Buffering problem - Help Needed

Dev Community Apps & Creations
1

I would like to ask the help of other forum members to collect data to help diagnose this issue, in order to find a solution. Only ATV3 users please (test film uses 20MBps bitrate and is not suitable for ATV2).

Tests must be performed using the same test video (video, setup and report instructions here). For each test I need some info. As an example, here is a template filled with my own data:

  1. Test date - Aug 28, 2015
  2. Test result - buffering starts at ~01:07:00 after start
  3. ATV HW - ATV3 Rev. A
  4. ATV SW - 7.2
  5. HDMI connection - 720p 60Hz
  6. PlexConnect HW - Synology DS411slim
  7. PlexConnect SW - 0.5-dev-020615
  8. Python version - 2.7.9
  9. Fanart enabled - Yes
  10. PMS HW - Synology DS411slim
  11. PMS SW - 0.9.12.11
  12. ATV and PMS connected to same router / switch - Yes
  13. Cat5e cabling (or better) - Yes
  14. Special cabling (if yes pls describe) - ATV connected with 2x tplink av500 (powerline)
2

My results:

  1. Test date - 4th Sep 2015
  2. Test result - buffers and freezes at 5:59
  3. ATV HW - ATV3 (Model A1469)
  4. ATV SW - 7.2 (7512)
  5. HDMI connection - 1080p 60hz
  6. PlexConnect HW - Mac Pro desktop, 2008, OS X 10.10.5
  7. PlexConnect SW - 0.5-dev-020615
  8. Python version - 2.7.10
  9. Fanart enabled - no
  10. PMS HW - Mac Pro desktop, 2008 (dual xeon, 6GB ram, SSD for OS, WD RED for media), OS X 10.10.5
  11. PMS SW - 0.9.12.11
  12. ATV and PMS connected to same router / switch - yes (apple time capsule router)
  13. Cat5e cabling (or better) - yes
  14. Special cabling (if yes pls describe) - yes, TPLINK AV1200 power line adapters between ATV and router + between PMS and router

PMS Logs saved if required.

This buffering problem is a very frustrating issue for me!

3
  1. Test date - 8th Sep 2015
  2. Test result - no problem
  3. ATV HW - ATV3 (Model MD199FD/A)
  4. ATV SW - 6.2 (6698.99.50.31)
  5. HDMI connection - 1080p 60hz
  6. PlexConnect HW - Mac mini 2011, OS X 10.9.5
  7. PlexConnect SW - 0.5-dev (Sometime in March)
  8. Python version - 2.7.5
  9. Fanart enabled - no
  10. PMS HW - Mac Mini 2011, OS X 10.9.5. Core i5, SSD for OS, another SSD for data, 16GB of RAM
  11. PMS SW - 0.9.12.8
  12. ATV and PMS connected to same router / switch - No. aTV connected to airport express in 1Gb/s Ethernet, airport connected to one Internet access Box with 1Gb/s integrated switch, MacMini and Box connected through a 1 GB/s dedicated switch. All Ethernet connexions.
  13. Cat5e cabling (or better) - accessible : yes / not accessible possible (integrated in walls)
  14. Special cabling (if yes pls describe) - yes : movies are on a Dlink DNS323 NAS connected on the dedicated 1Gb/s switch.
    All connexions are 1GB/s
4

Tested with my own content with multiple containers and codecs 720p/1080p dd/dts/2.0.

  1. Test date - Sep, 16 2015
  2. Test result - buffering starts randomly requiring aTV reboot
  3. ATV HW - ATV3 Rev. A
  4. ATV SW - 7.2
  5. HDMI connection - 1080p 60Hz
  6. PlexConnect HW - In my signature
  7. PlexConnect SW - 0.5-dev-020615
  8. Python version - 2.7.10
  9. Fanart enabled - Yes
  10. PMS HW - In my signature
  11. PMS SW - 0.9.12.11
  12. ATV and PMS connected to same router / switch - Yes
  13. Cat5e cabling (or better) - Yes
  14. Special cabling (if yes pls describe) - ATV connected with DirecTV broadband deca’s (coax to ethernet converters) *Also tested with aTV on wifi & using a jailbroken iOS device as a PlexConnect host. All methods had the same result.
5

Thanks to all that participated in this thread. After thinking a lot I think that I have found the solution for this problem.

I have modified every OPEN statement in application.js and utils.js so that its 3rd parameter is always false (currently some of them are true, false forces synchronous communications between AppleTV and PMS), and then restarted PlexConnect and AppleTV.

Now I hope that others confirm that this solution works, and eventually PlexConnect developers change the base code.

6

Can you share your application.js and utils.js?

7

Here they are. Thanks.

8

Three shows in and its working strong! I hope this is it. Will edit post if needed, but so far so good! Even on the worst show I had issues with, Fringe.