Streaming from USA is fine - anything from Europe (UK) most unreliable

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robjg63

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Topic # 161736 18-Jan-2015 10:10

I am on the vodafone red network and have an ADSL connection.
Generally my broadband connection is ok.
16Mbps down and .8Mbps up.

I use Unotelly for DNS unblocking.
Mostly anything I stream from the USA seems to be pretty smooth.
Netflix for example didnt buffer at all when I tried it out. PBS even streams pretty smooth.

Anything I try from the UK (BBC iplayer/ITV player/Channel 4 etc) is very unreliable.
Quite often things will just stop altogether or at best start buffering frequently.

Is there a reason why there should be such a noticeable difference?
Anyone else noticed anything similar?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Jase2985

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Reply # 1216851 18-Jan-2015 10:52

because a when you ping the US its 150-180ms, when you ping the UK its 300+ms.

Download/streaming is related to ping, which is caused by distance, do a speed test to the UK and then one to the US and see the difference.

Thats more than likely the cause of your issue

grant_k

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Reply # 1216854 18-Jan-2015 11:11

I find that streaming from the UK usually works OK, but over the peak holiday period when our area was full of visitors, I got some buffering which I don't normally see. For this reason, I usually download using BBC iPlayer, rather than streaming. However, I know that 4OD for example only offers streaming. Most of the time though, I watch BBC programmes, so it isn't an issue for me.

gbwelly

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Reply # 1216857 18-Jan-2015 11:18

It too find this annoying. Latency is not really an issue with streaming, I think it's a lack of bandwidth from Vodafone. Interestingly I can stream iplayer at 720p quality at about 5pm on a weeknight, but by 7:30pm it doesn't reliably play even the lowest quality stream.

robjg63

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Reply # 1216941 18-Jan-2015 14:24

gbwelly: It too find this annoying. Latency is not really an issue with streaming, I think it's a lack of bandwidth from Vodafone. Interestingly I can stream iplayer at 720p quality at about 5pm on a weeknight, but by 7:30pm it doesn't reliably play even the lowest quality stream.

Good to know its not just me - I have the suspicion its a bandwidth issue as well - was wondering if it was a VF issue or whether it affects all ISPs in NZ.

I have been using get_iplayer to download BBC programs I want for watching later - this is a good work around for the peak time choking issues.
Unfortunately havent found any similar (free) downloaders for 4od or ITV.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Jase2985

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Reply # 1216945 18-Jan-2015 14:32

do a regular speed test to the UK, it will show if there is a bottleneck in the system

grant_k

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Reply # 1216962 18-Jan-2015 14:58

robjg63: ...
I have been using get_iplayer to download BBC programs I want for watching later - this is a good work around for the peak time choking issues.
Unfortunately havent found any similar (free) downloaders for 4od or ITV.

Out of curiosity, why don't you use the downloader that comes with BBC iPlayer?

If necessary, I run it on a scheduler to take advantage of free off-peak data that my ISP provides. Seems to work perfectly for me, but perhaps you have a reason for not using it?

robjg63

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Reply # 1216968 18-Jan-2015 15:07

The get_iplayer downloader downloads a file without DRM - so I can save the files for later and not have to watch within the 30 day (of broadcast) limit of the BBC iplayer downloader.
Sometimes with a drama series I like to binge watch - ie save and watch over a short period of time - rather than the 1 episode a week.

EDIT: your ISP has free off-peak! - didnt know any still did that....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

grant_k

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Reply # 1216988 18-Jan-2015 15:49

robjg63: The get_iplayer downloader downloads a file without DRM - so I can save the files for later and not have to watch within the 30 day (of broadcast) limit of the BBC iplayer downloader.

Thanks for the tip! Generally I find the 30-day period is enough, but I'll keep that in mind.

robjg63: EDIT: your ISP has free off-peak! - didnt know any still did that....

I'm connected via Vodafone's 3G mobile network using Wireless RBI. My ISP provides 60GB of 'Anytime' data, and then another 60GB 'Off-Peak' data at no extra cost. All the RBI resellers do this, as I understand Vodafone provides this data between 12 midnight and 6am at pretty much zero cost. However, it's interesting to note that Vodafone don't offer this to their own customers which is bizarre, but there you go ... for me it's just another reason not to be a direct customer of theirs, in addition to the various other reasons I've noted over the years.

gbwelly

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Reply # 1217000 18-Jan-2015 16:38

robjg63:
gbwelly: It too find this annoying. Latency is not really an issue with streaming, I think it's a lack of bandwidth from Vodafone. Interestingly I can stream iplayer at 720p quality at about 5pm on a weeknight, but by 7:30pm it doesn't reliably play even the lowest quality stream.

Good to know its not just me - I have the suspicion its a bandwidth issue as well - was wondering if it was a VF issue or whether it affects all ISPs in NZ.

I have been using get_iplayer to download BBC programs I want for watching later - this is a good work around for the peak time choking issues.
Unfortunately havent found any similar (free) downloaders for 4od or ITV.

Downloading?

I just want to click play on the video in Plex with my remote from my couch.