Chromecast interruptions - Google Chromecast

Hi all,
Hoping someone can help with a problem I'm having with my newly acquired Chromecast.
In a nutshell, it all works quite well, but I'm having troubles with interrupted stream of audio and video. The stream will interrupt for a couple of seconds and then resume. Sometimes the interruption will only show a black screen, whereas others it will show static. It happens quite often, and it can be majorly annoying, as you can imagine.
I'm thinking that it might be an issue related to my (relatively) old panasonic tv, but I was wondering if any of you have the same issue.
Thank you in advance for your help. Let me know if any additional info might be useful.
Thanks!

I Have IT but when internet is slow.
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hcoling said:
I Have IT but when internet is slow.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Hi, thanks for the reply.
Internet's speed is not the problem: all videos work flawlessly when I watch them on my PC.
Thanks.

for best performance, dongle needs to have as clear a line of sight as possible to your router. wireless-n router set to wpa2 and channel width=40MHz helps too. tweaking these have reduced dropouts for me.

Yes, as @e.lopez hints, Chromecast needs to have a good WiFi connection, and it doesn't really give you a good indication of speed.
Wish there was a WiFi speed test that can run on Chromecast... Most of the web ones require user interaction to start the test, which you can't do from Chromecast, heh.
You can have blazing-fast Internet connection speed, but if Chromecast is getting poor WiFi signal, it'll still perform poorly.

Related

[Q] Terrible Audio Quality With Chromecast

I'm hoping somebody can help me out on this one.
I've gotten the Chromecast setup and working and it works great with video! Unfortunately audio is nowhere near great. It plays audio in a half second burst every two to three seconds... It does it with Youtube from my S3, N2, S2 and my Nexus 7. It also does it from my PC and laptop.
I believe the issue is with my router/modem but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to correct the issue. I would swap it for another but I need it for my internet and it's bridge support is spotty at best.
I am running a Zyxel PK5001z from Centurylink.
Connection speeds are not an issue as I'm averaging 14MB/s down and 1.2MB/s up.
I'm at my wits end and my wife is threatening to make me return the Chromecast! lol I need help fast!
Thanks in advance!
That's pretty odd. Is the PK5001 on latest firmware? I'd say try to bridge it and use a different router for WAN/PPPOE. I work alot with the PK5000's (Similar to the PK5001) and bridging should work fine on your model too.
One thing I discovered is that if you use your device to turn the volume all the way up (ie. from Youtube's app) the sound gets distorted, but when I put the app at like 40-50% and use my TVs volume it was alot better.
Vandam500 said:
That's pretty odd. Is the PK5001 on latest firmware? I'd say try to bridge it and use a different router for WAN/PPPOE. I work alot with the PK5000's (Similar to the PK5001) and bridging should work fine on your model too.
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I've been playing with it and spoken to zyxel and centurylink and they've concluded there are two issues. One is because multicast is disabled at the hardware level for WAN communication. So I'll never be able to get the Chromecast to work on it as a stand-alone. Bridging is apparently not working as I have a faulty router?
At this point they are going to send me out a new unit. Hopefully this one works... lol

Audio stuttering from YouTube and Play Music

So, casting from Netflix seems to work fine, but anything from YouTube or Play Music results in audio so choppy it sounds like a toddler trying to learn to be a DJ. Video from YouTube plays fine, with no hesitation. Any ideas?
Local files seem to be okay as well. Netflix audio stutters a little at first (maybe 1min),but eventually smooths out. It still does it long enough to be annoying. Kinda regretting my chromecast...
Really, no one?
no issues like that here. well once a youtube video did after i resumed from pausing it reloading the vid solved that issue.
Local files? you're still able to play them?
Yeah, dropping a file into Chrome and casting the tab seems to work. When casting a tab, I'm assuming that a mild delay is typical, right?
To some degree as that is still in beta. Network conditions also play a bigger part when casting via chrome
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Well, someone (on another site, obviously) suggested it might be a bad unit, so I returned it. Grabbed another today...and same thing. Is there a particular wireless security type that it doesn't like? I'm on a 2.4Ghz router. Is there a particular channel that's better?
stick1300 said:
Well, someone (on another site, obviously) suggested it might be a bad unit, so I returned it. Grabbed another today...and same thing. Is there a particular wireless security type that it doesn't like? I'm on a 2.4Ghz router. Is there a particular channel that's better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en
Use WPA-personal/WPA-PSK is sufficient.
I'm using WPA-personal. And all WiFi Analyzer seems to be telling me is that I have great reception. The channel I'm on fluctuates between 9 and 10 stars, but a couple seem to hold on 10, so I guess I could switch, but it doesn't seem to be a big difference.

