[Jahrern]

So, i've been using XBMC now for i believe 3 years, and can say that it's the greatest thing since pizza!

But here come's the problem. Im suddenly getting buffering issues. Before i move on with the thread, i will mention i recently switch Router from D-link 615 (which i've been using the entirety of the time i've been using XBMC until recently) to a ASUS RT-N66U. I'm pretty sure i watched a few movies the 2-3 first days of this in house before the issues started. Trying to look back remembering is harder then i thought . So anyways, now i'm experiencing buffering issues.

It can take everything from 5 to 11 minutes before it usually appears on a fresh video. And after that it just buffers, then play. After that it's literally 10 sec of playback, then buffering again. This continues until i turn the episode of in frustration. Another thing i've noticed is how slow XBMC reacts too commands during this time.
But here's the kicker! Sometimes, and this is very few times i might add, i can get through an episode of Big Bang Theory (which is what im currently watching) and maybe half an episode more before buffering. This seems to only occur after ive freshly rebooted my PC and it's the next day were i wanna kick back with some TV-Shows. After this happen's, im usually done with that sitting anyways and i go on about my day leaving XBMC in the background when i watch YT, play some games and what have you. Then when i come back it's allways back to the first described incident of Buffering leaving me frustrated and giving up.

Here is some info on what im running:
-OP Gaming PC with HDMI cable to a TV which is on the other side of the room in my bedroom.
-All files are stored LOCALLY on my PC's harddrives (this is why this is so mindbotteling)
-Internet goes from Modem, router to my PC via a Ethernet Cable.

Info on what i have currently tried:
-advancedsettings with both 100mb cache to memory to the 0 that im using now. (none seemed to have any impact)
-Sound settings; tried both WASAPI (or W/E it's called) and Direct Sound. And yes im using the speakers from the TV as im currently using my Surround on the PC as that is used more.
-Tried different HDMI Cable
-Updating Every Driver on my PC
-Updating from 12.0 till Newest Alpha via a program that updated for me

First sign of greatness came when i disconnected my HDMI cable and tried watching on my PC Monitor. Obviously this isn't what i want, so that's FAR from a solution for me.
I honestly don't think i can be more "clear" then this, and yes i realize im not posting with a debug report as i haven't figured that one truly out yet.

So here comes my Questions.
What else can i try?
Am i leaving out a method i haven't tried yet?
What's the best Router setup for this?

I Realize this is a looooong post, but im just so sick of this, as i can't really use XBMC at the moment.

UPDATE: Just got the same buffering issue watching on my Monitor on the PC. Im officially out of things to try.

[Metallifux]

I have a similar issue with Gotham with stuttering video which won't go away till I pause even though there is plenty of data in the cache. This is just playing mkv's over the network.

[PatK]

Determining the bottle neck is crucial, for the next while watching a movie, hit the 'O' key and see what's holding you back. http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Codecinfo aslo might be a good idea to scan your debug log after you see some of these issues. When you say in one sentence that the movies are local, then talk is about routers.. I think there's some misunderstandings. You mention all is jake if you watch directly on the PC monitor after you unhook the HDMI cable. This sounds speciously like and audio issue http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=146911 but could be something like HDMI HDCP handshaking.

Suggestion, update to the latest Gotham build

To do this as painlessly as possible:

1) rename your folder in C:programs/xbmc to XBMC_OLD (now your old copy is secure)

2) rename your XBMC folder in C:\Users\YOUR_USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\XBMC to XBMC_OLD

Install latest nightly, pick a small source and test it.... let's see if the issue dies on an update, renaming will get you back.

[Metallifux]

I have been using the screen overlay provided by pressing o and even with a full 128MB cache I can get stuttering, in the log it says it's waiting for data and wasn't available. This of course would normally cause buffering but with a full cache it should not.

[Jahrern]

Determining the bottle neck is crucial, for the next while watching a movie, hit the 'O' key and see what's holding you back. http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Codecinfo aslo might be a good idea to scan your debug log after you see some of these issues. When you say in one sentence that the movies are local, then talk is about routers.. I think there's some misunderstandings. You mention all is jake if you watch directly on the PC monitor after you unhook the HDMI cable. This sounds speciously like and audio issue http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=146911 but could be something like HDMI HDCP handshaking.

Suggestion, update to the latest Gotham build

To do this as painlessly as possible:

1) rename your folder in C:programs/xbmc to XBMC_OLD (now your old copy is secure)

2) rename your XBMC folder in C:\Users\YOUR_USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\XBMC to XBMC_OLD

Install latest nightly, pick a small source and test it.... let's see if the issue dies on an update, renaming will get you back.

as i stated on the update of my post, i get the same buffering on my computer aswell. i however failed to mention that it doesn't happen that often. maybe once or twice per epsiode. Which is a billion times better then on my TV via HDMI were it literally can buffer, play 10 sec then buffer again for as long as i let it. Vicious cycle indeed.

I will try both of those things tomorrow when i wake up. However now it's late and im kinda sick of trying router settings while watching TV Shows. None seem to be getting any result.

[Jahrern]

I just did the "o" thing, but im no expert so i didnt see any difference. i Screenshotted it so you could take a look.

Here is a picture while it was running smoothly:
https://imageshack.com/i/5g1prcp

This is while Buffering:
https://imageshack.com/i/g9agvgp

EDIT:

Tried 12.3 instead. was allready on the 13 alpha. That didnt have any impact either.

[PatK]

First time you mentioned Gotham. You're changing quite a few things and your set-up is still not clear. Posting a proper debug with this issue, will help clear the air. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=42708

My suggestion is:

Stick with Frodo 12.3 stable so we don't get into some development issues, also cut out the TV and networking from this equation until we have seen some success (networking & panel handshaking can be the source of issues). As I suggested rename your existing set-up so it's out of the picture and not seen by the system. We are going for full fresh install on this hardware with only a few videos as you local source, if you have any issues with this kind of set-up a debug should unmask the culprit.

Let's prove out the hardware set-up Once we have everything working well in the base set-up we can go about this one step at a time.