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davidk · Mar 29, 2009, 03:18 PM

I have been having problem with videos. They sometimes stop for a few seconds, the video messes up, or the sound skips a few seconds. I have tried different video players and watching it online, but I get the same problem. Lately, the problem has happened more often and for longer periods of time. How do I fix this?

Cold Warrior · Mar 29, 2009, 03:39 PM

Tell us about your Mac. Operating system version, RAM, free hard disk space, and what sort of videos you're trying to watch (MP4, AVI, FLV, SWF, etc.).

davidk · 05:10 PM

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB52.0088.B00
SMC Version: 1.38f5

The problem occurs with all files I use: AVI, MP4, etc. If you need more specs, tell me what you need...

Cold Warrior · Mar 29, 2009, 04:21 PM

I wouldn't post your serial # online if you can avoid it.

Have you installed any new programs or system updates recently, perhaps around the time you noticed problems?

davidk · Mar 29, 2009, 04:31 PM

No I just got this computer 2 weeks ago and it has been ocurring the whole time. Can I erase the post with my serial number now?

Cold Warrior · Mar 29, 2009, 06:31 PM

Download VLC player and see if it plays the downloaded videos any better.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Also, when you play these videos, is it Quicktime Player that is trying to play them?

davidk · Mar 30, 2009, 10:40 PM

Yes I am always running these in VLC, and I often watch videos online with the same problem.

davidk · Mar 31, 2009, 07:19 PM

The problem is a network problem (it only fragments when I use the wireless internet or a file over the wireless linksys network). How do I increase my bandwith over the network?

Cold Warrior · Mar 31, 2009, 08:51 PM

Do you know if your linksys is 802.11n or just 802.11b or g? Your Macbook is capable of 802.11n, but you'd have to have an n-capable router too. 802.11n offers very high wireless speeds on your local network (like if you have a shared network drive or are loading files from another networked computer) but it won't help your internet speeds.

yoketee · Apr 2, 2009, 08:12 AM

go to safari or firefox to increase the cache size. maybe its too small.

Simon · Apr 3, 2009, 02:53 AM

You should have n or at the very least g for video. You need to make sure you are on a good channel with no interference. Do you have automatic channel selection? What about other networks and interference? Microwave ovens, cordless phones, large metallic structures in the vicinity of the BS antennas? Try iStumbler to see how crowded your wireless space is.

VLC is an excellent choice, but you have to make sure you have enough cache. That will help smooth streaming over wifi because it buffers more video.

Cold Warrior · Apr 3, 2009, 11:48 AM

btw vlc version .99 was released yesterday so make sure you grab the latest version of that.

olePigeon · Apr 3, 2009, 05:43 PM

.99 supposed to improve speed on Intel Macs.

revMedia · Apr 4, 2009, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

.99 supposed to improve speed on Intel Macs.

It does. Love VLC.

On my G network, video is slow.

Simon · 03:22 AM

Then you should increase the cache size. I see about 1.5MB/s from a pure g network here at home. That's even sufficient for DVDs. AVI, divX etc. is usually less. BR would be another matter though. n is hands down better, but g isn't a show stopper if you tweak VLC properly.