questions about streaming 1080p contents over home wifi network
#1
So I've been trying to stream my 1080p content (.mkv files) from my laptop to my samsung smart tv in another room. My setup includes my laptop (decent enough but not like gaming laptops, 6GB RAM, NVIDIA 540m, i7 2xxxx), TV is samsung es7500 and netgear n600 for the wifi router. My internet is 25mbs down/2mbs up. The coax cable is plugged into the internet modem, with an ethercable connecting the modem and the wifi router. That setup is in my living room. I want to be able to stream 1080p contents to other rooms' TVs without having to hardwired every TV to every ports available.

Streaming, for example, a 2gb - 3gb 720p BluRay TV episode to the TV is of no problem at all. I use Universal Media Server on my laptop and sometimes Plex if that doesn't work. My shows are stored in an external hard drive plugged into my laptop.

However, lately I was able to get my hands on several 1080p files. File sizes vary from 5 GB to 8 GB per TV episode. the bit rates vary from 10,000kbs to 20,000kbs (if that is of any help). And I tried the same method I've been doing with the 720p files but no luck. The video would sutter, takes 10 minutes to load a 10 second interval in the show,stops every 10 seconds, etc...

So I'm wondering is it re[/size]ally impossible to stream said 1080p files over wifi? Wired is practically impossible for me. I've been meaning to get the WD TV live to see if that helps with my current situation but not yet. Is there a step that I've missed or is there anything that I should get in order for me to enjoy smooth 1080p playback wirelessly on my tv screen.

Is hardwiring the only feasible option for a smooth 1080p playback?

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give every details possible to see if there's anything I can do because I don't want to delete my 1080p collection. Hopefully the more experienced heads here will help me with this. Thank you.


Edit 1 - I've tried plugging my laptop to the wifi router using the ethernet cable and it still doesn't work. I mean it works but the problems still persist and it buffers every 5 seconds.

It's worth mentioning that I'm remuxing the files rather than transcoding, using UMS of course. I can see where the problem lies if it is transcoding the 1080p files that I'm trying to play but I'm not transcoding them so I don't know what the real problem is.

I've been looking at a few forums here and there. Many said they couldnt stream 1080p over wifi as well so they suggested powerline, which I have no idea what that is.
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#2
(2014-01-15, 02:32)vinnytr9 Wrote: I've been looking at a few forums here and there. Many said they couldnt stream 1080p over wifi as well so they suggested powerline, which I have no idea what that is.

http://reviews.cnet.com/2733-3243_7-568-8.html
ASUS Chromebox M004U (LibreELEC 8.2/Aeon Nox SiLVO)--->HDMI--->Onkyo TX-NR646--->HDMI--->Panasonic P65VT30
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#3
(2014-01-15, 02:32)vinnytr9 Wrote: Edit 1 - I've tried plugging my laptop to the wifi router using the ethernet cable and it still doesn't work. I mean it works but the problems still persist and it buffers every 5 seconds.
I have two routers and two switches in my house. The wireless router struggles with both wireless and Ethernet port. The switch can handles the highest blu-ray 1080P video with DTS-HD audio on XBMC with ease. This is on my Surface Pro. The switch is TP-LINK TL-SG1005D, and it is connected to TP-LINK TL-R470T. This combination can handles everything I threw at it so far, and it is very cheap. Wired network is always the best solution for streaming Blu-ray 1080P video w/ HD audio. If you have to have wireless, you can try this "TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750". I heard a lot of good thing from my friends about this router. The AC wireless router tend to be very expensive. TP-Link AC router might be the cheapest on the market. It is not a well known brand name, and I never use their product till last year. Their low price scared me a little bit, but I was surprised by their performance when I first used it last year. I'm planning to replace my existing wireless router with TP-LINK TL-R470T very soon....
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#4
Another solution might be using handbrake to transcode the videos first. This will give you smaller file sizes and data transfer rates and would probably stop the stuttering if the transfer rate is the cause. There will be some reduction in video quality though. Would probably be about the same as cable broadcast or satellite. Also, handbrake is free.
ASUS Chromebox M004U (LibreELEC 8.2/Aeon Nox SiLVO)--->HDMI--->Onkyo TX-NR646--->HDMI--->Panasonic P65VT30
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#5
I'm a little confused. You say you're streaming from your laptop to your TV. At the risk of sounding dense, which part of this is running XBMC? Is there another device that the laptop is streaming to, which outputs the display to the TV? Or is XBMC somehow running on the TV itself? Or are you actually just playing the file on your laptop and outputting the display to the TV via HDMI? Is XBMC even involved here or is this a question about your smart TV's video player?

Anyway, I was going to recommend that you try copying the file from the laptop to the XBMC client over the wifi network. If the file itself can't be copied in less time that the episode's time length, then it certainly has no hope of streaming cleanly. I was also going to recommend that you try playing the directly on the XBMC client (via hard drive or thumb drive or whatever) to make sure it can play cleanly without the network involved. However it's unclear if XBMC is even included at all here. Either way, I would want to check that the player can actually play the file before I go out of my way to buy new hardware. And if you're streaming directly to your smart TV (without XBMC) then upgrading your wifi hardware may or may not be beneficial, depending on what wifi standards your TV supports.
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#6
(2014-01-15, 18:58)bluray Wrote:
(2014-01-15, 02:32)vinnytr9 Wrote: Edit 1 - I've tried plugging my laptop to the wifi router using the ethernet cable and it still doesn't work. I mean it works but the problems still persist and it buffers every 5 seconds.
I have two routers and two switches in my house. The wireless router struggles with both wireless and Ethernet port. The switch can handles the highest blu-ray 1080P video with DTS-HD audio on XBMC with ease. This is on my Surface Pro. The switch is TP-LINK TL-SG1005D, and it is connected to TP-LINK TL-R470T. This combination can handles everything I threw at it so far, and it is very cheap. Wired network is always the best solution for streaming Blu-ray 1080P video w/ HD audio. If you have to have wireless, you can try this "TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750". I heard a lot of good thing from my friends about this router. The AC wireless router tend to be very expensive. TP-Link AC router might be the cheapest on the market. It is not a well known brand name, and I never use their product till last year. Their low price scared me a little bit, but I was surprised by their performance when I first used it last year. I'm planning to replace my existing wireless router with TP-LINK TL-R470T very soon....

