I wanted to buy the new APPLE TV v3 but someone says it does not work well with wireless. I have a Dlink DIR 655. If I play a movie in 1080i or even a 720p will it stutter. I have a netGear Powerline AV 201 which works well with the PS3 before. Can that help to improve streaming with the new Apple TV? Is the Roku 2 better in play back of other formats like Xvid and MKV? I was thinking of this or the Roku2 HD.
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Does wireless connection work well with HD or how does it stream using Powerline AV
- Thread starter pectin232
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it depends entirely on how robust your wifi network is.
i can stream 1080p over my wifi network, but i've set mine up correctly and it's very robust with little interference.
ethernet will always be a preference over wifi though, and powerline adaptors are a way of using ethernet when running cables is not an option.
i can stream 1080p over my wifi network, but i've set mine up correctly and it's very robust with little interference.
ethernet will always be a preference over wifi though, and powerline adaptors are a way of using ethernet when running cables is not an option.
Everyone's situation is unique, your router, distance away, interference, etc. All I can say is I have a Time Machine and aTV3 in my basement, my Mac on the first floor and I never get a stutter. It's rock solid with 1080p/DD 5.1 material.
Wired will always be better even a pipeline adaptor will be better. As for wifi you want wireless n and a good strong signal.
I too have a NetGear Powerline adapter setup (I can't say which one off the top of my head). I am able to stream 1080P videos without any problems to my Apple TV 3. I didn't have many problems over wifi (wireless N) either, but the load times are much improved over the powerlines (a few seconds wait time rather than a minute or two).
Since the Apple TV 3 can't play Xvid or MKV (that I know of), I would say the Roku is better at that. However the biggest weakness of the Roku is its local streaming over LAN capabilities. I have tried streaming m4v files to it through plex over the same connection type as the Apple TV, and ran into all kinds of freezing and stuttering problems. I have not however tried streaming other video formats to it.
These are just my experiences, others might have had better luck with it.
Since the Apple TV 3 can't play Xvid or MKV (that I know of), I would say the Roku is better at that. However the biggest weakness of the Roku is its local streaming over LAN capabilities. I have tried streaming m4v files to it through plex over the same connection type as the Apple TV, and ran into all kinds of freezing and stuttering problems. I have not however tried streaming other video formats to it.
These are just my experiences, others might have had better luck with it.
My ATV3, when loading HD movies via Home Sharing from my late 2009 17" MBP (not running anything CPU-intensive and not taxing the network) via wireless, is painfully slow to buffer (sometimes it even takes half an hour(!) to start a 1080p direct BD rip to start), particularly with higher-bitrate stuff (BD videos I didn't recompress after ripping from my BD's and are, therefore, geneally between 20 and 30 Mbps). In these cases, only wired connections help.
This may have been a problem - I don't. Will test it with an optimized stream. (Nevertheless, I don't use the ATV3 much (mostly for testing purposes only) as I prefer watching videos on my iPad 3.)
Seriously how do I optimize my router to work with Apple TV3?? Are there some settings I need to change or parameters like QOS [quality of service....]
I was referring to optimizing the file for streaming using Subler. Nothing to do with the router. Sorry for the confusion.
No, we're talking about optimizing MOV (M4v / mp4) files - when it comes to routers, cabling (preferably both the source and the ATV) is always the most optimal solution.
Optimizing video files is done automatically by iFlicks and some other remuxers at the end of the conversion - but, IIRC, not by the best remuxer, Subler, when not running in queue mode (where it's on by default). Will try to run some serious tests today between my MBP and ATV3 and also publish an article with the results.
Also, to be clear, I was referring to file optimization improving the long load times you mentioned. I don't think it has much of an impact on anything else. My understanding is that moving the MOV atom to the beginning of the file can slow down metadata edits, as the entire file has to be re-written in order to incorporate metadata changes. When the atom is at the end of the file, only that small section needs to be re-written. That may be why Subler gives you a choice (as HB does). If streaming speed/buffer is not an issue, it is probably not an advantage to "optimize" the file.
is there a way to tell if a file has been optimised (correct spelling btw) without trying to optimise it again?
can it be detected by inspecting the file?
I had that same question early on and no one could ever tell me how. In the metadata, where you can add info on the encoding app, I also include a clue as to whether the file was optimized and by which app (Subler or HB). Of course, I'll bet somehow you must be able to go into a file and locate the MOV with a script or something....but that's way beyond my capability or ambition.
And no, it doesn't show on Media Inspector.
Yup, it does put the "MooV" atom at the begining of the file (also see http://code.google.com/p/subler/wiki/FAQ on this)
Neither do MediaInfo or VLC.
A quick glance in the file shows whether it's optimized or not. First, an optimized file (I've also made it available at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/81986513/0...bSub size changed to 1920x540 - Optimized.m4v ); pay attention to my annotation:
Second, the non-optimized one shows no moov at all and, therefore, easy to differentiate from the optimized one:
Also, there are a lot of MP4 structure displayer apps showing where the atom is located.
in theory the 802.11N built into the appleTV is faster than the 10/100 ethernet port it has but as others have said distance from your router among other things can change this.
I would prefer the PowerLine consistency of 100Mbps versus the potential issue of wireless. To get the BEST wireless signal you need to be close to it. as you move away the signal gets weaker and therefore your bandwidth diminishes. You may also have other factors which cause interference -- lead-based paint, horse-hair plaster, refrigerator and air conditioning coils, user load on the wireless network, other neighboring networks on the same channel, etc.
I live in a 2000 sq. ft. 1910 house and depending on where I go in my house I can actually loose wi-fi signal due to some of the above mentioned factors.
As others have mentioned, hard-wired is always the best route to go if possible.
I have a Cisco PowerLine solution in my house for the far corner of my home which cannot get decent wifi.
I live in a 2000 sq. ft. 1910 house and depending on where I go in my house I can actually loose wi-fi signal due to some of the above mentioned factors.
As others have mentioned, hard-wired is always the best route to go if possible.
I have a Cisco PowerLine solution in my house for the far corner of my home which cannot get decent wifi.
A good compromise which works well for me is to have the server (a 2006 iMac with iTunes for me) via ethernet to your router and the the clients (2 ATV3's one on ground floor the other on first floor in circa 1870 house with granite walls etc) via wireless. The only problem I've had is choosing the router. I've tried a TP Link 450Mbps which was great for 2 months then started forgetting clients. Fell back on a circa 2003 Airport for a while just proved how stable it was but wireless G is painful, but worked. Tried a Belkin N1 from ebay which is ok but flaky so tomorrow I'm going to do what I should have done to start and order a refurb Airport Extreme from the Apple Store!
I know it's not very trend but I love my ATV's!
I know it's not very trend but I love my ATV's!
Keeping everything at 5Ghz will help. ATV3 certainly can do 2.4 & 5, not sure about other models.