I have an HD ready Panasonic LCD TV + a Humax Foxsat HD box,
The iplayer can be viewed on TV if an ethernet cable is connected to my bb router + HD box,
Would it be better to use my bb router wirelessly near to my TV, or use a 10m ethernet cable for the job,
Or is it really down to personal preference?
|
|
I have this with BT Vision - they provide those 13 amp socket adapters into which you plug your ethernet lead - one socket takes the feed from the router, the other takes it from the plug socket into the back of the BTVision box. - no option on doing wirelessly, so I guess the answer to your question is "no" presumably as the wireless connection would be too slow. It takes some fiddling for everything to be on "handshaking" terms - but it does work well.
|
Not sure the humax supports wireless.
Zero palace has the Blue ray player and the tele connected to the net using a powerline ethernet connection, the method PU described.
I have these
www.netgear.com/home/products/powerline-and-coax/simplesharing/XEB1004.aspx
|
Thanks Rob and Zed, as I can buy an ethernet cable for £2.50, I think I'll give that a try,
I'm not wireless at all BTW (desktop PC) so I'll keep it that way.
I shall read up on that Netgear adaptor as well.
Last edited by: Dog on Wed 31 Aug 11 at 22:04
|
Not sure the Humax supports wireless.
Mine doesn't anyway. The manual says something about wireless data rates not being high enough. Which is plainly rubbish - I'm watching the dénouement of The Hour in HD over wifi on the PS3 and it doesn't skip or buffer or misbehave in any way. It's got so good lately that I'm getting slack about setting the Foxsat to record anything because it's so easy to watch it this way.
|
|
but wireless 54mbps, cable 100mbps, less buffering and juddering?
|
|
...and BT Infinity broadband maxes at 34 Mb/s, in my house at least. The BBC server probably can't deliver even that much. So the house LAN is unlikely to be the limiting factor.
|
I didn't explain the OP properjobberly, (are you sitting comfortably? then I'll begin)
I don't use wireless internet or wireless anything (cept cordless phone)
My router is next-to my PC and connects via an ethernet cable,
The telly is 10m away from the router, so to get this ere iplayer thingy on the TV, I can:
(A) connect a 10m ethernet cable from sed routing tooting to the Humax HD box, or:
(B) move the router next to the TV (BT socket nearby) and then buy a wireless aeriel for my PC,
I be tinking that I'll buy the ethernet cable (£2.50 inc. pp) and see what's a'foot, and if it's all hunky dory then I may entertain one of those homeplug thingymajigs.
Nice day again :)
|
|
Ah yes, so you did. In which case, it's a bad idea to use wireless for your only PC connection to your router, since any problems with the wireless security (which can happen and has to me) leave you unable to log in and fix them. You need one wired computer or at least a wire to which you can easily move a computer for emergency access.
|
>>it's a bad idea to use wireless for your only PC connection to your router, since any problems with the wireless security (which can happen and has to me) leave you unable to log in and fix them<<
Cheers Beest ~ I'll stay wired for now, there is no reason really for me to go wireless anyway as we don't have a laptop, just one desktop.
|
...Cheers Beest...
Cheers from me, too.
I'm wireless at Iffy Towers, but might not have thought to try a cable if it messed up.
|
|
I bought a 10m Cat5e cable - cost £1.68 inc. 1st class post ... not a lot of profit in that I'll wager!
|
I use a 10m Ethernet cable to my Panasonic TV from an Ethernet switch (current router only has two ports) and, with download speeds of approximately 17Mb, BBC iPlayer in HD delivers first class pictures and sound.
The Panny is also wireless equipped but, for some reason, I can't access its configuration any more (probably due to a software/firmware update about six months ago).
|
I checked my speed last night with Thinkbb, 4 Mb :( but not too-bad for where I is.
My telly is HD oven ready but, it's 4 years young,
For under 2 squid$, I'll give the 10m Ethernet cable a go a go and if it doesn't perform, then it's back to watching Escape to the Country on the ww machine.
|
|
Recieved my £1.68 Ethernet cable this morning, wired it up to TV & router, checked the quality of the picture on Escape to the Country (somewhere called Yorkshire) ... the iplayer worked sure enough, but the picture wasn't to die for, I'll try the higher quality option later but, I don't hold out much hope with my under 4Mb connection.
|
The problem will be using standard definition iPlayer. As you say 4Mbps is probably not fast enough. At least on a PC you can download the media first and then watch it so bandwidth not such an issue.
I often download iPlayer programmes and then copy them to a USB stick to watch on my non-Internet connected TV. This is also std definition because the method I use grabs the flash video streams. The HD ones will be DRM protected.
|
The picture on my £50 (graded) Freeview LG DVD recorder was/is better!
I'll try the higher def. option tonight ... I know, I know - I should get a PVR or a Blue-ray recorder,
but I'don't watch a lot of TV, and record even less.
:)
|
The standard definition video stream on iPlayer isn't even really as good as standard definition TV. It is very blocky at times in comparison to even regular TV broadcasts. That's down the using low Mbps streams for the highly compressed video.
On the Flash video streams, one hour of video is probably about 350-360Mb. For my DVDs I've ripped, even for lower quality rips I'd see about 1Gb for an hour in MPEG4 format.
Edit: just looked at a programme from BBC4 a few nights ago. 30 minutes is 175Mb and only 640x360 resolution. This is an H264 video wrapped up in a Flash video container.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 2 Sep 11 at 14:18
|
But the new HD streams are extraordinarily good. I think the BBC recommends an Internet connection that can sustain 3.2 Mb/s - which Dog's 4Mb/s broadband may not manage - for HD, and a steady 1Mb/s for standard content.
Incidentally, I'd read negative comments about the new iPlayer for PS3, but I'm very impressed. It's slightly fiddly to launch and exit, but the compensation is much easier navigation between and within programmes, and now with the push-button DVD remote rather than the wobbly-stick games controller.
|
>> But the new HD streams are extraordinarily good.
Well they are ok for streamed media over the net, wouldnt call them extroidinary compared to satelite or over the airwaves.
I think the BBC recommends an Internet
>> connection that can sustain 3.2 Mb/s - which Dog's 4Mb/s broadband may not manage -
>> for HD, and a steady 1Mb/s for standard content.
Thats like trying to make an average speed, you need to make bettter than this to make your average.
|
I just tried watching Wednesday's Escape to the Country (Cornwall) using the higher quality option (for a few minutes) and it was mighty fine :)
I tested my bb speed again using Thinkbb, and it's just over 4Mb which is OK for the £5 pm it costs me,
I am wagging my tail (for now!)
|
|
I assume you don't have broadband usage caps - or at least have fairly generous limits? An hour of high definition iPlayer content is probably about 1Gb.
|
>>An hour of high definition iPlayer content is probably about 1Gb.<<
There's always a snag isn't there :)
For my £5 I get 10GB pm, an extra 5GB is another fiver (bag of coal almost!)
Seems the iplayer (for me) will be for occasional use only
It's back to my DVD recorder then.
|
Viewing iplayer on TV via freesat HD box. - R.P.
