Sony: Content buffering despite high speed connection.

canary_jules

3 posts since
Feb 9, 2011

Written on Feb 9, 2011 1:26 PM

Just registering my problems with this too.

ISP: BE

Constant 10 mbs connection

Sony BDP S370

Iplayer perfornance has become intolerable. It starts off fast and buffers well, but after a few mins the programmes start pausing and buffering at a snail's pace. Becomes unwatchable. This is on SD. No such problems with Iplayer on my Imac. The Channel 5 player doesn't suffer the same issues though.

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planetf1a

7 posts since
Dec 28, 2010

Written on Feb 9, 2011 5:33 PM

Same problem here. BDP-S370 - will have to check firmware version when at home, but I know I had an update in January and regularly do a check for updates so believe it's current (no itv player/4od yet tho!)

The player is connected via 100Mbps ethernet to a BT HomeHub 3 (the one that works!) and onwards to a FTTC connection that consistently delivered 27-34 Mbps downstream, 7-8 Mbps upstream.

I can go into iplayer and select an HD program and it starts near instantly :-) Last night I was going this and the first 30 mins of the prog was fine. But during the second part the program stopped multiple times. Each time I left it for a minute and with no progress ended up having to go BACK to the program list and reselecting and then having to FF. No problem playing but then it happened again -- about 4 or 5 times in total

Last week I was playing HD programs on my samsung internet@tv -- it did NOT have this problem (though it's useless at FF/RW - they screwed that up badly) -- but it's never flinched just playing.

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jonpca

2 posts since
Feb 4, 2011

Written on Feb 9, 2011 11:02 PM

Very disappointed by the lack of response/action by Sony on this. I went onto Amazon and gave the BDP-370 a one star review, and explained why. Maybe if their product ratings start dropping they'll do something about this.

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paulgrecothompson

23 posts since
Feb 3, 2011

Written on Feb 11, 2011 12:53 AM

Mark, yes I believe there is a difference between computer streams and internet TV streams.. or at least a difference in the requests the two different types of kit are making. Or something..

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jwstewart.uk

1 posts since
Feb 12, 2011

Written on Feb 12, 2011 12:01 PM

I have e-mailed Sony ask what action they will be taking, got this amusing response:

Dear Mr Stewart

Thank you for your recent e-mail received on 06/02/2011 05.36 PM.

I am pleased to learn that you are the owner of a Sony BDP-S370. However, I am sorry to read of the difficulties that you are experiencing.

I can confirm that there are no known issues with this product. Such issues would be documented within the support section of our website. I recommend performing the latest firmware update for the product, which I have linked for you below:

http://support.sony-europe.com/tvhc/downloads/downloads.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&f=BDPS370_373_v742&v=v3&m=BDP-S370 http://support.sony-europe.com/tvhc/downloads/downloads.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&f=BDPS370_373_v742&v=v3&m=BDP-S370 http://support.sony-europe.com/tvhc/downloads/downloads.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&f=BDPS370_373_v742&v=v3&m=BDP-S370 http://support.sony-europe.com/tvhc/downloads/downloads.aspx?site=odw_en_GB&f=BDPS370_373_v742&v=v3&m=BDP-S370

If the issue still persists, please specify if you experience any error messages, if so, please provide me with the full text of the error message that occurs, including when it occurs and clarify the details that I have requested below:

- Does the issue occur with any other BRAVIA Internet Video services?
- Please specify the nature of the issue that you encounter
- Please specify your Internet service provider
- Please specify the make and model of your router
- Are you using a wired or wireless connection?

I trust that this information is useful to you.

Yours sincerely

Daniel Thorne
Customer Information Centre
SONY UNITED KINGDOM

Can't believe they consider themselves in a position to "confirm that there are no known issues with the product". I have sent Sony a link to this forum, as it seems they don't read their own support pages!

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mackthen

6 posts since
Jan 25, 2011

Written on Feb 12, 2011 12:47 PM

Just checked the SONY site and they posted new firmware (vM03.R.742) on Thursday,

Downloaded and updated the player and it hasn't fixed the issue in any way.

Still constantly stalling and buffering on even SD.

On reading through this thread it seems like an awful lot of the people posting with this issue are on o2/Be (as am I). I wonder if that's relevant?

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Audioguy

2 posts since
Feb 14, 2011

Written on Feb 14, 2011 2:01 AM

I am now getting the same problem as many here.

Sony BDP-S370 bluray player

ISP 02 (Be Un Limited)

Bandwidth 9.99MB per sec according to speedtest.net

Problem with BBC iplayer

I really dont bother with any other sources apart from iPlayer, DVDs and Blurays so it's a real pain that iPlayer is not working properly.

I was watching Top Gear just now and it froze three or four times. In each case the picture froze but there was no spinning icon or bar along the bottom. After it had frozen I seemed to be able to press Play or Pause and get the bar up but it made no difference to the frozen picture. If I tried to fast forward or rewind at that point and then hit play at that point the box seemed to lock up completely. If after the picture had frozen I hit pause or play I could still hit Return and get back to the iPlayer menus. There I had to start the program again and fast forward back to where I was.