[Q] Chromecast won't stream Youtube

I have set up a Chromecast on two TV's in my house, both are recognised and both will play Netflix. Neither will play Youtube. The video is recognised the You tube splash screen shows on the TV, the title of the video shows however never loads fully. On my phone it shows a message saying "Playing your video on Living Room is taking an unusually long time".
I am living in the UK and purchased my Chromecast in USA. When I was in USA I set up the Chromecst and it worked perfectly for both Netflix and Youtube. Is this a Region issue or an APK issue. Any thoughts would be gratefully appreciated..
I experience the same problem with 2 chromecasts here in Italy but only on second play, first video Is always ok, second one shows the problem you mentioned.
In UK and got it working fine. Did you let it update or flash?
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I have tried resetting the different levels security and other setting on my wireless router to no avail. I dont undesrtand as both netflix and the chrome browser add on work well
fatbhoy said:
I have tried resetting the different levels security and other setting on my wireless router to no avail. I don't understand as both netflix and the chrome browser add on work well
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I have exactly the same situation. What ISP are you on? Router? BT/Homehub 4 for me.
Nodesy said:
I have exactly the same situation. What ISP are you on? Router? BT/Homehub 4 for me.
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BT Homehub 4 too. I tries reducing the wireless security to wpa and it solved problem a bit however my chromcast connection with my wifi drops out all the time.
Did anyone have any luck with this, i'm having the same issue - BT Home hub 4 as well
djdope said:
Did anyone have any luck with this, i'm having the same issue - BT Home hub 4 as well
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there is another topic on this HERE
Lots of people having problems, some seem fixed, mine isn't. Everything worked fine until today.
I'm in the UK on SKY using SKY Hub.
How strange as nothing has been done at this end and It's working now with Home Hub 5.
My Chromecast with Flashcast 1.1 (1330) can`t play youtube clips.
When I play it from PC or iPad or Nexus 5 the clip starts playing and suddenly stopped-Chromecast restart (always after 10-15 seks. playing).
There are few clips on youtube in very low quality which works correctly.
I have good quality of internet bandwidth and strong WIFI signal for all devices.

