Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

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raminmd
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Posted: Sat, 10/24/2009 - 07:34
Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

I have been using PlayOn on my Wii for a few weeks now. I really like the functionality but am not crazy about the quality. While the picture quality is pretty good, the playback is kinda choppy...it is not exactly horrible but anyone watching can tell the video is not smooth...it is choppy. It is not a bandwidth issue because the same videos from Hulu, CBS, netflix etc. play great on my computer. I tried connecting my Wii using wireless and using a wired connection but the quality isn't any better.

Is this because of the wii hardware + opera browser? Will the quality be better on an Xbox or a PS3. I was leaning towards the xbox and will probably get it if the quality is much better. There is no real point watching internet video if the quality is not as good as at least a standard definition TV.

Thanks.

admin
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Posted: Sat, 10/24/2009 - 08:06
Re: Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

The quality will always be noticeably better on other devices, as the Wii embedded browser has limited memory for its Flash player. However, if it's choppy, this may be due to limitations in your home network. Remember -- playing an Internet video directly on your PC uses much less bandwidth on your home network. The video only needs to go from the Internet, through your router, and straight to the PC. When using PlayOn, the transcoded output must then travel back to the router from the PC (after first arriving natively to the PC originally), and then make an additional hop from the router to your Wii. So, you are effectively tripling the required bandwidth on your home network. Having your PC wired can dramatically improve this, as then there's only one video stream traveling wirelessly, as opposed to three.

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raminmd
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Posted: Sat, 10/24/2009 - 09:18
Re: Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

I am confused. I am using a wired connection to the wii...My cable internet connection goes to a Linksys router and I have 10/100 Ethernet cable going from the router to my wii. My computer is connected to the same router with a different Ethernet cable...are you talking about a different set up from above? If so, can you please elaborate.

admin
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Posted: Sat, 10/24/2009 - 09:30
Re: Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

If you're fully wired both on the Wii and the PC, then you're probably getting the best quality of service through PlayOn as possible. You'd definitely notice an increase in video quality on a traditional DLNA device instead of the Wii.

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avalien
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Posted: Sat, 10/24/2009 - 10:52
Re: Is choppy video because of Wii limitations

A side note - you could also try adjusting your PlayOn setting to "MAX" or lower settings. Also, some have reported if you get a SD card and put the Wii browser on that, and clear the Wii internal memory - it "might" help with playback. Clearing my Wii memory, when it was first being tested - helped with less memory errors for me.

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