moytor deedri umniya
Amit Bolds
The Tablo DVR has to tune the station, then transcode the signal so that your streaming device (Roku, FireTV, Computer, Tablet, etc) and stream the show. It also buffers a few seconds of video prior to starting the stream. I have wired connections on most of my devices, but I also have a few wireless. The wireless streaming devices take an extra second or two to start the stream.
I use the highest quality for all recordings & streaming, and I have fast live TV startup enabled. The one thing I have noticed, the stations that have a really strong signal in my area average 3-5 seconds to start, and the weaker stations can take 4-7 seconds to start.
I mentioned this in another post about Roku. Roku has issues with their 10.5 update. There are issues opening and playing many streaming apps including the Tablo app. I have been reading through many of the complaints with Tablo taking so long to transcode and play a channel. Seems like the average has been between 10-20 seconds. Initially, Roku was by request changing people back to 10.0 because everything seemed to operate much better. Some people have mentioned that Roku seems to be changing people back to 10.0 automatically in the past 24 hours. Our Roku is still slow to transcode (about 10 seconds). I just checked, we still have 10.5.
For the past four years, I've had no problem streaming Netflix over my Roku box (I have high-speed dsl). Then two months ago, it stopped streaming. I've been on the phone with Roku for hours and tried everything, including buying a new Roku box. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the Roku, since I tried it at another location (on a much slower Verizon dsl connection) and it works fine. So I bought a Vizio apps TV -- I have no problem connecting wirelessly or connecting to Yahoo News or Yahoo Finance, but it won't stream at all (Netflix, YouTube, etc.) Vizio sent a repairman and there's nothing wrong with my TV. They say that it's a problem with Verizon dsl or a router issue. Verizon has checked my line, has sent me a new gateway router (I've tried both the Westell and Actiontec) and nothing works. But it worked fine two months ago!!! Anyone have similar issues -- or solutions???
Thanks, but I think the firewall is off. When I look at the router settings it says, "The default firewall security level is set to "Off". Activating the firewall is optional. When the firewall is activated, security is enhanced, but some network functionality will be lost." FYI, this is what it says for the Firewall Status:
I have the same issues. and V'zon tells me that I need the faster version of DSL to use netflix, This is something I had for two years then V. took it away because " I live too far from the substation" now I get another notice that I am being offered the higher speed DSL. I am so confused and frustrated
I don't think speed is the issue. I took my Roku box, which stopped working at my house with very fast dsl (15 Mbps), and tried it in my apartment which has very slow Verizon dsl (1 Mbps). The same Roku box worked fine in my apartment?!?
Over the weekend I picked up the new D-Link MovieNite streaming media player, a $48 box developed in conjunction with Walmart and sold exclusively in their stores and via the Walmart.com website. Of all the streaming media devices I have reviewed and tested, I don't think I've ever told readers not to buy something, until today. For what is suppose to be a very simple player aimed at a non-techie crowd, this player falls far short in just about every category and is not worth the money.
The player supports 1080p video streaming and has 802.11n WiFi, 10/100 ethernet port, HDMI out and composite video connections. The player only supports content from Netflix, Vudu, YouTube and Pandora and has no support to play back local content via USB and no slot for any kind of memory card. While some of those shortcomings would be just fine for someone who only wants to use it to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix and Vudu, I'm afraid even those simple tasks are painful with this player.
The box supports 802.11n, yet no matter what I tried I could not get it to connect to my WiFi network. Another issue is that the name of WiFi networks are cut off, with my network only showing up as two letters in the name, out of seven. Putting in a call to D-Link's tech support number was no help as they couldn't solve the problem. My router sits ten feet from the box, has ten other devices that can connect to it via WiFi, yet the D-Link player kept telling me it could not connect to the network. D-Link support had me reset the box over and over again, with no luck. They then asked me to wait on hold for at least 30 minutes while they "called headquarters", but I declined to wait. On a side note, I know that most companies these days outsource tech support calls to foreign countries to save money, but trying to diagnose a tech issue, with someone who does not speak English fluently, is never a good user experience.
