Best Powerline Adapter? - Page 2

Are there not high quality and low quality 1080p videos, based on compression and bit depth? (Sincere question...not argumentative).

How big and long are the 1080p video files you're streaming? 2GB, 4GB or larger? And what is the overall bitrate? (I use Mediainfo, http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net)

I have the Netgear MCAB1001 MoCA adapters. I get solid 84 Mbps read speeds, but still get stuttering when trying to stream 4-6GB (17 Mbps average overall bitrate with spikes up into the 35-45 Mbps area where the stuttering occurs) BD rips, so I question whether or not powerline would make a difference for me.

Are you successfully streaming high bitrate 1080p videos over powerline?

Size of the file is not important for streaming, only the bitrate. I have 1080 content that ranges in bitrate from 14Mbps (broadcast HDTV) to 41Mbps (BluRay rips). A "solid 84Mbps" line speed is more than enough to stream any 1080p content. If you have stuttering, look to your player as the problem.

Yeah, as mentioned the maximum BR spec is 54Mbps... so if you're getting 84 that's plenty for any 1080P video regardless of size.

I can stream 40-50GB BR ISOs with bitrates spiking well over 40 Mbps no problem over my powerline adapters and I only see 75-80 Mbps throughput on those.

Maybe try directly connecting your player to your server for test purposes to see if it's an issue with the player?

Portions of BluRay playback can briefly spike significantly higher - to the low 70's I've read - depending on the content displayed. The buffer of BluRay player is designed to prevent stutters or buffering delays. Obviously, all bets are off if the situation does not use a home theater BluRay player or hard wired connection if networking.

Agree...bitrate is the key measurement. I get my bandwidth measurements using LAN Speed Test (www.totusoft.com), which measures a standard TCP file transfer.

I'm streaming to an LG BD570 and an LG BD670. PC-->WNDR3700-->MoCA-->player. Wireshark indicates the CIFS streaming takes place using TCP (rather than UDP). Wireshark doesn't indicate any dropped packets or other TCP errors when streaming stuttering video to the players. The "solid 84Mbps" measured with LAN Speed Test is PC-->WNDR3700-->MoCA-->GigE Switch-->laptop.

A 16Mbps 1080p mkv will play correctly from a USB drive connected directly to the player. Additionally, the same file will play correctly from a NAS connected via Cat6 to the player through a GigE switch (NAS-->GigE switch-->player). Since the video(s) will play correctly via USB, I think that means I can eliminate CODEC incompatibility or video file errors. Since the video(s) play correctly from the NAS via ethernet, I think that means I can eliminate the NIC in the player. My next troubleshooting step is to connect directly from the router to the player. After that, I'll connect directly from the computer to player. Between those two troubleshooting steps, I should be able to determine if it's the MoCA, the router, or the computer causing the stuttering (despite the "solid 84Mbps" measured with LAN Speed Test). I wonder if there's simply more TCP overhead going through the router and the MoCA that is eating up a healthy chunk of that 84Mbps bandwidth.

Sorry...I didn't mean to turn this into a personal troubleshooting thread. Rather, part of my purpose for writing was to note how important it is for us to state overall bitrate (and surge bitrate) when making capability comparisons and HD streaming claims.

Do you have a source on that?

because if any BR content can go beyond 54mb/sec, which is the max in the spec, it kinda changes the meaning of the word spec... so I'm a bit dubious on your claim.

I've certainly never seen any BR content do it and I've got hundreds of movies (all of which stream perfectly over powerline)

Every source I can find online all agree on the following for BR movies:

Max video rate: 40 Mbps
Max AV rate (audio + video): 48 Mbps
Max data transfer rate (all content): 54 Mbps

Read on this forum. Looking further into this now, maybe that person was confused by the following:

Like you, I had always thought 54 Mbps was the max.


Thanks for the challenge to source as it forced me to look up these quotes. Don't forget to link a source to yours too.

Wikipedia isn't an authority, but their section on BD bit rate agrees.


IIRC, DVD's could exceed the 10Mbps nomimal bit-rate for short bursts. Perhaps
I don't RC.

