How to Fix Start and Stop Issues
If you’ve encountered any “start / stop” buffering problems with your Movie Box, the cause could be one of a number of things. Here’s a summary of the most common issues that could affect your playback.
Servers Are Overwhelmed
This is one of the most common buffering problems. Just like you’re limited to a certain speed for data transference with your home internet connection, the servers that host online content can also be under the same kinds of limits. If you’re trying to stream a video from a server that 10,000 other people are trying to stream at the same time, the speed at which the video will reach you can be slower than if, say, only 100 other people were trying to stream it.
Remember that many videos will be hosted on the same server, so even if you choose a title that may not be that popular, it might still be on a server that also has a popular title, so your playback might still be affected.
Download Speed
To stream a Standard Definition movie, it’s recommended that you have a minimum of 2mbps download speed. If you want to stream High Definition content, you’ll need considerably more.
It depends greatly on the streaming quality of what you’re watching, but a rough guide would suggest that for a low quality stream (a 40-minute TV show), you’d need as little as 150MB, and the same show in HD could be up to 10 times that number.
Go to www.speedtest.net and run the speed test to find out what your download speed is. If it’s lower than you expected, it could be affected by your router.
Router Issues
If you’re using the router supplied by your ISP, most likely it’s the cheapest one they could find and not necessarily the best quality available. Sometimes they can act up and will require you to perform a manual reset.
Unplug your router for one minute, then plug it back in and let it reconfigure. Run the speed test again to see if it’s increased at all.
Other Processes Running at the Same Time
Check for other processes running on your network. Remember that your download speed is being shared by anyone using the same connection (everyone in your household). If someone is playing Xbox or streaming other content, this leaves you less speed to use for your streaming needs. Downloads (especially torrents) can use up a lot of bandwidth, so if you’re having issues consider pausing and then resetting the download speed to a lower setting.
Wi-Fi
If you intent to use your Movie Box for accessing online streams, it’s recommended that you use a wired connection rather than wireless. This is especially true when watching live streams, as you only need one dropped packet for your stream to stop. If you’re struggling with your Wi-Fi connectivity, then you may want to consider homeplugs (also referred to as powerline adapters). These give the feel of wireless as you have no long wires around the house, but they’re actually wired – they’re small adapters that plug into your mains socket and convert your mains circuit into a local network.
If you have to use Wi-Fi and can’t use homeplugs, just make sure you have a high-quality router, and the higher you place it in your home, the better the signal – or so the theory goes. If your Movie Box has an internal Wi-Fi antenna and the signal is weak, you may want to consider modifying it so the antenna is external. Devices with internal antennas can be prone to interference from other internal components.
Hardware Issues
The start/stop issues may not have anything to do with your internet speed, but rather it could be hardware related. Unfortunately if this is the case, you may need to do some intensive research on the Internet to find your specific problem. Some things you can check for: make sure your device is truly 1080p compatible, and has the most up-to-date, efficient firmware installed.
ISP Restrictions / Throttling
This is becoming more prevalent with certain ISPs. ISPS are blocking certain sites, generally the larger, more reliable ones, which means there may only be working links for less reliable hosts. Your ISP may also throttle your bandwidth when you try to access certain sites.
You could try switching your ISP – but there’s no guarantee that your new ISP won’t do the same thing. You could also get a VPN, which makes your browsing completely anonymous to your ISP. To find out more about a great VPN option, click here.
Additional Fixes
For additional information, you can watch this video.
If you’ve encountered any “start / stop” buffering problems with your Movie Box, the cause could be one of a number of things. Here’s a summary of the most common issues that could affect your playback.
Servers Are Overwhelmed
This is one of the most common buffering problems. Just like you’re limited to a certain speed for data transference with your home internet connection, the servers that host online content can also be under the same kinds of limits. If you’re trying to stream a video from a server that 10,000 other people are trying to stream at the same time, the speed at which the video will reach you can be slower than if, say, only 100 other people were trying to stream it.
Remember that many videos will be hosted on the same server, so even if you choose a title that may not be that popular, it might still be on a server that also has a popular title, so your playback might still be affected.
Download Speed
To stream a Standard Definition movie, it’s recommended that you have a minimum of 2mbps download speed. If you want to stream High Definition content, you’ll need considerably more.
It depends greatly on the streaming quality of what you’re watching, but a rough guide would suggest that for a low quality stream (a 40-minute TV show), you’d need as little as 150MB, and the same show in HD could be up to 10 times that number.
Go to www.speedtest.net and run the speed test to find out what your download speed is. If it’s lower than you expected, it could be affected by your router.
Router Issues
If you’re using the router supplied by your ISP, most likely it’s the cheapest one they could find and not necessarily the best quality available. Sometimes they can act up and will require you to perform a manual reset.
Unplug your router for one minute, then plug it back in and let it reconfigure. Run the speed test again to see if it’s increased at all.
Other Processes Running at the Same Time
Check for other processes running on your network. Remember that your download speed is being shared by anyone using the same connection (everyone in your household). If someone is playing Xbox or streaming other content, this leaves you less speed to use for your streaming needs. Downloads (especially torrents) can use up a lot of bandwidth, so if you’re having issues consider pausing and then resetting the download speed to a lower setting.
Wi-Fi
If you intent to use your Movie Box for accessing online streams, it’s recommended that you use a wired connection rather than wireless. This is especially true when watching live streams, as you only need one dropped packet for your stream to stop. If you’re struggling with your Wi-Fi connectivity, then you may want to consider homeplugs (also referred to as powerline adapters). These give the feel of wireless as you have no long wires around the house, but they’re actually wired – they’re small adapters that plug into your mains socket and convert your mains circuit into a local network.
If you have to use Wi-Fi and can’t use homeplugs, just make sure you have a high-quality router, and the higher you place it in your home, the better the signal – or so the theory goes. If your Movie Box has an internal Wi-Fi antenna and the signal is weak, you may want to consider modifying it so the antenna is external. Devices with internal antennas can be prone to interference from other internal components.
Hardware Issues
The start/stop issues may not have anything to do with your internet speed, but rather it could be hardware related. Unfortunately if this is the case, you may need to do some intensive research on the Internet to find your specific problem. Some things you can check for: make sure your device is truly 1080p compatible, and has the most up-to-date, efficient firmware installed.
ISP Restrictions / Throttling
This is becoming more prevalent with certain ISPs. ISPS are blocking certain sites, generally the larger, more reliable ones, which means there may only be working links for less reliable hosts. Your ISP may also throttle your bandwidth when you try to access certain sites.
You could try switching your ISP – but there’s no guarantee that your new ISP won’t do the same thing. You could also get a VPN, which makes your browsing completely anonymous to your ISP. To find out more about a great VPN option, click here.
Additional Fixes
For additional information, you can watch this video.