Hoping my WiFi issues were just a software problem that could be resolved with a firmware update, I tried to update the box under the maintenance option, but was given an error message of "Memory space is not enough for upgrade! Do you want to reboot now?" So if you can't download updates for the box, I'm not sure how D-Link expects to ever add fixes and features? For my last option, I actually broke out the printed three page Quick Install Guide in the box, but that was useless. But I did get a good laugh when step three told me not to plug in an ethernet cable if I wanted to use WiFi as the "on-screen setup wizard will allow you to configure your wireless settings". Now I get what they were saying, but if this box is really targeting non-techie's, step four should not be telling you to plug in the power supply when step three is talking about an on-screen setup wizard.
Giving up on trying to connect the box via WiFi I plugged in an ethernet cable which saw my network right away. Since the box only supports four content services, the remote has dedicated buttons for Netflix, Vudu, YouTube and Pandora. The bad news is that the software interface for this box is slow and buggy. Netflix takes nearly twenty seconds to load and videos take much longer to start up when compared with the Roku or WD TV Live player. D-Link does have a note on their website saying that they have released a product software update that resolves issues with streaming content from Netflix, but they don't say what issues they are fixing and there is no way to force download the update.
To get the update on the box D-Link says to "reboot it by powering it off and then back on, wait for the update message to appear, and select ok." Problem is I don't get that message when I reboot it and I have no way to know if that means I already have the update or not. The entire user-experience with this product was not well thought out and it's a really poor interface. I don't know why this box is so slow, but there is a lot of lag time with the software and the box froze on me twice, forcing me to pull the power plug.
Overall, there is nothing to like about this box and consumers would do far better spending $30 more for a Roku HD. And if 1080p isn't required, you can get a Roku LT for the same price as this box, which will also give you hundreds of content channels, instead of only four. The only advantage D-Link's MovieNite box has over Roku is their support for YouTube, something Roku is still missing for some unknown reason.
While I could understand D-Link and Walmart's desire to want to put out a really cheap streaming box in the market for those who just want to stream Netflix and Vudu, it's really pointless when every connected TV, Blu-ray player and streaming box already has Netflix on it. This box really doesn't fill any void in the market and isn't worth buying.
Yes, this is certainly the most obvious, but when was the last time you asked your provider how fast its offerings are now? If it's been a few years, it likely has new services (maybe even fiber) that could greatly increase your download speeds. Recently I switched from 250Mbps cable to 1Gbps fiber for $10 less a month. When I canceled the cable internet they said "Oh, we can reduce your rate by $30 a month, or increase your speeds for the same money." They, of course, never offered that without me saying I was canceling. Just something to keep in mind.
This is definitely the first place to start. If you stay with the same provider, usually it'll be able to flip the proverbial switch without sending a tech to visit your home. Afterward, you'll have faster internet. If you switch providers (from cable to fiber, for example), the new provider will probably have to send someone to your house to install it.
The Wi-Fi router that you get for free from your internet provider is likely terrible. I upgraded my router the day before my new internet service was installed and I got a 20% boost in speed just from that. Many providers even charge for their basic routers, so if your provider allows it, you could save some money long-term by buying a good one outright and reducing your bill a bit each month.
You'll also likely get better range and better signal throughout your home with an upgraded router. If you've always had a bad connection in the back of the house, a better router might help with that.
A new or different router might also give you the option to connect via the 5GHz range ("normal" Wi-Fi is 2.4GHz). 5GHz is generally faster and has less chance of interference from other devices. It doesn't go through walls as effectively. Our favorite all-around budget option is the TP-Link Archer AX21.
If your house is particularly large, or the walls seem to be particularly obstructing, it's worth considering a mesh Wi-Fi system. These use multiple devices spread around your home instead of one single device. CNET's favorite mesh system is TP-Link Deco W7200.
Although convenient, Wi-Fi can be quite slow on some networks, especially if multiple people are streaming at once. Wired internet, aka Ethernet, is a lot faster and doesn't have issues with walls, interference or distance (well, not in a house, anyway). Though running wires can be annoying, it provides the most reliable connection and can be worth doing on your main TV at least.
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