Windows Media Player asynchronous (?) buffering

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juha

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#8098 3-Jun-2006 17:10

OK, I've tried googling for this one, but haven't found an answer yet - probably due to my g00gl3 sk1llZ not being 1337 nuff.

When you watch some WMV media streams, Windows Media Player buffers them and you see a percentage done indicator. However, it seems to be buffering several streams, because you see one counter showing X per cent done, another Y per cent done. I've noticed up to four separate counters.

What's up with that? Is WMP buffering audio and video separately? Why more than two streams then? Oddly enough, the video starts displaying - with sound - as soon as one of the counters hit 100%.

This happens with both WMP 10 and 11, but can't remember if 9 does it too - think it does.

Not a life or death matter, but just something I've been wondering about.

Juha

lokinz

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#37565 3-Jun-2006 18:32

three possible reasons (all off the top of my head and may or may not be true)...

1. Wmp (and Microsoft in general) are notoriously crap at counting/adding up/etc, so they just display random numbers that don't really mean anything

2. occasionally, while buffering there's an glitch in the connection or an error in the data that's been received and it has to go back and grab an earlier bit again

3. Wmp changes its mind about how much it wants/needs to buffer based on the connection speed... if it originally thought it needed to buffer 100kb, and has 50kb already, then it'd be 50%, but then it changes its mind and wants 150kb to be buffered, so now the 50kb it's got is only 30%

bradstewart

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#37566 3-Jun-2006 18:41

You will find that its mostly reason number 2...

2. occasionally, while buffering there's an glitch in the connection or an error in the data that's been received and it has to go back and grab an earlier bit again

but sometimes its also a little bit of number 3

3. Wmp changes its mind about how much it wants/needs to buffer based on the connection speed... if it originally thought it needed to buffer 100kb, and has 50kb already, then it'd be 50%, but then it changes its mind and wants 150kb to be buffered, so now the 50kb it's got is only 30%

juha

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#37568 3-Jun-2006 19:12

No, neither response makes sense, but thanks though. I can see that the counters are incrementing individually and not being reset. Hmm. Packet sniffer time I guess. :)

Juha

lokinz

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#37570 3-Jun-2006 19:19

I understand what you are saying and I have seen it but it wouldn’t work (would it?) I would think, if it was downloading separate streams you would encounter some serious voice sync issues?

juha

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#37571 3-Jun-2006 19:22

lokinz:
I understand what you are saying and I have seen it but it wouldn’t work (would it?) I would think, if it was downloading separate streams you would encounter some serious voice sync issues?

Well, that's exactly what is baffling me... what is it buffering?

Juha

bradstewart

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#37572 3-Jun-2006 19:32

My question is how can you see up to 4 indicators?

You could find that it is buffering different segments of the file.

juha

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#37575 3-Jun-2006 19:35

You look at when it says "Buffering..." and notice that one starts at X% and increments, then switches to another one, etc, and follow that. Yes, I did think it was buffering parts of the file, but surely WMP hasn't got Bittorrent like features yet?

Juha

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lokinz

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#37577 3-Jun-2006 19:46

juha:
......but surely WMP hasn't got Bittorrent like features yet?

Hey you never know, but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of buffering a stream?

I have been looking on google too, but to no avail

On a side note (since we are talking about WMP11) I am Loving the new Microsoft products, Well done MS!

juha

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#37578 3-Jun-2006 20:04

Yeah, WMP 11 is a big step up, IMO. Seen some sour reports on it, but I like it. Main problem is that the thumbnails for content can be slow to update, but that's about it.

Juha

bradstewart

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#37579 3-Jun-2006 20:10

I've often seen the status jump back and forward, its on 80% then back to 40 then 75 then 20 its rather crazy, but i think it just depends on the connection to the server.

Speaking of the new MS beta products, Vista, Office, IE7 and WMP11 are all fantastic. I havent been so excited about the release of new MS products since Windows 3.1 came out

juha

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#37581 3-Jun-2006 20:14

bradstewart:
I've often seen the status jump back and forward, its on 80% then back to 40 then 75 then 20 its rather crazy, but i think it just depends on the connection to the server.

Speaking of the new MS beta products, Vista, Office, IE7 and WMP11 are all fantastic. I havent been so excited about the release of new MS products since Windows 3.1 came out

Ah, well, that's because your implants are turned up to 11.

Scott Finnie takes a more churlish look at Vista however.

Juha

juha

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#37583 3-Jun-2006 20:30

If you don't like what Scot wrote, check out Tom's Hardware going on a screen shooting spree with Vista...

Juha