Forcing Flash to play highest resolution stream possible

ic1male · 9 Aug 2016 at 18:50

So I'm watching some of the Olympics on my computer (screen resolution is 1280x1024). Sometimes I can get the streams to play at 1280x720 @ 5Mbps but more often than not they hiccup and drop to 960x540 @ 3Mbps. Internet shouldn't be a problem as it's Sky Fibre.

Does anyone know if there's a setting in Google Chrome or an Adobe Flash settings file I can alter so that it always plays the highest resolution stream available, even if it means buffering? I don't want this adaptive rate technology trying to do what it thinks is best.

It's all right on YouTube and video sites like that where you can select the resolution yourself but the BBC iPlayer and their sports streams don't offer that option.

Sin_Chase · 9 Aug 2016 at 19:22

I think it's server based rather than client.

jpaul · 10 Aug 2016 at 20:51

If you set the flash cache to 1MB or greater, it gives a more consistent 720 feed for me, I suspect have a wired connection would help too (if you are not running a metered wireless connection like me to prevent 10 updates)
but as SIn Chase says if the server sees the packets of the adobe stream do not arrive perhaps in sequence is starts downgrading the stream (virgin maybe traffic profiling the bbc stuff too, never sure if using another dns server can circumvent that)
iplayer 'hd' downloads are only 540 anyway, see thread in media section - glastonbury iplayer sound was a meagre 110Kb/s aac audio , they spent the bandwidth on the stupid pictures.

ic1male · 10 Aug 2016 at 21:27

I could get a reasonably steady 720p stream on BBC One tonight via the iPlayer whereas the dedicated olympic stream wouldn't hold it and kept dropping to 540p. I think it might be my ancient Core 2 Duo CPU (9 years old now) on the laptop that sometimes throttles down to save overheating.

asim18 · 10 Aug 2016 at 21:54

Yeah flash is horrible for rendering mp4. Best quality possible can only be achieved by using livestreamer, which lets you push the live stream into an actual video player like mpc-be.

Blackjack Davy · 14 Aug 2016 at 11:01

There are several servers that stream at different bitrates if it feels its not streaming fast enough via your connection it'll drop to a lower bitrate server, if the connection improves it'll switch to a higher bitrate server. Etc. To maintain a smooth service presumably.

ic1male · 14 Aug 2016 at 11:21

It's definitely the computer. After discovering the olympic streams are on the iPlayer on the Xbone, I was able to watch in 1080i last night without a single stutter. Yet the laptop will play YouTube 720p without a stutter, too. It's just BBC iPlayer it doesn't like with the rate adaptive streams.

ic1male · 14 Aug 2016 at 11:23

jpaul said:
If you set the flash cache to 1MB or greater

Where do you alter this setting?

jpaul · 14 Aug 2016 at 21:54

flash options are off of the context menu (m3) inside video area

gatuitous graphic -

I have never seen this report 1080, afaik flash would exclusively be progressive (not going to impose de-interlacing on downstream client, also often 720p @50Hz is deemed better than 1080i @50hz for fast action sport )

the bit rates I show evolved as a I started watching the live cycling stream, and peaked at 720 after about 60s ,wireless connection, my bb peak 8Mb/s
(do not think I ever seen 1080 for iplayer hd downloads either)

afterthought - was using a fhd screen , with image maxed, i should try a 1440 monitor would that give me 1080 ?

ic1male · 14 Aug 2016 at 22:20

I'm not 100% sure but the image on the Xbox looked really clean. There's no way to get the little bit rate info screen up on that so I'm only guessing. It could well have been 1280x720 @ 5Mbps. If it was going to do 1080 then you should get it in full-screen mode on a PC.

As for the Flash cache, my screen only says Allow or Deny. It doesn't show any storage slider. But I'm on Flash v22, you're on 14. Maybe they ditched it?