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+--- Thread: v20 Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? (/showthread.php?tid=374672)
Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? - RKCRLR - 2023-10-10
I have AT&T Internet Air service (cell tower internet) and it sucks but it is realistically the best option available to me. My signal quality is bad to begin with and I usually get 20-30 Mbps download speeds during the day which normally is OK for streaming. But the main problem is in the evenings when the tower gets congested and my download speeds vary. I can get 20 Mbps one minute and 5 Mbps (or lower) the next.
I use the Disney+, Paramount+, Hulu, etc. addons to stream. I usually start my streaming at a resolution that I think it can support at that time and then downgrade the resolution (stop playback and restart at a lower resolution) if I have buffering. But I still can get buffering. The buffering wheel percentage will almost stop sometimes and then recover.
Does anyone have some recommended settings for the video cache in advancedsettings.xml for this situation (they are currently at the default values)? Or any recommended setting changes in InputStream Adaptive? It seems that if I could increase the amount of data in the buffer to bridge the blocks of slowdowns and then catch up when data is available I'd be better off.
I'd be willing to start playback and pause it until the buffer fills before watching. I'd also be willing to download the stream for later playback but haven't found a way (legally - that works) to do that.
RE: Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? - izprtxqkft - 2023-10-10
so is this happening on your 2019 Shield TV Pro with Tvheadend Client (Kodi) ?
or on your Ugoos X3 Cube with CoreELEC as a Tvheadend server ?
what kodi version?
as far as an official disney+ app the minimum speed for HD is only 5Mbps - https://help.disneyplus.com/article/disneyplus-recommended-speeds
stability of the connection will likely matter more, latency as well - you are possibly seeing buffering between the content segments where a new connection must be made but that new connection is taking too long and causing buffering
if possible, have you compared to the official app?
RE: Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? - RKCRLR - 2023-10-10
It's happening when streaming in Kodi that is installed on my 2019 Shield TV Pro. I'm on Kodi 20.2. Buffering can happen anytime, not just between segments.
The official apps have similar problems and will buffer. Sometimes weird things happen like the video will freeze but the audio will continue. One thing I like about some of the official apps is they will automatically downres during playback until they can't go any lower. Others will say optimizing video and then start playing. As far as I can tell InputStream Adaptive only changes resolution at the start if set to Best.
As I mentioned, this isn't a problem during the day or late hours at night when the tower isn't congested.
RE: Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? - izprtxqkft - 2023-10-10
the shield itself shouldn't be introducing issues (low memory could attribute to buffering on some systems f.e. but not usually on shield)
the official apps are indeed better equipped to handle adaptive streaming and if they are affected too then i don't expect any Kodi settings to help
in some versions of ISA (new ones?) there is a setting, Stream Selection Type: Adaptive, not sure when it was introduced or how it works entirely but i still think this will only be the selection at initial play like you noted
that all being said, on *some systems i have seen an improvement overall with changing the cache setting in advancedsettings
you can read more on that here -
https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Modify_the_video_cache
if you want to try what i found to work -
xml:<cache>
<buffermode>1</buffermode>
<memorysize>69730304</memorysize>
<readfactor>20</readfactor>
</cache>
note: just because those settings work for me does not mean they will work for everyone in all situations
if that does not improve things then unfortunately i do not believe anything will
RE: Any settings changes to reduce buffering when streaming with slow internet? - RKCRLR - 2023-10-10
Thanks, I'll give those settings a try.