WMV and delay playback (buffer): why

pjrey wrote on 10/11/2005, 9:03 AM

just a quick question for all. why is it that WMV's always have to buffer before playing.. unlike mpg's... avi's... any other for that matter...
if you try to pause wmv, its also a nightmare...
it makes me not like using wmv..
its a small little annoyance... that keeps me away from using them...

just wondering why it is it does this...
does this bother anyone else!?

thanks
pj

Comments

Former user wrote on 10/11/2005, 10:27 AM

In WMP there is a network buffer setup. You can use the default or set your own, but there is no indication of what the default is.

Dave T2

pjrey wrote on 10/11/2005, 12:32 PM

thanks dave..
but how do you set the value to 0.. you cant?
what is a network buffer? what is the need for it?

so it can stream?

sorry for my silly questions
pj

fldave wrote on 10/11/2005, 4:53 PM

Streaming from the internet ideally assumes a constant bit-rate transfer. Since in reality it is never constant, most media players create a buffer and "read ahead" to provide a smoother playback experience.

So the slow initial startup is actually buffering the data you will need in the near future, to accommodate those slow-spots in the download process later on.

For example, if you were to set it to zero, when your neighbor is downloading an mp3 album, your video playback will stutter/stop, while it is switching the bandwidth between your video and their mp3.

Hope that helps.

pjrey wrote on 10/11/2005, 5:25 PM

i often prefere to download the whole file and then playback..
i did set the value to 0.. which then automatically defaulted to 1...
and when i tried to preview the clip i just made... it took about 5 seconds to actually play... annoying...
or if you want the video to loop... annoying...
mpg
or avi

pj