Stuttering playback in client mode via WiFi

[pgoelz]

Using GBPVR 1.3.7 on WinXP P4 2.6GHZ 1GB RAM.

I know that wireless networking is not recommended for GBPVR client / server operation but hear me out.

I have found that live TV works OK in streaming (timeshift) mode. However, playback of recorded shows stutters badly in steaming mode but NOT in file sharing mode. In fact, playback is near perfect in file sharing mode, with an occasional momentary freeze where the audio continues and the video catches up.

Playback of recorded shows is even better if I use WMP for playback. No freezes.

This morning I was in streaming mode and decided to try playing a recorded show. It stuttered badly so I stopped it and re-configured for file sharing mode. And it STILL stuttered badly. Starting, stopping, and even re-starting GBPVR did not resolve the stuttering. However, it played 100% perfectly in WMP11. Is this perhaps a clue to why it stutters in the first place? I used to think it was a network issue or perhaps a resource issue within the client machine (which was not recording at the time BTW), but now I am thinking it is more a GBPVR thing. Maybe it doesn't handle network traffic as well as WMP? Remember, WMP plays the recordings perfectly via WiFi. Is there THAT much extra overhead in GBPVR during plaback to saturate the network? If so, could it be reduced?

I'd really like to get streaming mode working over WiFi.... GBPVR would be just about perfect at that point.

Paul

[sub]

Sorry, but GB-PVR is known to work badly in streaming mode over WiFi. Some of the components I use are really designed for accessing video from local disk, and expect to be able read small chunks of data very quickly from disks. Forcing it to do it over a wired network works well enough (still not great), but over a wireless network seems to push it over the edge.

[stustunz]

try going into your recordings through video library you will need to add the video directory thats on your server to you laptop(or whatever the client is on wireless)
you can leave it on streaming for live tv this way

wireless connections can only send data fast one way
wired connections can send both ways fast
wmp only needs to send data one way gbpvr when streaming sends it both ways

[pgoelz]

OK, thanks Sub. That explanation makes sense. Too bad though.... a MAJOR application for GBPVR is wireless. Would establishing a fifo buffer at the client make things any better?

And GREAT tip re: using Video Library to access recordings. That worked a treat. Only problem is that the actual program info (from the program guide) is not accessible from the Video Library so if there are multiple recordings for a given series, it is not possible to tell which is which. Also, since GBPVR does not delete empty folders when the contents are deleted, they show up in Video Library view and make it look like there are recordings that don't exist any more.

But playback works fine in streaming mode through the library so that is 3/4 of the battle.

Paul

[stustunz]

if you choose the slick skin then you will get the meta data showing up (description)
i have stolen the the skin.xml file and added it to the blue skin files which gives me what i want on my laptop
but to test what im talking about just load up the slick skin and browse to a file

also have a look at plugins xrecord and moviewiz and reven will be hopefully be coming up with videos