buffering buffering buffering this is really annoying
#16
I'm using:

Dharma nightly (not sure offhand which one)
Alaksa Revistied
Acer Revo 1600
Connecting to a NAS directly with RJ45

Experiencing intermittent buffering every 30-45mins or so on 1080p and 720p MKVs. I stream the same movies just fine using MPC, so it has something to do with either XBMC or the skin.
Reply
#17
I should mention I too am connected using Samba share.
Reply
#18
Hey guys...Just wondering if you think an upgrade will help my buffering situation. I made a few changes at once, so its hard to pinpoint the problem. (my change was forced)
My original setup:
HP 5150 AMD Athlon 64
3-4 GB RAM (don't remember)
40 GB Intel SSD
1 TB WD Caviar Green Local HD
Camelot

New Setup:
Revo 3610
Win7 HomePremium
2 GB RAM
Dharma Beta 3

Remote Media Server
Win 7 Pro x64
HP 5150 AMD Athlon 64
80 GB SATA HD
1 TB WD Caviar Green Local HD

Due to inability to run wires, I am using the following networking setup:
WRT54G running Tomato (100 mb)
Netgear powerline networking
My transfer rate is capped at about 4.7 MB/s, roughly 37.6 mbps.

Randomly while watching, I'll have normal shows (not full 720 or 1080) which are 350 MB/1hr or 175MB/30 min that need to buffer. Sometimes 2 times in 2 minutes, sometimes 2 times over 30 minutes, sometimes 1 time every 45 minutes or not at all.

So..would a gigabit router help out? Or could the problem be related to Dharma Beta 3?
Reply
#19
sufreak Wrote:So..would a gigabit router help out? Or could the problem be related to Dharma Beta 3?

I think it is Beta 3 issue. I haven´t met this buffering issue never before
until upgraded to this Beta 3. All networking stuff used in my system is Gbit. Using Zotac ION 330 Atom mb and XBMC live on SSD.

Br, Zemy
Reply
#20
gbit network is not required.. they could even be the culprit. if the cables are not good enough, you will have dropouts on the cables. an old fashined 100mb switch might work way better on the sames lines.

also i've got no clue how good poweline networking equipment is. it could easily cause dropouts too.
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#21
As above gigabit is not required 100mb is more than enough. Likewise, badly set up gigabit can cause issues with auto detecting linkspeed and duplex.

I've used powerline in the past too and had mixed success. Peek transfer was fine, however sustained throughput could be a bit flakey at times. In one house it worked fine, however in another it was a non starter for media streaming.

Stick a 100mb switch in place and connect your xbmc box to it and the other pc. If it works, then your powerline is at fault, if not then there is something else causing the problem.
Reply
#22
Yeah the powerline stuff is junk. Too easy to get interference. I currently use DirecTVs DECA setup, which is essentially MOCA (ethernet over coax). It works great and it can easily sustain two blu-ray streams. It claims to be faster than 100mbit, but since the ethernet ports are only 100mbit, that's the max.
Reply
#23
I realize this thread is a little old, but I've been having this problem as well, and reading through the thread I've seen some suggestions that bad cables, or a bad gigabit setup could cause this issue, but why is it that I only see this problem with XBMC, and not when I use MPC-HC? I remember there used to be a setting in XBMC for buffer size, but I think that's been removed a while ago. It seems that bumping up my buffer size might take care of this issue, and maybe that's why it's not a problem with other media players.

But if a "bad gigabit setup" could be the root cause, can anyone give me a suggestion on how to make a "good gigabit setup"? Big Grin Should I just turn off the auto-negotiation for link speed on my HTPC and on my WHS server, and set it to manual 1GPS, Full Duplex on both sides? Are there any other tweaks I should make? Would turning on Jumbo Packets be an advantage, or would that cause other problems? Anything would help! The buffering message does kinda kill the experience!!Confused
Reply
#24
digi-head Wrote:I realize this thread is a little old, but I've been having this problem as well, and reading through the thread I've seen some suggestions that bad cables, or a bad gigabit setup could cause this issue, but why is it that I only see this problem with XBMC, and not when I use MPC-HC? I remember there used to be a setting in XBMC for buffer size, but I think that's been removed a while ago. It seems that bumping up my buffer size might take care of this issue, and maybe that's why it's not a problem with other media players.

But if a "bad gigabit setup" could be the root cause, can anyone give me a suggestion on how to make a "good gigabit setup"? Big Grin Should I just turn off the auto-negotiation for link speed on my HTPC and on my WHS server, and set it to manual 1GPS, Full Duplex on both sides? Are there any other tweaks I should make? Would turning on Jumbo Packets be an advantage, or would that cause other problems? Anything would help! The buffering message does kinda kill the experience!!Confused

I fully agree with above. For a reason or another the buffering issue came up when I moved to Dharma betas and still happening with RC1. Something has to have changed. A buffer should be available (adjustable) to avoid this to happen. I have also GBit wired in the house and I don´t meet similar issues
with other devices/players in the same network.

Br, Zemy
Reply
#25
We have 8 seconds of buffer. If your network goes out for more than 8 seconds, we will pause and rebuffer.

I don't expect increasing buffer to larger than 8 seconds would help anybody. (can't be done with current buffer logic anyhow).
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#26
I'm having buffering issues as well over a gb network. Any ideas?

Here's a thread i started a while back.

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=84946
Reply
#27
elupus Wrote:We have 8 seconds of buffer. If your network goes out for more than 8 seconds, we will pause and rebuffer.

I don't expect increasing buffer to larger than 8 seconds would help anybody. (can't be done with current buffer logic anyhow).

elupus, thanks for your input. That's interesting to know about the 8 second buffer. That seems like plenty, and I can't imagine my network is dropping out for more than 8 seconds at a time, but I'll have to try to prove that. Is it possible that something other than the network dropping out is causing the buffer to be wiped out? Again, this doesn't happen with other media players, and it didn't used to happen with XBMC either. Did the buffer length change since Camelot?
Reply
#28
Lightbulb 
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is a bug and not a network issue. Several others confirm that it didn't happen under their same configuration with Camelot, and that it only happens in XBMC. Plus, I just noticed last night that it doesn't have to rebuffer when I skip ahead or back 10 minutes. The buffering process takes about 6 to 8 seconds when it happens, but if I skip ahead it picks up instantly. Why wouldn't it have to rebuffer when I skip?

Should I post a debug log ?
Reply
#29
i experienced the same with the switch from camelot to dharma but it is definetly not a networks issue!!
it buffered even from every usb hd and sometimes from internal hd...then i got the aeon mq2 skin on the dharma 1-4betas and it just solved the issue XD no buffering over network (gbit) nor usb drives anymore..
can this be a skin related bugHuh o_O
Reply
#30
This Is an Issue I have noticed more and more running Dharma1 with aslaka I thought it might be the revo causing the problem.
But after reading more it does seem more XBMC/Skin releated I am going to test it more however mine is very intermident
As with others I dont have any issues running through WMP i even get buffering on TV shows that are only 350 mb....
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
buffering buffering buffering this is really annoying0