Stuttering DVR-MS playback on Linksys v2 Media Extender

[clowg]

I am having very poor performance on playback of DVR-MS files that have been created with VRD on my Linksys DMA2100 Extender. The original file is a MPG2 created by Beyond TV.

This is a copy of the Video Program Info for the original file:

File Name: D:\MyVideos\Studio Portraits-2008-01-06-0.mpg
File Size: 2673659930 ( 2.49 GB )
Program Duration: 01:04:54.18
File Type: PS - MPEG2
Encoding: MPEG 2
Video stream Id: xE0
Encoding Dimensions: 720 x 576
Display Size: 720 x 576
Aspect Ratio: 4/3
Frame Rate: 25.00 FPS
Bit Rate: 4.999 Mbps
VBV_Buffer: 224 KB
Profile: Main/Main
Progressive: Prog or Int
Chroma: 4:2:0
Audio Format: Layer 2
Audio Stream Id: xC0
Audio Bit Rate: 224 Kbps
Audio Sampling Rate: 48000 Hz


I've tried saving it with 4 and 2Mps bit rate, but it doesn't help.

All of the verisons of teh DVR-MS files I've created play fine on the Vista MC PC.

Are there any recomendations about how the DVR-MS file should be configured to work reliably with Extenders?

PS: My Extender is connected via 100Mbps wired LAN. The content is stored on a server (not the Vista PC).

Cheers,
Geoff.

[phd]

I've tried saving it with 4 and 2Mps bit rate, but it doesn't help.
Are you saving the file in VideoReDo?

Modifyin g the bitrate in the file save dialog box merely modifies the header and does not reencode the video.

[clowg]

Are you saving the file in VideoReDo?

Yes I am. Sorry - didn't realise that.

Do you think that this bit rate is too high for the extender? How come it can play the origianl MPEG2 file fine? I thought the extenders were more competant at DVR-MS than anything else.

[HyperReality]

Given that the video bitrate header in the source file is around the 5Mbps mark (and presumably the actual video is around this bitrate), you really want to make sure that the output header bitrate settings are left at "no change" or are set to something > 5Mbps.

Even first generation extenders/network media players were usually capable of playing anything up to max DVD bitrates (~10Mbps), so I'd expect your device to be capable of playing a 5Mbps file without problems, regardless of the container format.

Other things to try:
* Make sure that the extender has the latest/best firmware installed.
* Make sure your server has all the latest/best patches and updates.
* Maybe try saving the video out of VideoReDo with a different audio bitrate (Save As->Options), in case the extender is getting tripped up by the 224kbps audio bitrate.

If the extender can play the original MPEG2 file okay, why not just leave it as .mpg, rather than converting it to the less-than-fantastic .dvr-ms container format?

[clowg]

If the extender can play the original MPEG2 file okay, why not just leave it as .mpg, rather than converting it to the less-than-fantastic .dvr-ms container format?

Good question ;)

I'm wanting to convert them because the Extenders support DVR-MS better than any other file format (huh! - supposedley!!). What I mean is that with DRV-MS you get 3 speeds of FFW & REW, and you get Resume when you exit and restart a given show/movie.

With MPG2 all you get is skip fwd 30 secs, skip back 7 secs. Very limiting.

I'll try the sound bit rate change.

Cheers,
Geoff.

[clowg]

I tried changing the sound to 160Kbps, but it didn't make any difference.

I've found that if I move the file to the Vista Media Centre local hard drive it plays on the Extender fine. So it would seem its a network problem with the Extender. As I understand it, the file is being read from the server by the VMC, and then it is streamed to the Extender. Something isn't happy with this arrangement!! :(

[LaLaja]

I had some problems with the DMA2100. In my case it appeared that the network speed was insufficient. Check the network speed in MCE / tasks /tune network. It should show above the HD level for operation without troubles. Are you running wired or wireless? If it is wireless it should be 802.11N

[clowg]

The 'Tune Network' menu item doesn't work - it says that the tune network process cant run at this time - try again later.

I'm running 100MBs wired.

[LaLaja]

The 'Tune Network' menu item doesn't work - it says that the tune network process cant run at this time - try again later.
Strange! Did you try again?
100MBs could be your problem. It depends on other traffic as well. I am running wireless N (802.11N) and tried wired Gigabit 1000base T, both without problems. But wireless G (54MBs) had problems.

ps I noticed that your DVRMS file sits on a server. That (I think) implies that the file has to stream to your VISTA PC to be processed by MCE and at the same time from there streamed to the DMA2100 over the same 100MBs net. You could try to run a DVRMS file which sits in your VISTA PC.

[clowg]

Yeah - I've tried it a few times. Each time its the same result.

I have tried copying the DVR-MS file to the VMC, and it worked fine on the Extender. This seems to point ot the issue being a network problem.

I'm going to try plugging the three devices into the same 1GB Ethernet switch next to see if that helps.