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[tanzbodeli]

What are considered to the be the minimum requirements for running an MC server, streaming it to Tivo?

After I moved my media library to a different machine, TiVo seems to have real problems scrolling through playlists and browsing folders.  It also seems to fail when skipping forward and backward while playing tracks.  It just exits out with the usual server disconnect/error message.

And when I check the logs in MC server, it says a number of things:

08/13/03 19:37:42 - tcp_write failed error=10054
08/13/03 19:37:44 - TiVo HTTP: received a connection
08/13/03 19:37:44 - TiVo HTTP: ready for another connection
08/13/03 19:37:44 - connection closed with no data
08/13/03 19:37:44 - TiVo HTTP: Invalid http request

The first setup I had, was using a laptop with wireless connection and it worked beatifully, so I doubt it's a network connectivity/throughput issue.  Then I thought maybe it was a CPU issue, as the laptop is a P4 1.7 GHz machine and the new server is a desktop with a meager P3-600 (both with 512 MB RAM).  But when I run the server on the desktop, and monitor the CPU load, it never gets above 50% utilitzation, and usually yo-yo's between 20% and 40%.

I also know it's not a disk I/O issue either since the desktop has a much faster hard drive than my laptop.

Could it really be the CPU issue, even though the load doesn't seem to reflect it?

I have a hard time believing that a PIII 600, while not fast in comparison to today's computers, isn't up to the task.

Any ideas?

thanks,

--tanzbodeli

[John Gateley]

Hi,

It sounds like a network problem to me. Your system is more than fast enough. Wireless is slower than you think, for various reasons. Are you sure the wireless net isn't being used for downloads or something else at the same time you are using it for music?

j

[tanzbodeli]

Hi,

It sounds like a network problem to me. Your system is more than fast enough. Wireless is slower than you think, for various reasons. Are you sure the wireless net isn't being used for downloads or something else at the same time you are using it for music?

j

But when I use wireles there isn't a problem, it's only when I use the desktop that there is a problem.  And when I try to use the desktop, there is ablsolutely nothing else going on.  The problem is completely replicable: the laptop (wireless, fast CPU) always performs great as the server, the desktop (wired, slow CPU) always performs poor and lags out as the server.

--tanzbodeli

[tanzbodeli]

Here is my system info, FWIW:


Media Center Registered 9.0.180 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows 2000  Workstation 5.0  (Build 2195)
Intel Pentium III 598 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 327 MB, Free - 232 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.81 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1106 / Shell32.dll: 5.00.2920.0000 / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive D:   Copy mode:ModeBurstBigBuffer   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
 Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: Yes /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
 Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  No burners found.
 Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
 Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None


[I took out a stick of RAM to test it to see if it's bad, usually I would have 512 in this box]

--tanzbodeli

[Robert Taylor]

Have a look at the NIC settings, either in the Hardware Manager, or the peoperties for the LAN connection.

Try setting the NIC to be full duplex/100Mb (if you are plugged into a twisted-pair LAN (and as long as you have a 100Mb capable switch/hub)

Sometimes the PC NIC doesnt not auto-negotiate speed properly, making it perform horribly.

Hope this helps ya!

[tanzbodeli]

Well, I -think- I have ruled out it being anything specifically with the desktop machine.  Last night I installed the Tivo server application and published all the playlists from MC and all my music folder and it worked beautifully.  I had no problems browsing through the folders or skipping through a >2500 song playlist (both which caused the server and/or TiVo to pack a major wobbly when using MC).

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that MC doesn't work well as a music server on slower machines, with large music collections (although 4500 songs doesn't seem very large) -- even though the TiVo app seems to have no problem with it.

Maybe I'll try re-installing MC tonight in a last ditch effort, otherwise I'll just have to stick to creating my playlists in MC and exporting them to be used with the TiVo app, which isn't a terribly appealing solution, but I don't know what options I have.

--tanzbodeli

[John Gateley]

Hi,

What does your network look like? How does the TiVo connect to the desktop? Through ethernet? Router? Wireless?

j

[tanzbodeli]

Hi,

What does your network look like? How does the TiVo connect to the desktop? Through ethernet? Router? Wireless?

j

I have an SMC wireless barricade (802.11b) router.   The computer in question which has had the problem is connected to it via wired connection.   The laptop was connected via wireless (also tested with wired -- works fine), and the TiVo is connected via wireless as well.

All devices are connected to the router.

--tanzbodeli

[John Gateley]

One possibility is that something else is hitting your desktop on the same port. Note that you are receiving empty messages:

08/13/03 19:37:44 - connection closed with no data

Try changing the port on the desktop (and if that fixes it, you should track down what is causing the conflict)

j

[tanzbodeli]

One possibility is that something else is hitting your desktop on the same port. Note that you are receiving empty messages:

08/13/03 19:37:44 - connection closed with no data

Try changing the port on the desktop (and if that fixes it, you should track down what is causing the conflict)

j

You mean change the port within the MC music server app?  

It's not the same port as the TiVo app? (which doesn't seem to be configurable)

--tanzbodeli

[JimH]

Yes, change the port to something that the TiVo server isn't using.

[tanzbodeli]

Yes, change the port to something that the TiVo server isn't using.

I'll have to look through the TiVo settings, because I'm not sure what port my TiVo box is using.

When I look into the MC Music Server settings, I see two options related to port number.

1)  Under the "Networking" section, I can choose "Automatic Port Selection" or "Manual Port Selection [Default 80]".

then there's also:

2) Under the "TiVo HMO" section, there are the options:
-Support TiVo on Port 80
-Support TiVo on Port 8079 (with beacon on port 2190)

Which of those two should I change?

And also, do I have to run the TiVo beacon with the MC Music server?

thanks for the help....

--tanzbodeli

[John Gateley]

Sorry, my confusion. You can't really change the TiVo port.

Drop me an e-mail at gateley @ jriver.com and I'll send you a suggestion.

j