I have been using openSUSE 11.1 64 bit on my AMD dual core desktop computer. For quite some time I have enjoyed the audio streaming available from the BBC through my broadband connection. However, recently, I started to get interruptions as the stream needed to stop and fill the buffer again. Now, if I only had a narrow bandwidth available, I could understand it but, my connection, through Virgin Media (in the UK) which was rated at 2Mb/s, has recently been increased to 10Mb/s and is distributed through a fibre optic network to a box, just down the road where it is converted to co-axial cable to run up to my house. There was no way video streaming would work, let alone the high definition TV which is theoretically achievable with 10 Mb/s broadband.
To prove it was something to do with openSUSE I’ve put Linux Mint 7 (64 bit) Main Edition on to the computer and everything just works! Even my wife’s Sony Vaio laptop connected through its 54Mb/s WiFi connection and running M$xp works okay.
To my mind there has to be something restricting the bandwidth within openSUSE. Any ideas anyone? (Or will I have to remain with Linux Mint?!?):\
For information, my cable connection comes in and from the modem, supplied by Virgin Media, the data is routed through my D-Link DIR 635 router. My desktop computer, running Linux is hardwired to the router whilst the laptop, running Windows, is connected wirelessly. Neither of these computers have the firewalls activated as the firewall in the Dlink is sufficient.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can shine some light onto this problem.
First let me say, I have adsl max 8mb and get very close to that as I am right next to the telephone exchange. I have no problem watching bbc HD tv online. Audio is just a blip and it’s all there.
Have you disabled IPv6 Disable IPv6 - openSUSE Forums
try get_iplayer from Packman repo
It’s command line but brilliant for getting audio or video
Here is it’s http which has help: Documentation | Linuxcentre
heh, because he laid Mint over his 11.1 to see if it would work at
full speed!
and, because of his line “However, recently, I started to get
interruptions as the stream needed to stop and fill the buffer again.”
means to me that he (or an update, or background program running, or a
constantly rotating cube or or or) did something to BREAK his stream,
i reckon his new install will work just like the original
did…perfect, until it also gets broken via fixin’…
Oh woe is me. I disabled IPv6 and the condition stayed, as before.
Remember, this was with a fresh SUSE install plus only the normal installed options and current updates loaded in with the install process.
Because Mint only takes 30 minutes to install I’ve put it back onto my computer and, if anyone comes up with anything I can soon put SUSE back on (in about 50 minutes). May be this will get me into virtualisation!
Any fresh ideas Guys?
>:)Incidentally, I once reinstalled Vista for a friend on his laptop and it took over a day! So a couple of hours switching OSs is nothing by comparison!! (I’ve now convinced him to run Linux so he wont keep getting viruses breaking his machine. It was either that or change his browsing habits!!) >:)
Yes Mint is good but SUSE (excepting the streaming from the BBC) is better. I think it is the difference between levels of control. You can make changes in SUSE quite easily whereas in Mint, say to change the workgroup name, you need to edit the Samba configuration file.
Still, if anyone comes up with an idea I’ll be happy to give it a go. It is either that or wait for 11.2 and hope it is fixed (for me).
Well the IPv6 was the most likely suspect and of course you need to re-boot for the changes to take effect. Did you ever do speed test on your system or check the download speed of say a file over http://
I had inhibited the IPv6 during installation and (obviously) rebooted before trying it out.
All other downloads work normally with no speed problems. I even did a broadband speed test on the BBC web site and got consistently high download speeds, the BBC site reckoned that it should be HiDef capable, let alone a simple audio stream from BBC Radio 7! (rotfl!)
Looking at the Internet speed graph, on the System Monitor/Resources, I can see the data (on Live BBC Audio Streaming) coming in as pulses with SUSE, instead of a relative steady 18kB/s stream, seen in Mint doing the same thing.
if that doesn’t help you probably need to open top in a terminal on
the desktop and watch it…see what pops to the top just as, or just
before the stream is interrupted…
and, just for fun you might consider backing off of other high cpu and
gpu intensive operations…like desktop effects…
and, tell me: the Mint you used successfully, was it using the same
version of KDE or Gnome, or what?
–
goldie
Give a hacker a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach man and you feed him for a lifetime.
Note: Accuracy, completeness, legality, or usefulness of this posting
may be illusive.
Oh woe is me. I disabled IPv6 and the condition stayed, as before.