Video Streaming Choppy

[huxley2112]

I am looking for some help on an issue that has me at a loss:

I am having problems with playback of streaming video from the internet. Sound and buffering do just fine, but the video is often so choppy that it is unwatchable. Considering this machine is hooked up to my Mitsubishi WD-65837 TV as a HTPC, this is unacceptable.

The machine is:
AMD Sempron 3200+ 1.8 Ghz
4 GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD5570
Windows 7 Ultimate, fresh install
Networked via ethernet to router to cable modem

Here are some points/things I have tried:
*local video plays back just fine via VLC
*It happens both in original window and full screen
*I have disabled hardware acceleration on Flash player
*It is not a router/network problem, as I have a Dell Studio Laptop via wireless and it plays streaming video just fine
*All drivers and Catalyst are up to date
*Fresh install of Windows 7, so it isn't a resource problem
*I have messed with every setting in Catalyst
*Speedtest and Pingtest come out 13 MB/s and A grade
*Happens in IE, FF, Opera, and Chrome

I have scoured the internets to find a solution, and no one seems to be able to have an answer. This is my last hope, so please help! Let me know if there is any additional information you need.

Thanks!

 

[falafelkart]

I am having the exact same issue, and it seems to have recently started. Windows 7 Ultimate, Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR2 RAM, hardwire gigabit connection. VLC works just fine in full 1080p with absolutely no skips or lag. Choppiness is happening to me on netflix as well. One important note, I FOOLISHLY installed 32 bit windows instead of 64 ::facepalm:: last year, when I didn't really understand the difference. I'm using about 70% of my physical memory, but nothing has changed since before this problem started, and my system ran flawlessly for over a year.

Very, very, very frustrating.


EDIT: I have two separate physical drives on my computer, the other has Ubuntu 10.10 installed. My internet speed is (Verizon FiOS 45mbps down and about 28mbps up, so I was sure it coudln't be my connection speed. But I decided to test anyway, and booted up to Ubuntu, opened an HD video on Vimeo.com, and sure enough... choppy! I ran over to my wife's computer, and shes watching some teenmom crap, and what does she say? Choppy!! Vimeo was choppy on her computer too!!! Choppy on both hardwire, and wifi. Above I said that nothing had changed, but actually I moved this month, so this internet connection is less than one month old. This leads me to believe it is one of two things... my router/modem (standard Verizon router/modem combo - Actiontec MI424-WR) OR its the actual FiOS connection (less likely but certainly possible)... One caveat, my PS3 is streaming netflix without the choppiness...

I am going to test this out by swapping the router tomorrow, and then taking my machine to my brothers apartment (where I was connected for the past year) to test it again on Comcast's network.

huxley2112, who is your ISP, and what is your network hardware? I know you said its not a router/network problem, but is there something else that would explain some devices working properly and others not?

I'll update as soon as I am able to test this out.

 

[falafelkart]

I tested this out on a different connection, and still experienced some choppiness. Its my computer, but I don't know what's causing it. System resources aren't maxing out... Unghhh....

 

[greenhornet20th]

Did this ever get resolved? I have the same problem as the original post with a Win 7 PC connected to my Sony Bravia via the VGA input. Streaming video is choppy while local video files play smoothly. The only thing I can find that I need to check is the Video Hardware Acceleration. It seems that people recommend turning this off to relieve any processor related lag. The only problem with that is there doesn't seem to be a lot of processor related activity.

 

[falafelkart]

To be honest, I posted my last reply so long ago, I've nearly forgotten about the issue.

However, I have switched my ISP from Verizon to Comcast since my last post. I also haven't really changed much as far as configuration on my computer. It may not have been my machine after all...

The choppiness is gone for me, and I believe it has everything to do with the ISP. Verizon was horrible. My service was constantly being disconnected, and since I switched to Comcast, I've had no problems, with choppy video streaming or otherwise.

Have you tried streaming from multiple sites and in different browsers? Who is your service provider and how fast is your connection? Do you have any other programs running that require heavy bandwidth, such as games or file-sharing?

 

[greenhornet20th]

Just to follow up in case some future Interweb surfer happens upon this... I could not even find the Video Hardware Acceleration in windows 7 that I mentioned before, so perhaps it hey got rid of it after Win XP. Just to clarify, when I say choppy, it is a very slight choppiness. It is still what I would call full motion video, but it is not completely smooth like you expect from TV. It is almost like it is dropping a frame or two every second. In fact, now that I think about it, that is exactly what is happening. It is dropping frames. So maybe some PC video genius can tell me what would cause that?

To answer your question, I have tried multiple web sites for streaming content. The problem is consistent for any streaming video no matter the source. What prompted my recent post was my recent trial of Netflix, although, I have always had the issue with Youtube, Hulu, or any streaming site. After I posted this I went to best buy and bought a Sony SMP-N100 Network Streaming Player on sale for $49. It is connected to Internet via WiFi and I connected to TV via component video cable at first and the Netflix, Youtube or any other video playback was smooth as glass. So there goes the theory of the ISP or Internet connection being the culprit. I also connected it via HDMI later and got an even better picture and playback. So my problem must have to do with the PC hardware, possibly an inferior graphic adapter, although I thought it was a descent Nvidia adapter. I was suspecting there was an issue with the Sony VGA port on the TV, but to check that I will have to attach a standard PC monitor to the same PC to see if I have the same problem. The reason I discounted that theory initially is because the playback from local content was perfect. So the issue somehow must be the combination of Internet activity and video rendering over the high resolution display.