2019-07-27, 01:43
Hi All
This is a bit frustrating. I am running Kodi Version 18.3. (20190619-89472b7d69) on both a Raspberry Pi on Librelec 9.0 and an iMac running macOS High Sierra version 10.13.6 (17G7024). The machines access a VBox that distributes live TV over my network that is mainly (good quality) wifi. I can watch live TV without a problem.
I recorded a programme through the Kodi interface and it recorded correctly (Cricket on 5 HD) and when I tried to play it back over wifi on the RPi it did not want to start unless I paused it then restarted it. Once running it plays for about a minute then stops on a frozen frame. Eventually it restarts first with a buffer icon that reads 1 and nothing else and then it gives me a message that says “Source too slow. Read rate is too low for continuous playback.”
So I came to the main machine (the iMac) which has a USB direct connection to the drive on which all my media is stored (including my VBox recordings) on the assumption that the hardwired connection would resolve the problem but it did not. Something is not right. If, as soon as the playback stops, I hit pause and then play, it begins to play again immediately but only for a few seconds before it stops again so I think this may be some form of buffering problem (an amateur guess!).
I do not think the HD nature of the recording is the issue as even non HD recordings do that same and it is not a network issue as it does the same with the hardwired connection. So I have to reluctantly assume it is the Kodi software or the PVR add-on from Sam Stenwall that is causing the problem. The message that comes up is from the PVR add-on and not from Kodi per se.
When I play the file direct from the folder on my media drive on the iMac using Quicktime, the playback is continuous (no audio as its is HD but that is another [apple] problem outside the scope of this one). Consequently it is not my equipment causing the delay but a software glitch somewhere.
As Ares Wizard is no longer available I have installed EZ Maintenance, cleared cache etc, and set an optimal buffering size and this appears to have considerably improved the situation but not overcome it. It now runs for longer before pausing but is paused for longer with the buffer icon getting (very slowly) to 10 before starting! It appears to be downloading or transferring the file content from my drive to Kodi before playing. Watching the timeline on the bottom of the screen I can see the progress as it plays and also the buffering of the file ready to be played. It is much better until it eventually catches up with the transferring file (8 minutes of play) it then starts the buffering process again with the icon running from 1 to 10 then playing (about 5 minutes). It should be doing this buffering continuously in the background to keep the playing continuous but it is not.
Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there a known fix? Or do I need to post some error logs to see if someone can help me?
Ta,
Geoff
This is a bit frustrating. I am running Kodi Version 18.3. (20190619-89472b7d69) on both a Raspberry Pi on Librelec 9.0 and an iMac running macOS High Sierra version 10.13.6 (17G7024). The machines access a VBox that distributes live TV over my network that is mainly (good quality) wifi. I can watch live TV without a problem.
I recorded a programme through the Kodi interface and it recorded correctly (Cricket on 5 HD) and when I tried to play it back over wifi on the RPi it did not want to start unless I paused it then restarted it. Once running it plays for about a minute then stops on a frozen frame. Eventually it restarts first with a buffer icon that reads 1 and nothing else and then it gives me a message that says “Source too slow. Read rate is too low for continuous playback.”
So I came to the main machine (the iMac) which has a USB direct connection to the drive on which all my media is stored (including my VBox recordings) on the assumption that the hardwired connection would resolve the problem but it did not. Something is not right. If, as soon as the playback stops, I hit pause and then play, it begins to play again immediately but only for a few seconds before it stops again so I think this may be some form of buffering problem (an amateur guess!).
I do not think the HD nature of the recording is the issue as even non HD recordings do that same and it is not a network issue as it does the same with the hardwired connection. So I have to reluctantly assume it is the Kodi software or the PVR add-on from Sam Stenwall that is causing the problem. The message that comes up is from the PVR add-on and not from Kodi per se.
When I play the file direct from the folder on my media drive on the iMac using Quicktime, the playback is continuous (no audio as its is HD but that is another [apple] problem outside the scope of this one). Consequently it is not my equipment causing the delay but a software glitch somewhere.
As Ares Wizard is no longer available I have installed EZ Maintenance, cleared cache etc, and set an optimal buffering size and this appears to have considerably improved the situation but not overcome it. It now runs for longer before pausing but is paused for longer with the buffer icon getting (very slowly) to 10 before starting! It appears to be downloading or transferring the file content from my drive to Kodi before playing. Watching the timeline on the bottom of the screen I can see the progress as it plays and also the buffering of the file ready to be played. It is much better until it eventually catches up with the transferring file (8 minutes of play) it then starts the buffering process again with the icon running from 1 to 10 then playing (about 5 minutes). It should be doing this buffering continuously in the background to keep the playing continuous but it is not.
Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there a known fix? Or do I need to post some error logs to see if someone can help me?
Ta,
Geoff
