Client stuttering

[mattbrad2]

First off, I love 4.1. My wife loves it. The kids love it. The world is a happy place. That is, until dad wants to watch an xvid, divx or some other imported video. The problem is that on the client, it stutters and skips every 10, 15 seconds or so; pretty random. Yesterday I completly formatted this client PC and reloaded everything with just an xvid codec and AC3. mpeg2 video plays great but as soon as you play an imported video, its just not a good experience. To test, I loaded the server on this same client PC and loaded it up (without a tuner of course) and just set up the import directories JUST to see if it was the software or my PC. Low and behold it works perfectly. So what gives? Why just the client and why not all video? Like I said, mpeg2 recordings work great. The hard drive with all my imported videos actually reside on this same client PC but you have to set it up on the server with a UNC name (eg. //clientpc/videos) so I assume even though videos reside locally, they still somehow get put through a loopback on the network. Any ideas?

[Outvit]

I won't claim to know how the Client software handles files on the local machine the client is installed on as I don’t own a client extender license for SageTV but it sounds like its a local network share it's accessing which doesn't mean it's going through the network, it just means it will run into the loopback interface, i.e. 127.0.0.1.

Unless the video source is indeed on another PC, then it is flying through the network.

[blade]

The recordings are going from your client to the server back to the client. At least this is how regular recordings are handled so I assume the same goes for imported videos. Sage is setup to work this way so that the clients don't need direct access to the recordings (no need to map drives or use UNC paths to watch something in the recording directory).

If it's possible try storing the divx videos on the server and see if that makes a difference. Divx files play fine on my client, but all my videos are stored on the server.

[spike5884]

Check the HardDrive(s).

I recently went thru a stuttering problem. Started about 3-4 weeks ago. At first I was blaming it on the upgrade to v4. Some recordings would be just fine, others would stutter. This past week, it was happening more and more. I reloaded SageTV and Java on both the server and the client. Still had the problem. I usually VNC into my server, so I don't see boot-up messages. Well this last Weds, I just happen to be watching the actual monitor connected to the server. Low and behold, a S.M.A.R.T. warning message goes across the screen about one of the harddrives. Replaced that drive and the stuttering has stopped. I have recordings going to two different drives, so that is why some were stuttering and others were not.

[mattbrad2]

I've tried replacing hard drives, network cards, relocating the client box, etc with the same results. I even copied random divx files to another PC and setup the new import directory in Sage and I still have the same problem. I've loaded the client on my laptop, and our main desktop system and they both play perfectly. Keep in mind that I have formatted the client PC in question and totally started from scratch just to clear anything I could have been missing (bad codec, dll, etc) and it still messes up. If I load the Sage server on this same machine and play my import files, they play perfect. Its just the client. I'm at a total loss.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by mattbrad2

First off, I love 4.1. My wife loves it. The kids love it. The world is a happy place. That is, until dad wants to watch an xvid, divx or some other imported video. The problem is that on the client, it stutters and skips every 10, 15 seconds or so; pretty random. Yesterday I completly formatted this client PC and reloaded everything with just an xvid codec and AC3. mpeg2 video plays great but as soon as you play an imported video, its just not a good experience. To test, I loaded the server on this same client PC and loaded it up (without a tuner of course) and just set up the import directories JUST to see if it was the software or my PC. Low and behold it works perfectly. So what gives? Why just the client and why not all video? Like I said, mpeg2 recordings work great. The hard drive with all my imported videos actually reside on this same client PC but you have to set it up on the server with a UNC name (eg. //clientpc/videos) so I assume even though videos reside locally, they still somehow get put through a loopback on the network. Any ideas?

Which version of SageTV/Client are you using...?

While I thought it was the change in the mpeg(s) from/to PS/TS, the latest 4.1.4 version stutters for my MVP. I traded in my license for my client, so I cannot verify it is also with the Client, but the MVP is basically a mini-client.

If you downgrade to 4.1.3, everything should work ok... At least it does on my MVP.

-Jason

[mattbrad2]

I'm already using 4.1.3.

Tell me this. Is there another codex besides xvid or divx that will play mpeg4 that is free? I have a copy of WinDVD 7 that I tried and it actually fixes my problem but the audio keeps getting farther behind the longer it plays. By the time the movie is over, the audio is a good second behind.

[blade]

Is this the one you're using?

http://www.divx.com/divx/play/

I use it on my client and it plays my divx files without any problems. I installed the player (not just the codec), not sure that it would make a difference though.