[KremKanon]

My HTPC is running Windows 7 and XBMC and all my media is stored on another computer also running Windows 7. The two are connected with a 100MBit wired network.

I can play (local) 1080p media with high bitrates without any problems with XBMC on my HTPC, and I can also stream High def content from the server to the htpc using VLC.

However, when I stream video (regardless of bitrate) from the server to the HTPC using XBMC, I get dropped frames now and then (typically ~50-100 frames per 30 minutes). Just enough to be really annoying :/

Any good suggestions or tips on what to try?

[neomatrix724]

It could be any number of things. If the computer itself is running fine and the server is relatively idle, I would check your network traffic. You can use a packet sniffer or something similar to analyze your traffic. I was experiencing intermittent problems with this as well despite running a Wired 100Mbit network.

I found a few useful tidbits:

1) My home network layout sucked...there were a few loops due to the cable runs that ended up adding in some latency.

2) The home network was 100mbit but there was a single cable run in the middle that served as a "backbone" in the house. A slew of devices on each end of this cable could end up saturating it during busy times.

3) After rewiring the loop, it did clear up most of the dropped frame issues, however, during peak times, there'd be some frames lost.

4) We ended up splitting the single backbone into 2 lines which resolved the problem entirely...and just for future proofing, we upgraded to 1Gbps switches (the router is still 100mbps). Theoretically internal traffic should "switch" quickly once routing tables have stabilized.

If you don't want to tackle a larger project like the above...you could try setting up some basic QoS to prioritize your video packets a bit more.