I've never had this happen before but probably only watched iPlayer a few times this year.

Hope this gets through to Sony.

I'm going over to the BBC now and see if I can cut and paste this into a forum there somewhere.

Audioguy

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Audioguy

2 posts since
Feb 14, 2011

Written on Feb 14, 2011 4:30 AM

After my previous message in this discussion I've experimented a bit more.

I have since watched an hour of "The Chinese are Coming" which was a great program with quality video and had no problems for the whole hour.

I then left the bluray player playing Top Gear again and it has frozen the picture 15 minutes into the program. I could press play to get the bar along the bottom up and there is plenty of buffered program but something in the program has caused the picture on the BDP-S370 to freeze.

Might there be something in the fact that Top Gear is more popular than a documentary about the Chinese in Africa? Maybe the BBC's servers are causing problems with popular programs or maybe they are protecting popular programs against streaming differently?

Audioguy

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planetf1a

7 posts since
Dec 28, 2010

Written on Feb 14, 2011 7:36 AM

I haven't tried since applying the latest software update on Saturday -- however the descriptions above are what I was seeing too.

This occurred both on O2 LLU (4 Mbps) and since mid Jan on BT Infinity (34 Mbps)

It did NOT occur on EITHER using a samsung internet@tv -- same connection.

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catdevnull

6 posts since
Feb 14, 2011

Written on Feb 14, 2011 3:02 PM

I havn't tried the latest firmware yet (will do tonight) but I am also having the same problem:

ISP: Zen

Connection Speed: 8Mbps (7150Kbps after BRAS application)

It's interesting that this mostly seems to affect popular streams.

Some (if not most) ISPs use Akamai Cache's for serving iPlayer content I believe (cuts down on their transit costs) - it could well be that popular programs (like Topgear) are served off these cache clusters while more obscure stuff is served direct from BBC iPlayer servers.

Perhaps the incompatibility is with the data coming from the Akamai caches rather than direct from iPlayer servers?

One for Sony's engineering department to look at maybe.

==Edit==

I should probably also point out that I have no problem streaming iPlayer through any other device.

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planetf1a

7 posts since
Dec 28, 2010

Written on Feb 14, 2011 3:09 PM

I still believe it's a sony bluray implementation issue since I have both a samsung internet@tv iplayer client (on a tv) and the sony iplayer (BDP-S370) both in the same room, same users, same ethernet switch, same bt infinity connection.

I can literally start watching one program on sony, get fed up and switch to samsung for the same program

The sony has these issues, samsung doesn't (though it has another annoying feature - inability to sensible ff/rw)

What frustrates me is that if sony can't locate the problem then add debug/trace to capture additional data & ask for volunteers to run a special version, capture the data (perhaps to USB key) then it can be uploaded and investigated.. That is not hard surely but it does require paying attention to and supporting your customers

Message was edited by: planetf1a

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catdevnull

6 posts since
Feb 14, 2011

Written on Feb 14, 2011 3:14 PM

Oh aye, even if it is an incompatibility with Akamai cache servers it's still an implentaiton issue on the the device. After all - the servers work with everything else!

The odd thing is there was a reply from what seemed to be a Sony rep early on but nothing in this thread since.

Hey! Mr (or Mrs) Sony person! Can we have an update please?

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Cascy24

8 posts since
Feb 6, 2011

Written on Feb 14, 2011 10:40 PM

I also think it's sony player problem rather than a server one because my S370 also started the buffering problem around Christmas, after 6 months of perfect I-player performance.

I have a Sony Bravia internet TV (Sony KDL 37 EX503) which plays I-player perfectly for hours at a time using the I-player Beta which came out around November last year.

Both my S370 and TV are both connected to the same wi-fi router which downloads at a consistent 12.5 megs.

The real question is why is Sony ignoring a problem that has been on this forum, the BBC I-player forum and on other forums since Christmas?

I, like Catdevnull, wonder where the Sony spokesman Catmambo has gone since his request on page one of this discussion for people to give the technical details of their set up so that he could pass the problem on to be investigated.

Quote from his post on page one before he disappeared.

Hi all

Thanks for flagging

Can you summarise

ISP
Connection speed when this occuring (via your PC at www.speedtest.net)
Only iPlayer or other channels also
Firmware version

So we can try and identify where the fault lies.

This can't be doing Sony's reputation any good at all!

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planetf1a

7 posts since
Dec 28, 2010

Written on Feb 14, 2011 10:53 PM

I'm mostly disappointed not because of the problem itself but because

- no indication individuals with issues are able to get decent responses from sony

- no real involvement here from sony support

for me that's what customer service is about these days -- it's not just about formal support cases tracked (once you break through the armoured guard of level 1) but having a vibrant engaged community.

Sadly I see little evidence of that

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extreme_3d

2 posts since
Feb 15, 2011

Written on Feb 15, 2011 6:20 PM

Please add another to the list. The wife didn't really see the need for a blue ray player but it was the iplayer feature that won her round. Now all I get is "what a waste of money"