sagetv client over 802.11b... audio choppy

[twobrain]

is there a way to reduce the quality of of the video that it sends over to the client, im trying to watch tv on a laptop, but hte audio gets choppy

[stanger89]

Only way is to reduce the recording quality.

[JUC]

FWIW you arean't going to get great results with using a wireless B network---some even have trouble with a G setup. I would say G would be a minimum for a wireless client...
JUC

[thatdude90210]

I got halfway decent quality using wireless B network by reducing the recording quality to 1.5 Gb/hour. I have since switched to wireless G.

[steingra]

I have wireless B network, and my laptop is a ~2Ghz 1 GB RAM
And audio is choppy in LiveTV guide and Sage Recordings

I tried a bunch of different settings for the Video and Audio encoder options in sagetv, and I still cant get rid of the problem. My taskbar icon says wireless signal is "Excellant" and 11Mbps.

My encoding quality ranges from Good To Best to Great. Havent decided on which one to use because I am still new to this software. Maybe I will try to play a lowend SageTV recording and see how it goes?

Any other ideas on how to make it work better?

Ooops...forgot to mention Laptop is running SageTV Client.

I watched Task Manager on Laptop and its up around 60 to 75% when trying to play anything in SageTV. Seems like changing audio/video codecs makes it slightly less CPU usage. But not below 40%.

Server CPU is barely 10% when using this SageTV client.

I do have a land based NIC card on the back of laptop, tonight I will disable the wifi port and plug in land line, and see if that makes it any better.

I had hoped this would have worked fine over a wifi connection :-P


Thanks

[Crashless]

Problem with 802.11b (and G for that matter) is that even if you are getting 11mbps in your software, overhead in communications takes away roughly half, especially if you have encryption turned on. You do have encryption turned on...don't you?

5mbps is _barely_ enough throughput to get an mpeg stream down. So my suggestion is to follow Stanger89's advice. Lower bitrate=higher chances of it working.

It's not that expensive to get a G-setup these days, under $90 for sure.

[steingra]

Originally Posted by Crashless

Problem with 802.11b (and G for that matter) is that even if you are getting 11mbps in your software, overhead in communications takes away roughly half, especially if you have encryption turned on. You do have encryption turned on...don't you?

Nope, no encryption. Didnt figure I needed it. Dont have anything *sensitive* to protect. So Go ahead and whack me upside the head. I deserve it for that one.

Originally Posted by Crashless

It's not that expensive to get a G-setup these days, under $90 for sure.

hmmmm Maybe I will just try that. Someone mentioned a Dlink type of router instead of Linksys, and if Linksys is junk. I dont mind switching it out for a DLINK.

I am (almost) sure my laptop already has a G network adapter. But the router is a B version ....I will have to check specs on it now to be sure. No point in upgrading router if laptop is too slow.

one other question, is why did the video look just fine, but only audio portion seems to have a problem, when playing over the wifi connection. That doesnt make a lot of sense to me. I would tend to think both audio and video would stink. Not just audio.
hmmmm
Thanks

[gplasky]

"b" is your bottleneck and something has got to give. It probably depends more on what video/audio decoder you're using and how efficient it is. Also on whether you're using Directshow audio or Waveout audio, etc, VMR9, 7, overlay, etc. Every little change can bring you a little different result. You need to get yourself some "g" equipment and enjoy.

Gerry

[steingra]

Do you know approx. how far your reliable distance is on a G network? i.e. how far away can you be from the G router, and still get good enough throughput.

For basic web browsing, emails, etc...I can be anywhere inside or outside near the house and it works fine. But add in full multimedia over the B network....I DONT THINK SO its not happening.

I also tried several different settings and combinations in SageTV, and none of them made any noticeable difference so far

The audio is choppy no matter what.

I will be trying lower quality sagetv recordings just to see how that goes. Gotta try a few other things just to see...before I run out and buy a G router.

[Rogue9]

I tried with my wireless "b" setup and could not get any decent results. Lots of stuttering and hang-ups. I swapped out my "b" router for a "g" one (my wireless cards were already "g") and have not had any problems since. 11 mbps is just not enough. 54 mbps gives you plenty of bandwidth to work with.

[omega]

Originally Posted by steingra

Nope, no encryption. Didnt figure I needed it. Dont have anything *sensitive* to protect. So Go ahead and whack me upside the head. I deserve it for that one.


hmmmm Maybe I will just try that. Someone mentioned a Dlink type of router instead of Linksys, and if Linksys is junk. I dont mind switching it out for a DLINK.

You may not feel your information is sensitive, that's your call. But you undoubtedly don't want random people hijacking your Internet connection via an open access point, do you?

As far as Linksys, they are definitely NOT junk. I have used several Linksys access points/routers (both .11b and .11g) and never had a problem. I consistently get a 54mpbs connection at "Good" or "Excellent" signal strength (according to Windows). On the other hand, I once had a D-Link router (not wireless) that died after less than a year in service. I've stayed with Linksys ever since.

That's my $0.02 anyway.
-Dave

P.S. I have used SageTV Client occasionally on my laptop over 802.11g and had no problems except that navigating the menus is often slower than normal. No video or audio issues. I never tried it on 802.11b and wouldn't want to.