Netflix audio problem

I just got my Chromecast for Christmas and when I use netflix the audio sounds extremely garbled and high pitched. We are talking indistinguishable Alvin and the Chipmunks underwater messed up audio. YouTube and Pandora sound fine. Any ideas or is netflix just messed up?
someguyatx said:
I just got my Chromecast for Christmas and when I use netflix the audio sounds extremely garbled and high pitched. We are talking indistinguishable Alvin and the Chipmunks underwater messed up audio. YouTube and Pandora sound fine. Any ideas or is netflix just messed up?
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What kind of TV or sound system do you have?
Its currently hooked up to an old Viewsonic LCD TV, no sound system. I don't think the TV is the problem since youtube and pandora work fine unless Netflix has audio output settings I am not aware of.
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someguyatx said:
Its currently hooked up to an old Viewsonic LCD TV, no sound system. I don't think the TV is the problem since youtube and pandora work fine unless Netflix has audio output settings I am not aware of.
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Netflix does have audio options, though I have yet to find anything beyond Stereo.
If the audio is semi-intelligible but playing in super-fast bursts, then it's being caused by lag, similar to how Bluetooth A2DP will try to catch up the signal is interrupted - the remainder of the buffer is flushed at super speed to try to catch up. But if the signal is continually interrupted, this happens continuously.
I don't know what Netflix's default streaming bitrate is, but it's possible your connection isn't stable enough to handle whatever rate it's choosing. YouTube tends to drop down or buffer more. Pandora is just audio which is trivial bandwidth-wise.
I have 15/1 cable thats pretty spot on. No issues streaming netflix and other stuff to Sony bluray or Wii. My router is an older TPLink N300, but it works with everything else. I don't have HBO or Hulu will try to find other video apps to troubleshoot. Either way thanks for your responses.
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OK so I downloaded redbull TV and revision 3 and tested videos. Redbull works fine but revision 3 has the sane audio issues as Netflix. Maybe its a router issue? I will just have to do some research I guess
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someguyatx said:
OK so I downloaded redbull TV and revision 3 and tested videos. Redbull works fine but revision 3 has the sane audio issues as Netflix. Maybe its a router issue? I will just have to do some research I guess
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Possibly... Newer TP-Link routers are listed as compatible by Google so, not sure.
How's the signal strength on the Chromecast? If you're not already using the extender, that might be enough.
Otherwise, the general "gotchas" seem to be options related to:
AP Isolation (must be OFF)
Multicast (depends, but multicast packets need to be allowed)
UPnP (should be ON)
IGMP (depends)
IPv6 (depends)
Good signal strength and my settings look right. Will try on the Samsung TV shortly for troubleshooting. Wife is on that one at the moment. I don't need a Chromecast on that TV though if it works right.
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Seems to be fine on the other TV which is also much closer to the router. Do these units only work right on full strength?
someguyatx said:
Seems to be fine on the other TV which is also much closer to the router. Do these units only work right on full strength?
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Not necessarily full strength, but it does need a reasonable connection strength so there is enough sustained transfer speed.
Sounds like your sustained transfer speed may be fluctuating, causing "spurts" which are generally bad for streaming applications. A slower, stable connection is actually better than a faster, bursty connection for streaming, because it's like breathing - it's about flow rather than average. 7.5 liters of air in 3 seconds doesn't make up for the other 57 seconds of the minute that you got nothing.
Depending on your wiring situation, if you can move the router closer to the Chromecast, that should help - or if the router is on a different floor, avoid having it directly above/below the Chromecast. If the TV itself is directly between the router and and Chromecast, the HDMI extender should help, if that doesn't get it clear, you can use a longer HDMI extension cable. I have my main Chromecast on a 10-foot HDMI extension, connected to my sound system, which then has a 6-foot HDMI cable to the TV. No problem so far, and it keeps my Chromecast in a spot where I can keep an eye on it. I'm sure one day it's going to sprout legs and run off. :silly:
Some routers allow you to adjust the signal strength as well.
If none of the above is possible, then the final option would be to get a wireless repeater or range extender - or a router with a stronger signal, but it's tough to judge how a specific router will do in a situation without actually testing it.
Yeah I am probably on the fringe of a really good connection for this little device. The wii works fine but its antennas are probably bigger and its only 480p resolution. I should be able to move the cable modem and router just need to dig out a splitter and find my WiFi dongle for the desktop. I also have a Belkin N750 router I can borrow from work tomorrow. I put in a Netgear Nighthawk in its place on Friday. Wish I had $200 to drop on one of those for home.
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someguyatx said:
Yeah I am probably on the fringe of a really good connection for this little device. The wii works fine but its antennas are probably bigger and its only 480p resolution. I should be able to move the cable modem and router just need to dig out a splitter and find my WiFi dongle for the desktop. I also have a Belkin N750 router I can borrow from work tomorrow. I put in a Netgear Nighthawk in its place on Friday. Wish I had $200 to drop on one of those for home.
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Click to collapse
You should be able to have multiple APs as long as everything's on the same subnet. So you could turn off DHCP on the Belkin and connect its LAN to your TP-Link's LAN and it should act as a simple access point. Then connect Chromecast to the Belkin's wireless.
If you have multiple bands that's a good way to minimize other wireless traffic and maximize available bandwidth.
My phone usually is on my 5GHz wireless while my Chromecast is on the 2.4GHz wireless (because that's all it supports). So when I cast local media from Avia it goes from my phone to my router over 5GHz and to Chromecast over 2.4GHz, which in theory keeps the wireless usage to 1x the content bitrate on each band, rather than 2x the content bitrate on a single band (send from phone to router + send from router to Chromecast).
I have narrowed the problem down to my TV and the way certain apps deliver audio. I tried the Belkin router and still had garbled audio on Netflix but YouTube had no issues. Still only good signal strength though.
Next I moved the cable modem and router to several feet from the Chromecast and still had the same audio issues.
Maybe I can talk the wife into a new TV
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someguyatx said:
I have narrowed the problem down to my TV and the way certain apps deliver audio.
...
Maybe I can talk the wife into a new TV
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Weird. Maybe a decoding or sampling rate problem.
Good luck with your wife! :highfive:
Thanks I have never had issues with other HDMI devices on this TV. I currently have a Pace cable box and have used various cable boxes, DVD, and media players. Here is a quick video of the issue for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7LfTa0oQ1w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Wow that's weird. Almost like a pitch shift... not sure what would cause that... definitely doesn't sound like a network "catch up" though.
Maybe joint stereo being interpreted as standard stereo. Very weird. Submit a bug report to Netflix, doesn't hurt.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
Sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks!
Yeah its pretty crazy. I will submit to Netflix later this week.
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We found a great deal on a Samsung 55" LED today and after shifting TVs around the house I won't be using the Viesonic anymore. The good news is that the Chromecast is working fine now on the old Samsung 42"
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someguyatx said:
We found a great deal on a Samsung 55" LED today and after shifting TVs around the house I won't be using the Viesonic anymore. The good news is that the Chromecast is working fine now on the old Samsung 42"
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Congratulations on that!

Hulu+ - Low quality streaming

Hello everyone!
I just recently got myself a Chromecast to use specifically with Netflix and Hulu Plus (casting from an iOS device).
Thanks to this forum I knew how to proceed for everything beforehand, using Smart DNS in my router, blacklisting google's DNS servers, etc. I have a TP-Link router.
Netflix is working perfectly, bumps to the 720p stream in about 6 seconds and another 5-6 seconds later it streams at 1080p without any noticeable drops so far.
Hulu Plus however is being problematic. It might smart in HD (sometimes) but either a few minutes later or after the commercials it drops to SD quality and rarely ramps up again. Starting the stream again helps, but only for a short while.
As I currently don't have another H+ device to test, i was wondering if the hulu plus implementation with Chromecast is indeed flawed or if this is happening just to myself (I understand that being overseas might not help - although I'm not sure which CDN I'm getting the content from), but it's really annoying seeing all the godawful pixels on my screen constantly - the Ads... pfft, well, those are always in 720p, go figure!
Anyway, hopefully you'll be able to share your experiences with me!
Cheers, thanks.

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