Skips and Buffering in DVR'd Videos -- HDHomeRun Prime + PMS on Synology DS918+

General Discussions Plex Features
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@AirBeagle1 said:
Hi Chris. Yup, tried with VLC and had the same issue, which makes me think the problem is in the recording.

Well, that’s something anyway. You know it’s not a Plex playback issue. In addition to the networking stuff mentioned above, have you checked the HDHomeRun page to see if you’re current on Firmware?

http://my.hdhomerun.com

It should show your Prime, it’s current firmware (green check if up to date) and the channels available like this:

If there’s a red x by the firmware it means there is an update available.

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I had a similar problem using a powerline network to run my hdhomerun connect…but i see yours is actually wired Seems most likely to be the cable

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So I think I have this figured out (the packet loss was a great hint). I believe my cable from my router to my switch (first floor to basement) is bent/damaged, as anticipated. The good news – I was able to move the HDHomerun Prime and temporarily hook it up with a direct patch cable to the Ethernet switch, bypassing the router (and the potentially damaged cable) and saw 10 minutes of good video recording without any hiccups.

The bad news – I verified that replacing that cable is going to be a bear. Unless I would get very lucky in pulling the cable through the various contortions with a new replacement cable tied to it, there’s considerable drywall work that would have to be done (including ceiling work). And if that attempted cable replacement got stuck somewhere, I’d lose connection from the Internet to a fairly large number of devices, including my wife’s Ethernet port in her basement office. That would be some serious husband doghouse time.

So, I’m thinking the right answer is to attempt to semi-permanently keep that HDHomerun Prime hooked up directly to the switch, and when the questionable Ethernet cable degrades to the point where it’s a serious problem, hire someone smarter than me to replace it.

Thanks for all the help folks!

Short answer: it appears the problem was likely a damaged Ethernet cable. If I come up with any further or differing information, I’ll update this thread.