Best software to stream to a tablet??

StevieP · 24 Sep 2015 at 16:43

I stream a lot of video content (generally mkv's) from my Synology NAS to my tablet and phone but it seems just recently the playback has varied from OK through to un-watchable and I wondered what software people recommended?

At the moment I'm using Archos Video Player but despite the Wifi signal appearing to be OK on my tablet (ie. the icon on the top bar has full "bars"), about 10-12 minutes in the stuttering begins and most of the time it stops all together!?!?! :confused:

I've tried using Plex but if I try and stream I get the message that "This server is not powerful enough to convert video" (I've got a DS213 which I thought was a decent enough piece of kit!?!?)

I can only assume that it's a Wifi problem (content plays fine on my Kodi box which is wired) but the fact that the Wifi indicator is full is throwing me off!

Anyone got any ideas of what the problem could be?

mushtafa · 24 Sep 2015 at 18:44

Can't help you with your main problem, but check out Wifi Analyzer on the Play store. Its a very handy app to have to troubleshoot issues etc. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en

StevieP · 25 Sep 2015 at 00:08

Thanks for the reply - I've had a look and my TPLink router signal is getting -55 dBm - the problem is I have no idea what that actually means!?!?! (2.4GHz by the way!)

What sort of speed do you need to get smooth streaming of a 720p mkv file??

swain90 · 25 Sep 2015 at 07:55

How large are the files you're trying to stream?

Maybe worth trying the XBMC app and streaming through that and see if it's any better.

Semple · 25 Sep 2015 at 08:16

swain90 said:
How large are the files you're trying to stream?

Maybe worth trying the XBMC app and streaming through that and see if it's any better.

As above, i believe kodi does the transcoding on the device rather than from the server.

- Have you tried with SD media? Do you get the same problems?
- Do you have another laptop/desktop you could also try over wifi? - that would rule out the tablet not being able to cope with a 720 stream.

StevieP · 25 Sep 2015 at 08:24

The particular files I'm having an issue with are around 1.5GB!

I'm not keen on Kodi on the tablet because I find the UI is too small and fiddly!

@Semple - do you mean SD media as in on the SD card in my tablet? If so, no problems at all when I'm playing from there!
I'll have to try my laptop upstairs and see if I get the same issue but I've never had a problem while it's been in the same room as the router!

Columbo · 25 Sep 2015 at 20:57

Astro file browser and MX Player is what I use.
Just browse your network shares with Astro, tap the file and open it with MX Player. Works perfectly for me.

StevieP · 26 Sep 2015 at 10:31

Columbo said:
Astro file browser and MX Player is what I use.
Just browse your network shares with Astro, tap the file and open it with MX Player. Works perfectly for me.

The trouble is I'm used to Kodi and all the eye candy that comes with it!

The other issue is that the TV show episodes aren't necessarily named and so just picking from a list isn't as convenient as recognising which episode I'm up to!

It's just frustrating that it works perfectly for a while and then starts to struggle!