Stuttering video/audio

[wrx1]

I started ripping my dvd's and dumping them onto my server. I am using handbrake (from a windows machine) to rip them. I am basically converting them to a modified ps3 format (h264 .mp4).

The problem that I am running into is, about 30 seconds or so into the movie, the video starts to stutter. What I have found is that my fps is running around 30-35 or so, and once it runs out of the buffer time (I am guessing on this?), the fps drops down to around 14-18 and that is when everything starts stuttering and dropping frames.

I am running a mac mini (2.0ghz with 2gb of ram) and I am streaming it from my server (gigabit connects with cat6 cable). I know it is not a network or server issue since these rips will play fine on my other machines.

Here is the kicker, if I use xbmc on my mac mini, it plays these rips just fine, if I use vlc, it plays them fine. No matter what program I use, they play fine, UNTIL I fire up boxee, then they stuttering starts. I can play the dvd directly and they play fine.

I have old riped movies/videos that play fine, but they are not ripped as high of a quality as the new ones that I am doing now.

So my question is, What is happening in boxee that is killing my playback performance that is not happening in xbmc?? Does adding extra internet feeds slow down the performance??

Thanks
Russ

[wrx1]

Anyone?? I would like to continue to rip my dvd collection, and I would LOVE to continue using boxee, but since boxee makes these rips un-watchable, it only give me two options. Rip my movies to a lower quality, or drop boxee for xbmc.

Russ

[marcel]

are you using handbrake ..if so try the web optimized option..we will be releasing a new version soon which might help..

[wrx1]

are you using handbrake ..if so try the web optimized option..we will be releasing a new version soon which might help..

Is this going to help with the high CPU load?? What I have also been noticing is that the cpu load is usually running around 120% or so (when you hit the 'y' button while watching something). I am guessing this also has something to do with the other complaints about the cooling fans on the mac minis running at high speed as soon as they start playing something.

Russ

[hagfish]

I grabbed this tip from somewhere else and it worked wonders for me. First off, how are you adding your share in boxee? Within the "network" section w/ smb or whatever? If so try this.. Remove that network share in boxee and re-add it as a "Local" share. Even though you're adding it as "local", it's still a network share. As long as your share is mounted you can find it "locally" in /Volumes/nameofshare -- You're basically tricking boxee here to add your network share as a local source instead of SMB.

I was just like you, having probs with handbrake encoded vids-- changing my network share to "local" fixed those stuttering problems for good. Now, if boxee would only play 1080p content smoothly (on a more than capable processor) I'd be all set..

[wrx1]

I will give that a try. I don't think that is the problem tho. It really seems like boxee is killing the cpu. I have since tried a couple of other video encoders and I am getting the same results, so I don't think it is a handbrake issue. And like I said, boxee is the only video player that gives me these issues. XBMC, VLC, and everything else plays them just fine, but when boxee fires up, the cpu load goes through the roof and then it will play for a bit and then just stutter out.

I mean I could rip these videos to a lower quality, but then that kinda defeats the purpose. And these video's are not even HD.

Russ

[LordHelmet]

Anyone?? I would like to continue to rip my dvd collection, and I would LOVE to continue using boxee, but since boxee makes these rips un-watchable, it only give me two options. Rip my movies to a lower quality, or drop boxee for xbmc.

Russ

I rip all of my DVDs with the AppleTV preset in Handbrake. Works great on Boxee, and XBMC. I've tested it on a MacBook, AppleTV and a PC.

[wrx1]

Ok, so I have been messing around a bunch the past few days and I am definitely noticing some SMB networks issues. I made a network share a local share and changed it over in boxee to a local source. My cpu load dropped from 100%+ down to the 35-40% area. My standard def content no longer stutters. I am still running into a few issues with the HD stuff, but by making my network share a local share, that helped.

So is the new version of boxee coming out going to help with this??

Russ

[hagfish]

Ok, so I have been messing around a bunch the past few days and I am definitely noticing some SMB networks issues. I made a network share a local share and changed it over in boxee to a local source. My cpu load dropped from 100%+ down to the 35-40% area. My standard def content no longer stutters. I am still running into a few issues with the HD stuff, but by making my network share a local share, that helped.

So is the new version of boxee coming out going to help with this??

Russ

You may continue to have issues w/ your HD stuff as long as boxee isn't utilizing your proc to its fullest. See this thread that I started a few days ago and how I found another solution (for now)..

http://forum.boxee.tv/showthread.php?t=9270