How fast is my streaming?

[runf]

I guess this is a general networking question as well as a Mezzmo question.
Also please excuse me if this has already been answered and also my relative cluelessness.
I'm using a powerline adapter (Tp-link AV500). I also use wireless.
I'm streaming to a Nexus 9 (wireless ac) and a Sony KDL 46NX-700 TV (powerline).
Most movies (usually MKV), stream just fine but some want to transcode which usually hangs things up.
How can I tell how much data I can push from the computer to either my tablet wirelessly or to my TV via the powerline adapter?
I've heard that powerline adapters often don't reach advertised speeds, but how can I tell what the speed really is?
Hope I'm making sense.

[TimC]

There's a TP-Link utility that tells you the connection speed of the powerlines & that'll show something like 200-300mbps - at least my AV600s do. But the TV will only have a 100mbps ethernet port so that'll be the limiting speed.

[jbinkley60]

Full rate streaming of Blu-Ray quality streams is 48Mbps. Most hover in the 30-40Mbps range. That won't be to the tablet but could be to the TV. Often the issue with wireless and other converter technologies isn't the raw speed but jitter of the connection. That is harder to measure but can be seen if you have freezing and torn screens.

[Paul]

In addition to good info from TimC and jbinkley60, there are quite a few causes of stuttering when playing videos. They are listed here in this FAQ (including tweaks to improve performance) - http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/6538-Tutorial-How-to-reduce-excessive-stuttering-or-buffering-when-streaming-videos

[runf]

Thanks for the reply.
Yes, the utility says the "rate" is currently 111 Mbps but it changes all the time.
That would be from one powerline to the other?

[Paul]

Yes, the utility says the "rate" is currently 111 Mbps but it changes all the time.
That would be from one powerline to the other?

It could be the quality of your power lines in your house or interference from other devices. See http://www.tp-link.com/en/faq-409.html.

[TimC]

Yes that is the rate between the powerlines - which hopefully are plugged directly into the power sockets.

That rate should be more than adequate - ie maxing your TV's ethernet connection - to not cause any problems streaming.

Transcoding is dependent on your PC's power, not on connection speeds.

[runf]

Yes that is the rate between the powerlines - which hopefully are plugged directly into the power sockets.

That rate should be more than adequate - ie maxing your TV's ethernet connection - to not cause any problems streaming.

Transcoding is dependent on your PC's power, not on connection speeds.

I don't think I knew that. Thanks.
It's only a couple of really fat mkvs that don't stream well. They cause Mezzmo to start transcoding. So if my PC were better (faster) then maybe the stream would be better?

[TimC]

I don't think I knew that. Thanks.
It's only a couple of really fat mkvs that don't stream well. They cause Mezzmo to start transcoding. So if my PC were better (faster) then maybe the stream would be better?

There are settings within Mezzmo where you can set the quality of transcoded video files to improve the transcoding rate, not sure where they are but Paul can advise you there.
Or pre-transcode them if they're viewed more than once.

[Paul]

If it is only a few "fat" mkvs that are stuttering, then the reason will probably be the transcoding speed on your PC is not fast enough for real-time playback. This FAQ details a few tweaks you can make to transcode your files faster - http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/6538-Tutorial-How-to-reduce-excessive-stuttering-or-buffering-when-streaming-videos (see the "Your video files" section).

Another alternative is to pre-transcode your "fat" MKVs before streaming them and this will eliminate the transcoding issue being the cause of the stuttering. See this FAQ to pre-transcode your MKVs - http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/6025-Tutorial-Pre-transcoding-Files.