Intermittent Stutter

[robharper]

Instead of spamming paarsand's thread, I figured I'd start my own...

I'm getting a stutter on any video that I watch with Mencoder. It will play for a few minutes, when suddenly the video drops out while the audio continues, and then audio cuts out while the video stream catches up. The stutters last anywhere from about 2-15 seconds. Doesn't seem to matter if the streams are high/low def. I have only been able to watch a few movies with TSMuxer, but they worked perfectly.

I have a Core2Quad, 2GB ram (really should upgrade that), 32bit Vista, 100mb all-wired connection on an open firmware (tomato) Linksys router. I have my comp set on a dmz, and I've tried setting both the computer and ps3 to 100mb full duplex, instead of auto. I've turned off all major background-processes, like utorrent. I used to stream fine with my trusty old XBox and XBMC (recently deceased ).

I've attached my debug.log.

Thanks in advance!
-rob

[meskibob]

Why is your PC in the DMZ and not the PS3? That seems backwards to me. For the specificed 100mb/full vs auto, there were several threads in the TVersity forum saying that the PS3 can start acting funky when it's not in auto. It seemed hit or miss for people and without any hard basis for why it would be the case. What was your reasoning (or sources) for specifying the connection as you did?

[robharper]

Well, the PS3 is back in auto now. Really the 100mb/auto setting made no perceptible difference, I just wanted to include that I had tried that. My PC is in the DMZ for torrenting, and because I'm too lazy to forward ports.

Any ideas are appreciated -- everything that I've tried so far has made zero difference.

[meskibob]

I haven't checked any other threads to see how successful people are with a Core2Quad, but it could be that PMS thinks you have a true quad core (with 4 cores selected in the settings) when that really isn't the case. It could be something similar to P4 w/ HyperThreading where, for PMS, the core count can only be the actual number of cores on a single die, or the number of dies if there are multiple. I use a P4 with HT and reducing to one core drastically increased my performance. So maybe dropping down to two cores in the settings may help, but that's just a theory

[ExSport]

DMZ=Demilitarized zone is used when you have e.g. web server which is connectable from internet but you don't want to risk your internal network will be hacked.
When somebody will hack your web server and it is inside local network, all your computers can be easily hacked. Because that you put it to DMZ. When it will be hacked, hacker is only in this zone and your local network is not affected.
It means in other words that you put pms server outside firewall so your PS3 and PMS can't be connected without special configuration.
internet ----------> PC with PMS ----------> ||firewall|| ----------> PS3
DMZ is not exactly firewall but when you need to use some service connectable from internet but not all your internal network, you put this service(Web server) outside local network to Delimitarized zone.
Conclusion: Don't use DMZ when you are trying to connect PS3 and PC together.

[shagrath]

you are browsing only avi files, without mencoder, in your debug session... are you sure you're transcoding ?

[meskibob]

This would be true with an actual DMZ'd server, but most DMZ options on common household routers are really just opening up all the port connections on the DMZ'd PC. Nothing really preventing its connection with the rest of the network.

[robharper]

you are browsing only avi files, without mencoder, in your debug session... are you sure you're transcoding ?

No, I guess most of those weren't transcoded. Still, why does TSMuxer play perfectly, while a non-transcoded file stutters so badly? Would it help if I got a debug with tsmuxer and mencoder transcodes on it?

[shagrath]

if you manage to confirm that only AVI are stuttering then you are not alone on this, I received multiple cases of AVI badly streamed (don't know really the cause though)

[robharper]

if you manage to confirm that only AVI are stuttering then you are not alone on this, I received multiple cases of AVI badly streamed (don't know really the cause though)

Thanks, I'll try to confirm that it's just avi's.

Strangely, there are periods where I don't get the dreaded stutter -- last night I watched several 30min avi streams with no problems. It always returns, though.