Thanks for the detailed post. Yeah I was checking the AC routers as well but they are well aboe my price range. They sound future-proof though so they may be future options. At this moment, I think that going for a wired setup might be my best bet even though it's not convenient. Anyway thanks for the suggestions!

(2014-01-16, 00:56)awp0 Wrote: I'm a little confused. You say you're streaming from your laptop to your TV. At the risk of sounding dense, which part of this is running XBMC? Is there another device that the laptop is streaming to, which outputs the display to the TV? Or is XBMC somehow running on the TV itself? Or are you actually just playing the file on your laptop and outputting the display to the TV via HDMI? Is XBMC even involved here or is this a question about your smart TV's video player?

Anyway, I was going to recommend that you try copying the file from the laptop to the XBMC client over the wifi network. If the file itself can't be copied in less time that the episode's time length, then it certainly has no hope of streaming cleanly. I was also going to recommend that you try playing the directly on the XBMC client (via hard drive or thumb drive or whatever) to make sure it can play cleanly without the network involved. However it's unclear if XBMC is even included at all here. Either way, I would want to check that the player can actually play the file before I go out of my way to buy new hardware. And if you're streaming directly to your smart TV (without XBMC) then upgrading your wifi hardware may or may not be beneficial, depending on what wifi standards your TV supports.

Sorry for the misleading post. You are absolutely correct in questioning whether this post was in any shape or form related to XBMC and I can tell you that it is not honestly. My initial setup is simple: streaming contents wirelessly from my laptop to my smart TV. However, it does not work out as well as I intended it to. I know this is a XBMC forum but I thought that that there would be experienced people in here who would help me out with my situation. My setup is not really about XBMC and if the mods can move this thread to the appropriate f orum then I'd be very glad. Anyway thanks for the suggestion, I've tried almost everything and nothing works (so far). I think I'll resort to the last hope of wiring everything through my wifi router. Hopefully that would eliminate all the troubles that I'm encountering.
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#7
(2014-01-16, 03:27)vinnytr9 Wrote: Thanks for the detailed post. Yeah I was checking the AC routers as well but they are well aboe my price range. They sound future-proof though so they may be future options. At this moment, I think that going for a wired setup might be my best bet even though it's not convenient. Anyway thanks for the suggestions!
Unfortunately, there is nothing below $100 for an AC wireless router. I think TP-LINK AC wireless router for $99.99 is great value. It is inconvenient to have Ethernet cable running around, but it is the best connection for high quality video/audio streaming. If you have an area rug, you can hide this "Fosmon Cat6" flat cable cable underneath it. I hardly notice it underneath my rug and center coffee table...
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#8
There is always powerline.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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#9
Try streaming with NFS (use hanewin nfs server - demo vaialble) - rather than SMB. Helps a lot with low quality networks...
Addons I wrote &/or maintain:
OzWeather (Australian BOM weather) | Check Previous Episode | Playback Resumer | Unpause Jumpback | XSqueezeDisplay | (Legacy - XSqueeze & XZen)
Sorry, no help w/out a *full debug log*.
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#10
Before buying another router or using NFS, you should verify what your smart TV supports.
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#11
(2014-01-16, 06:30)nickr Wrote: There is always powerline.
It is not guarantee to stream Blu-ray 1080P video and HD audio fluently either, and different home have different result too....
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
Reply
#12
True, but as a generalisation it is streets ahead of wifi.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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#13
(2014-01-16, 21:38)nickr Wrote: True, but as a generalisation it is streets ahead of wifi.
Not really, especially when compare powerline to AC wireless router. I have owned several powerlines over the years, and none can stream blu-ray 1080P with DTS-HD and TrueHD audio consistently. I end up going back to wired network every time.

I haven't own the AC wireless router, but I test drove a couple friends AC wireless routers. It pretty strong stuff. I'll give TP-LINK AC wireless router a try very soon....
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#14
My house got damaged in an earthquake nearly 3 years ago. When the insurance company fix it (they just found asbestos and hence another bloody delay) every wall and ceiling lining will come off. Great opportunity to wire everywhere.

In the meantime we rent and can't wire it, so powerline does the trick. The main living room htpc and the server are next to each other so they are properly wired.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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#15
(2014-01-17, 00:00)nickr Wrote: My house got damaged in an earthquake nearly 3 years ago. When the insurance company fix it (they just found asbestos and hence another bloody delay) every wall and ceiling lining will come off. Great opportunity to wire everywhere.
This is what I did to my new house now, and all my HTPC are on wired network now. I'm enjoying wired streaming at the theater room, and I never have to piss of over buffering issue anymore. I do need a good AC wireless router to replace my weaker wireless N for other devices (iPad, iPhone, Surface Pro, Laptop, etc) throughout the house.

(2014-01-17, 00:00)nickr Wrote: In the meantime we rent and can't wire it, so powerline does the trick. The main living room htpc and the server are next to each other so they are properly wired.
You must rent a smaller single family house. It don't work very well in the larger two story house and apartment. Are you saying your powerline can stream Blu-ray 1080P with DTS-HD/TrueHD fluently? What brand and model is this?
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
Reply

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