adapters solved this problem for me. Can't recommend them enough as the next best thing to running Ethernet

[zackpliskin]

Never being one to trust WiFi or HomePlugs, about a year ago I had every room in the house that isn't a bathroom hardwired, with everything connected to a 16-port gigabit switch. Some rooms have more than one ethernet, not all devices are gigabit capable but my main HTPC and NAS are, and those are the two most important parts of my XBMC setup.

Honestly, if you're having problems all the time with either of the other methods, it might be time to bite the bullet and start running cables. (If you live in a place where you're not allowed to drill holes in the walls/floors/ceilings, you can just run them around the bottom of the walls and tack them, I'm sure that's permissible.)

[bluray]

MOCA adapters solved this problem for me. Can't recommend them enough as the next best thing to running Ethernet

How many megbit/second is your Moca? Can your HTPC blu-ray ISO and folder with 1080p video and HD audio using Moca? If it can do it, I say it is ready for prime-time......

---

Never being one to trust WiFi or HomePlugs, about a year ago I had every room in the house that isn't a bathroom hardwired, with everything connected to a 16-port gigabit switch. Some rooms have more than one ethernet, not all devices are gigabit capable but my main HTPC and NAS are, and those are the two most important parts of my XBMC setup.

Honestly, if you're having problems all the time with either of the other methods, it might be time to bite the bullet and start running cables. (If you live in a place where you're not allowed to drill holes in the walls/floors/ceilings, you can just run them around the bottom of the walls and tack them, I'm sure that's permissible.)

Pre-wired is always the best streaming solution. I miss my previous home, because all the rooms are pre-wired. Streaming was flawless then. I selected the pre-wired options from the builder for my new home. I'm getting tired of streaming through wireless......

[unabatedshagie]

Copied the file to the media center using the file manager in XBMC. The transfer speed was roughly 760 Kb/s.

Copied the file to the media center and it played fine so it would seem it's a network issue however apart from connecting the two computers together with a crossover cable I need to go through the router (BT Homehub v3)

I've no idea what to try next.