Windows version-choppy playback with Flash and Boxee app for iTouch

[stergil]

I know there are loads of thread on this, but there's more to it than just hardware and using the latest Flash beta with hardware acceleration.

The problem is with the web server, more specifically simultaneous usage of while playing a Flash video.

I use the Boxee app on my iTouch pretty much exclusively to control Boxee. When I have the app running on my iTouch while a Youtube video is playing there's terrible chop. If I close the app and go to the homescreen on my iTouch it plays silky smooth. This is recreated at will.

I do not have this problem within Netflix/Silverlight.
I do not have this problem playing local media files (mkv)

Windows 7 64bit
Latest version of Flash beta both Active-x plugin and player
Latest video & chipset drivers
Latest version of DirectX

4gig RAM
Core 2 Duo 2.9ghz
GeForce 9300

Edit:
If you simply put the iTouch to sleep it takes a short bit for the chop to go away. I assume that is because the iTouch app doesn't actually disconnect from the web service until a certain timeout period. To get immediate relief from the chop I press the Home button to essentially close the app. Once I turn the iTouch back on and launch the Boxee app the chop returns immediately.

[vitony]

So, this would mean that Linux users do not have this problem?

[judgeschambers]

This could be a lot of possible causes: Flash, Video driver, Boxee, hardware issue, network or even the app itself.

To me, I'm thinking it's a network issue as I recall the iTouch app connects via the network to boxee. But, it does seem odd that it's only flash...but flash is a hog sometimes.

Are you running wifi or wired home network? If wifi, I wonder if it's low bandwidth? Or a perfect storm of app, bandwidth, flash and hardware resources. Just guessing really.

If you don't get any good suggestions here and find that the network or wifi or hardware is not the cause, post a report here:
http://jira.boxee.tv

Include the boxee logs it requests and your flash version, video driver version etc.

Anyone else with an idea?

[kiefer]

I encounter the same problems. Later today when I'm home, I will attach two logs, 1) when I'm using the remote to watch a YouTube video and 2) when I use a mouse to watch the same video after restarting Boxee.

[KeyMasterOfGozer]

This same thing happens also for me. It started with moving from Alpha to Beta. I don't think it has any relationship to the iPhone app, though, as I don't use it.

I can play Hulu or Youtube from a web browser, or for Hulu from Hulu Desktop with perfect quality, however, when playing any Flash stream in Boxee, the framerate is very choppy, something like 2-3 frames per second.

In Boxee:
- Local network files (mkv,mk4,mp4) all play perfectly
- Silverlight streaming (Netflix) plays perfectly
- Flash Streaming (Hulu, Youtube) very choppy

Boxee version: 0.9.20.10711
Windows XP sp3
Flash Version: 10.1.2.3P
latest video drivers and directx

[darcilicious]

Since your problem is unrelated to using the iPhone app, please start a different thread so that this one can remain focused on the original problem

In your particular case, you may want to take a look at the Video section of http://forum.boxee.tv/announcement.php?f=8 -- also note that XP doesn't apparently make use of hardware acceleration so flash playback may never work well In your new thread (I recommend the Boxee for Windows forum) also be sure to post your hardware specs (CPU and graphics card/chipset).

[stergil]

So, this would mean that Linux users do not have this problem?

Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate such, I am only using the Windows version so that's all I can comment on.

It's easy enough to test if you have an iTouch or iPhone and can be recreated at will, I'd say try it out and see.

[stergil]

This could be a lot of possible causes: Flash, Video driver, Boxee, hardware issue, network or even the app itself.

To me, I'm thinking it's a network issue as I recall the iTouch app connects via the network to boxee. But, it does seem odd that it's only flash...but flash is a hog sometimes.

Perhaps the Youtube app, or something within Boxee code. I honestly don't know what's going on under the hood in terms of Boxee or app source code.

Are you running wifi or wired home network? If wifi, I wonder if it's low bandwidth? Or a perfect storm of app, bandwidth, flash and hardware resources. Just guessing really.

Guesses are good, it's part of troubleshooting the unknown

My Boxee PC is on Gigabit ethernet and my iTouch is on 802.11g. The bandwidth for each is more than sufficient. This same choppy playback does not occur when I'm streaming a video from Netflix, or off the local LAN. It's only in the Youtube app. I'm new to Boxee, are there other Flash apps that I can test to see if I get the same results? I'm not sure which ones use Flash and which ones don't.

If you don't get any good suggestions here and find that the network or wifi or hardware is not the cause, post a report here:
http://jira.boxee.tv

Include the boxee logs it requests and your flash version, video driver version etc.

Sounds good, I'll let it float around for the weekend and see if anyone chimes in.

I'm editing the original post with updated info as I find things out.

[judgeschambers]

This same thing happens also for me. It started with moving from Alpha to Beta. I don't think it has any relationship to the iPhone app, though, as I don't use it.

I can play Hulu or Youtube from a web browser, or for Hulu from Hulu Desktop with perfect quality, however, when playing any Flash stream in Boxee, the framerate is very choppy, something like 2-3 frames per second.

In Boxee:
- Local network files (mkv,mk4,mp4) all play perfectly
- Silverlight streaming (Netflix) plays perfectly
- Flash Streaming (Hulu, Youtube) very choppy

Boxee version: 0.9.20.10711
Windows XP sp3
Flash Version: 10.1.2.3P
latest video drivers and directx

darcilicious is correct on all fronts,

Yours is a common issue with XP as no video card provides GPU acceleration for flash. Also, most players do not support it either in XP. This applies to Boxee as well. Boxee supports video acceleration with Vista and Win-7 only for Flash, Silverlight, MoveNetworks and H264 .MP4 files.

So, some users experience choppy playback in boxee when using XP due to the added load of the program and the hit Flash puts on the CPU since acceleration is not supported.

There are plenty of threads on this topic. Search for: Hulu

[jmk_428]

Everyone with Flash 10.1 beta problems, try the non-beta Flash 10.0 with boxee. It makes Hulu work fine within boxee. There is likely a code issue within Boxee for this discrepancy...