[steingra]

Thanks for more feedback. Sounds to me like I HAVE TO GOTO a G class router. I am just glad they are not too expensive anymore. I still dont know which brand to get guess I will just see what Best Buy has. Or wwwwww almart. They are only 2 places in our area with available tech stuff. Well except radio shack of course. But their prices are usually sky high.

[steingra]

One other question, what about these supposedly FASTER type of G class wireless routers. They say like 108Mbps...just wonder if one of those would help.

[Polypro]

Yes, the SRX line is nice. If you want to maximize a laptop G client while staying on the less expensive side, Buffalo makes a card that offers an external connector and they have a 6db antenna that will plug in. Try provantage.com.

P

[steingra]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Only way is to reduce the recording quality.

Hey I see you are in the Cedar Rapids area, I live in Quad cities...just down the road. Thought that was interesting

[steingra]

Originally Posted by Polypro

Yes, the SRX line is nice. If you want to maximize a laptop G client while staying on the less expensive side, Buffalo makes a card that offers an external connector and they have a 6db antenna that will plug in. Try provantage.com.

P

How does it connect to laptop? Are you saying its firewire or USB connection? Or PCMCIA card?


I imagine since these more powerful routers exist, you will also have to have a more powerful client device in the PC or laptop in order to take advantage of it, otherwise its just going to operate at same G class speed.

I am curious if these *faster* wireless routers and devices are communicating using more power, and/or slicing and dicing the data different than a regular G class device, in order to achieve a theoretical 108 Mbps connection speed. hmmm
Thanks

[Polypro]

The car is PCMCIA. Two MIMO devices will give the best performance, but tests have shown an improvement when evenjust the router is used with a reguar G client.

P

[ckron]

I live in a hundred year old house. Wireless hates old plaster walls. When I had B, I could barely go halfway across my house and maintain a connection. When I began looking at G, my main concern was range. My research led me not to a specific brand, but to a specific wireless chipset, Atheros. Everything I read, indicated that the Atheros based routers and cards would give you better range and better B+G compatability. I ended up buying the Netgear SuperG (108Mbs) router and the PC card to match. I have not regretted my decision for even one minute. Not only can I go anywhere inside my house, but I can walk anywhere on my property and maintain at least a "good" signal. I hope this helps you out.



PS. Newegg rocks

[steingra]

Originally Posted by ckron

I live in a hundred year old house. Wireless hates old plaster walls. When I had B, I could barely go halfway across my house and maintain a connection. When I began looking at G, my main concern was range. My research led me not to a specific brand, but to a specific wireless chipset, Atheros. Everything I read, indicated that the Atheros based routers and cards would give you better range and better B+G compatability. I ended up buying the Netgear SuperG (108Mbs) router and the PC card to match. I have not regretted my decision for even one minute. Not only can I go anywhere inside my house, but I can walk anywhere on my property and maintain at least a "good" signal. I hope this helps you out.



PS. Newegg rocks

Thanks for the tip. I will definately look into that.

PS Here is one comment from newegg that makes me wonder if I would have to downgrade to 54Mbps (If someone else nearby is using channel 6?) :

<from newegg product review>
I bought this as part of the kit with the included PC Card adapter. You can read my review there as well. It works out of the box with no clicks! I configured it afterwards to my liking. My only comment: You need a clear channel 6 to use 108. If a neighbor is on channel 6 (the default, I assume), you can't use 108, as your router will try to find an open channel. 108 requires channel 6 (I assume it uses the surrounding channels to achieve 108). Otherwise, the 54 works great, and is a huge improvement over B. It's faster and stronger (longer range). This router is a great consumer product, very easy to setup and setup CORRECTLY). I recommend it highly. Search the newegg site for this model bundled with other things like usb, pci, or pcmcia adapters.
<end of comment/>

PS
What about something like this from Netgear? Would it be even better than what products you mentioned? they have PC cards and PCMCIA cards to match it (RangeMax stuff) using MIMO 7 antennae's

http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=5672771

[steingra]

Originally Posted by ckron

I live in a hundred year old house. Wireless hates old plaster walls. When I had B, I could barely go halfway across my house and maintain a connection. When I began looking at G, my main concern was range. My research led me not to a specific brand, but to a specific wireless chipset, Atheros. Everything I read, indicated that the Atheros based routers and cards would give you better range and better B+G compatability. I ended up buying the Netgear SuperG (108Mbs) router and the PC card to match. I have not regretted my decision for even one minute. Not only can I go anywhere inside my house, but I can walk anywhere on my property and maintain at least a "good" signal. I hope this helps you out.



PS. Newegg rocks

I like newegg also. Been a customer for a while.
So whats up with the 79 product reviews of the router. Seems like some people say it stinks, and other rave about it. hmmmmmm That concerns me. Do you remember what other brands had this chipset? just curious.

PS
Dumb question, is this router considered an *Access Point*?

my current setup is like this:
1. Cable Modem --> 2. LinksSys Firewall Router (gives out DHCP) --> 3. Wireless B router (it has a static IP acting as a bridge - has a network cable running back to #2 router) <--> 4. Wireless devices (they get DHCP from #2 router)


This current setup has been working just fine for like a year or more. But I just want a big speed boost now, with one of these Super G wireless routers and/or using MIMO technology.