stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

[metalusion]

i have comcast 16mbps

well overqualified in the speed dept. for my connection.

when i play a movie in hd i can see the download is way ahead of playback (when i am forced to pause because of stuttering) this usually happens an hour into the movie but will happen two or three times before the movie finishes.

i have to pause and rewind to play back the audio that i missed.

i am using the regular vudu box.

this has happened for the last few movies i have watched. what is going on?

anyone else experiencing this issue?

thanks

[jimmyh]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Hi Metalusion,

Sorry to hear about the stuttering issue. From what you wrote, I gather that the stuttering is happening to a portion of the movie that has already been downloaded. Can you try a reboot of your box for me the next time it happens?

What is the system ID of your box? Perhaps there is something in the logs of the box that can identify the cause. You'll find the system ID under INFO&SETTINGS > SYSTEM INFO. It'll look something like this: 0xXXXX (X = alphanumeric characters).

What was the movie that had the stuttering? At what time of the day/night were you watching the movie?

[arl5000]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I am having a similar problem. I watched a movie last night in HD and it jumped forward a few seconds (or sometimes a few minutes) several times during the movie. The information bar pops up on the screen each time the movie skips, just like it does when you use the remote to fast-forward. The download was quite a bit ahead, and I even tested it again after the download was complete, and the same thing happened. I reduced the sensitivity on the remote to low, since I saw that suggestion in another thread. I just purchased a new TV (Samsung 1080p/120Hz)--is there any way that my new TV could be causing this? I'm clueless as to technology, so please talk in simplistic terms! :-)

[AdamS]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I am having a similar problem. I watched a movie last night in HD and it jumped forward a few seconds (or sometimes a few minutes) several times during the movie. The information bar pops up on the screen each time the movie skips, just like it does when you use the remote to fast-forward. The download was quite a bit ahead, and I even tested it again after the download was complete, and the same thing happened. I reduced the sensitivity on the remote to low, since I saw that suggestion in another thread. I just purchased a new TV (Samsung 1080p/120Hz)--is there any way that my new TV could be causing this? I'm clueless as to technology, so please talk in simplistic terms! :-)

arl5000 --

It sounds as though you are experiencing RF interference with your VUDU remote (there's another device in or around your home that is also using RF technology and is sending your VUDU mixed signals). To fix this issue, all you will need to do is pair the VUDU remote with your VUDU player, so that the VUDU will only accept commands from your VUDU remote and nothing else. Remote pairing instructions can be found here:

http://supports.vudu.com/questions/1...ing+both+units.

If you have any questions or need help pairing your remote, please feel free to let us know. Hope this helps!

[sokalled]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I too experience stops and shutters w/sound cut off. I am almost positive it's Comcast (Xfinity). I too have 16mbs, actually when they hooked it up I was at 25mbs. Comcast simply sucks. I wish Vios was available in my neighborhood. The Most 480p channels is what they shOUld advertise not most HD. Don't even get me started on the constant internet interruptions. Vudu, I love your HDX, it just doesn't work when Comcast (Xfinity) is moody, which is always. I wish my Mitsubishi Diamond Series came with a Vudu Hard-drive so I could store HDX movies and watch them in uninterrupted playback. It makes me envious of Vudu box owners.

[jimmyh]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Sokalled,

When you say 'stops and shutters' I assume you mean that you see a loading screen, correct? If you think it's a Comcast issue, perhaps you should try a different DNS than the ones they use. We've found that Comcast's DNS can be unreliable at times. Try 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2. If that doesn't help, try running a DNS benchmark, e.g. Namebench and see if you can find one that is better.

By the way are you hardwired to your router? What is the make and model of the router?

[sokalled]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I am hard wired into a ~$100 Netgear router. And yes, I mean that it stops and goes to loading page. DNS? What's that? How do I change it? Call Comcast?

[jimmyh]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Sokalled,

In a nutshell the DNS servers determines which servers your home network connects in regards to our service. Your network can be set to use servers 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2 via your Netgear Router. If you could provide the model number I may be able to look up the router and provide instructions.

By the way, could you go here and run our speed test. It downloads a 100 MB file which will give us a better idea of how your network performs when downloading big files.

[lglmoris@nm.net]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I also have a Netgear router with Comcast. Model WNR3500 can you provide instructions as to how to change DNS servers? Thanks, Kerry

[sokalled]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Sokalled,

In a nutshell the DNS servers determines which servers your home network connects in regards to our service. Your network can be set to use servers 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2 via your Netgear Router. If you could provide the model number I may be able to look up the router and provide instructions.

By the way, could you go here and run our speed test. It downloads a 100 MB file which will give us a better idea of how your network performs when downloading big files.

Thanks, I performed the test at speedtest/vudu and speedtest net. The result was 22+mbps 3 times and a 7.5mbps the first time. My router is a NetGear WNR2000. So, in lamence terms, you are going to help me reprogram my router to use a "closer, more efficient" server? I use Snow Leopard.

Thanks.

[lglmoris@nm.net]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

I found this on the Netgear site for changing the DNS servers http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/de...2C/r_id/100109
It worked for me. Now I'll see if it helps with the buffering problem at peak times 6pm -10pm. Kerry

[tcfish19]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Jimmy, about 2 months back you helped me trouble shoot some network issues. I've found that currently with Comcast VUDU streaming is un-usable. I've seen where you've helped with directions on how to update a DNS on a router. I've tried on my Apple Airport Extreme but not sure if I got it right. I can find no instructions on how to do it. Do you have access to any instructions. I'm currently a very frustrated VUDU customer. I'd love to use the service more but can't get it to work in a reliable fashion..

[lglmoris@nm.net]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

To Jimmyh: Hi. I tried the Vudu speed test on three of our home computers-Comcast 12mbps/2.7mbps and my office computer-qwest DSL 5200/800 and after the first run on each computer, the test does not work properly on the download side but correctly on the upload side. I get the message 'preparing to test' then the testing message and a '0' appears on the speed dial,
almost immediately, the needle runs up and down and an impossible download value is sown. e.g. '971550/758 for the test I just ran at my office. I know I can delete my IE 8 history and cookies which will probably fix this for one test, but it will delete all of my 'good' cookies. Can you provide a better solution? Kerry

[tcfish19]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

Jimmy, about 2 months back you helped me trouble shoot some network issues. I've found that currently with Comcast VUDU streaming is un-usable. I've seen where you've helped with directions on how to update a DNS on a router. I've tried on my Apple Airport Extreme but not sure if I got it right. I can find no instructions on how to do it. Do you have access to any instructions. I'm currently a very frustrated VUDU customer. I'd love to use the service more but can't get it to work in a reliable fashion..

I think I got it figured out, had to pull up instructions from 2yrd old Apple forum. Was able to watch a HDX movie without buffering for the first time since Nov 09. Thanks for the help in troubleshooting Jimmy. Now if I could just get re-funded for all those wasted HDX rentals over the past 3 months.

[lglmoris@nm.net]

Re: stops and stutters w/ sound cut off

New issues with Comcast.

1st. Comcast has advised it has added a 'usage meter' to my account. I am now aware that there is a monthly limit of 250 gb. How many gb does an HDX movie use?

2nd. In researching the usage limits, I found out that Comcast 'throttles' a user's banwith if the usage exceeds 70%. I am wondering whether this is why I experiencing the buffering problem with VUDU after about 45 min into an HDX movie.

Any information on these issues is appreciated. Kerry