According to Wikipedia:

Yeah, what your link is saying is that BR _drives_ will have to be at least 2x, because 1x is under the max bitrate of a BR movie.

The movie itself still never exceeds 54mb/sec... which that same FAQ states as the data rate for them... (as does not only Wiki but literally every other link I can find on the internet that discusses this)... hence why I wondered where you'd heard of any exceeding that.



Bottom line being 84 Mbps sustained (or even 74) is plenty fast enough to stream a single BR movie even at max bitrate.

Hello,

I'm looking to buy some powerline adapters and I read all of this thread. It contains great information.
However, how do you stream Blue-Ray rips on the WD Livewire if it's only rated at 200Mbps? Isn't the Netgear Powerline AV +500 better for full 1080p streams?

Also, I'm looking to "upgrade" my receiver so that the new one includes a DLNA client and and RJ-45 port to connect it at my basement. If I take the WD Livewire kit, will I have problems with it? My house was built in 1995 or so (I moved in last year).

Thank you,

Powerline never actually reaches 200/500Mbit/s - those numbers are aggregate up/down full duplex.

I recommend the D-Link Powerline adapters, DHP-500/501 or the 540 if you need multiple ports on the other side of the powerline network. I hit about 90mbit/s in a house built in the 1950's (recently reno'd with some new electrical).

Remember that Blu-rays max out around 50mbit/s, so even factoring in overhead, 100mbit/s is more than enough if the network is healthy.

Just a quick question.....


I live in a house with AFCI circuits but only in the bathrooms and kitchen. Are these powerline adapters affected by simply having some of those in the house or are they only affected if I use those plugs with the AFCI?????

A little more info.....the house has GFCI circuits not AFCI. I'm no electrical guy so I hope I can get an answer before I order.

My router is downstairs in my basement and when I am upstairs in my bedroom on the thrid floor I get poor wifi service. It connects but I get frequent drops. I am considering two options. One is a powerline adapter with wifi on the end so I can use my iPad and other wifi only devices upstairs. The other alternative is to setup a wireless access point.

I currently have a Cat6 cable in my closet which is connect to my WD live hub for my bedroom TV so setting up a wireless AP in the closet should not be difficult. One of my concerns is that I would like to use the same SSID so that if I am downstairs on my wifi my wireless device I do not have to manually switch wifi signals.. I would like ti to be seemless.

What solution do you all recommend? Can you point me to a product that will accomplish my needs?

I'm confused, if you have cat6 from your router to your bedroom, what would powerline accomplish? Just put a WAP on one of the ports in your bedroom switch and configure it as a bridge to your wireless network, you will end up on the same SSID so no manual switching.

This website has really good information about small networks. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/powerline-charts/view. I just purchased a Trendnet 200MBPS powerline adapter kit TPL-306W2k from Microcenter for $39. It works fine to stream my movies from a Synology Nas. Your performance may vary so don't expect a 500Mbps connection just because the box says it. Running the software that come with mine says I am getting 110Mbps. I could have spent a bunch of money for a higher rated adapter. I wanted to start with the minimum cost first. If that didn't work I would have upgraded. So far this works fine streaming 1080p content from Plex & XBMC from my NAS.

So it is a wireless bridge that I want setup. I was unsure how to do this. Can you or someone else recommend a good Wireless Access Point with wireless bridge functionality? Ideally it would be at least a wireless N dual band (to take advantage of new iPhone 5 ability), but at a minimum wireless N.

My current setup is as follows:
FIOS N Wireless Router (Basement) --> Cat 6--> HP Procure Gigabit Switch(Basement)--> Cat 6 --> WD Live (Upstairs)

Because I have CAT6 upstairs I want get better wireless up their as well. To do this I would change the config this way correct?

FIOS N Wireless Router (Basement) --> Cat 6--> HP Procure Gigabit Switch(Basement)--> Cat 6 --> DLINK Extreme Duo (Upstairs)--> CAT 6 --> WD Live (Upstairs)

Would the bridge below be a good solution? I dont mind spending more to future proof, but dont want to do that by sacrificing stability. I dont want something I constantly have to reset.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127256
Edited by stepmback - 10/15/12 at 12:07pm