some channels stop playback after awhile.

[XxPiratexX]

Just wondering if this is common or just a current issue?

I'm pretty content with the service so far, just need to know if im doing something wrong on my end.

[cordcutnow]

It's a common issue here, you're watching channel then you change channels. You get back to your previous channel and it's gone all you can see is a non-stop 'waiting' loop on bottom right screen.

[pod77]

Just wondering if this is common or just a current issue?

I'm pretty content with the service so far, just need to know if im doing something wrong on my end.

How long are you watching the channel before it stops?

[XxPiratexX]

Well i barely change channels and the channel will play fine for an hour or more but then it just pauses and i cannot get it to resume without exiting the channel first, then re entering it.

[pod77]

I have noticed this as well, if I leave it on the same channel for an hour or two the screen will go black. I exit out of the channel then go back in and it plays fine. I thought I read someplace that the server disconnects after a certain amount of time if you just leave it on the same channel for long periods of time. Anyone else notice this as well?? I haven't actually timed how long I'm connected before this happens though.

[XxPiratexX]

It just happened again just now while my daughter was watching spongebob on nickelodeon :(

This time it was on the channel for less than 45 minutes and paused. Never had any channel go black but this issue kind of defeats the purpose of reliable although for the most part it is.

I would definantly like to hear from an admin or server tech on why this happens.

[pod77]

Hmm that's odd, I know when it happens to me it's been way over an hour. Are you setup wired or wireless??

[XxPiratexX]

Hmm that's odd, I know when it happens to me it's been way over an hour. Are you setup wired or wireless??

Im on a wired 200mbps connection on an nvidia shield tv using a premium cyberghost VPN service.

[tuxen]

it happens here too, but it seems there is no consistency in how many hours before its happening. I did see it very very seldom until ca. 14days-a month ago, so seldom you wouldn't think of it and channels would run all night. now almost every time I wake up its frozen. I have a irregular sleep pattern and sleep 2 hours then 1 then 3 max 4 so having something to watch when I wake up is helping a bit (I know its not a problem in those situations, but I have had some cliffhangers spoiled by it too and that is a issue heh). 1 of my friends are telling me the same. :/ I am going to some family this weekend and I will try from there too.

EDIT: hmm.. I did add a new wireless Bluetooth mini keyboard around the same time, it connects and disconnects when it goes into standby.
I have eliminated that now, lets see. I do not really have high hopes that it influenced anything tbh. everything else is fine heh.

[tuxen]

like pod77, I am going to try and jinx it because it has been running for a unusual long time now. it always does when you want it to happen, that's why these kinda errors are so hard to troubleshoot lol.
maybe it got fixed and it was on their todo list or it really was my keyboard.

@pod77 still no issues either? what about you pirate?

i'll update this thread if it happens, if not i'll do it tomorrow. just to let you know.

[pod77]

I'm not home test it right now

[XxPiratexX]

like pod77, I am going to try and jinx it because it has been running for a unusual long time now. it always does when you want it to happen, that's why these kinda errors are so hard to troubleshoot lol.
maybe it got fixed and it was on their todo list or it really was my keyboard.

@pod77 still no issues either? what about you pirate?

i'll update this thread if it happens, if not i'll do it tomorrow. just to let you know.

Have not tried again since this morning when it paused after about 45 minutes. I will try and troubleshoot aswell.

[tuxen]

it froze and I had to restart the channel. :(

[scooterboy]

it froze and I had to restart the channel. :( This happens to me also . About every 1 to two hours then boom it freezes right up an have to reset channel to get it working again . Been doing it all month .

[cordcutnow]

I found a solution to my constant freezes. I made a file called extremesettings.xml and saved it inside Kodi/Userdata folder. I noticed my freezes are gone and it is much faster when changing channels.

<advancedsettings>
<network>
<buffermode>1</buffermode>
<cachemembuffersize>157286400</cachemembuffersize>
<readbufferfactor>20</readbufferfactor>
</network>
</advancedsettings>

Kodi 16 on Windows 10.

[tuxen]

you are misunderstanding what we are talking about. please learn to read the posts properly.
we are not talking about constant freezes as in buffering every 30 secs 1 min 10 mins or whatever. it has nothing todo with that.
that file wont change what we are experiencing one bit.
I use 2 of the settings for movies myself, the last setting will cache local content which I have no idea why you want to do.

another point is none of the settings have todo or will influence live streaming, please read up on kodi instead of blindly copying things.
pvr has its own small cache and section.
if the placebo effect works its perfectly fine. actually in studies it has proven to work. so there is nothing wrong with that.

but please do some damage control and delete your misinterpreted post. that is also ok to do, I do it myself but I always clean up after myself. :)

[pod77]

Okay so I was reading on another site(and who knows if it's true) that the server use to time out after 3hrs of viewing the same channel and when it hit the 3hr mark a pop up message at the bottom would pop up and you have to hit okay to keep watching. I never watched a channel for 3hrs straight so I cannot confirm this. So with that said maybe something has changed and its timing out sooner. I will put on my STB emulator and see how long it stays on without going black.

[tuxen]

just to be clear we are seeking ppl who experience that:
the video plays for ca. 1-4 hours then the picture freezes totally, and when you press stop and play the same channel again it continues to play fine again.

[tuxen]

Okay so I was reading on another site(and who knows if it's true) that the server use to time out after 3hrs of viewing the same channel and when it hit the 3hr mark a pop up message at the bottom would pop up and you have to hit okay to keep watching. I never watched a channel for 3hrs straight so I cannot confirm this. So with that said maybe something has changed and its timing out sooner. I will put on my STB emulator and see how long it stays on without going black.

what? sounds really really odd lol.. I think it played more than 3 hours this afternoon, but as others here the time is random. I seldom even hit 3 hours too.
I think i'll try and see what stb emulator says too. but it sounds crazy to me.

can anyone with a avov or mag or stb emulator confirm the popup?

[XxPiratexX]

I have heard that the mag boxes are the best for this service, but i do not personally own 1 so i can't actually test it myself.

Could the freezing issue have anything to do with either of pvr stalker's cache?

I would like to try using the stalker papaio addon to see if the issue is present there aswell, but i do not want to do a mac change and reset to get it on pvr stalker client again.

I've read in this forum somewhere dara commented that it is possible to use both pvr and papaio addon with duplicated credentials. maybe dara can private message me on how to do this and i will test to see if the addon has the same issue.

[pod77]

I do not have any freezing or buffering pretty much 99% of the time. I use both the PVR client and the STB emulator. So any freezing has nothing to do with the PVR client. Really the only time I have any issues is when they are working in the servers

[pod77]

I have heard that the mag boxes are the best for this service, but i do not personally own 1 so i can't actually test it myself.

Could the freezing issue have anything to do with either of pvr stalker's cache?

I would like to try using the stalker papaio addon to see if the issue is present there aswell, but i do not want to do a mac change and reset to get it on pvr stalker client again.

I've read in this forum somewhere dara commented that it is possible to use both pvr and papaio addon with duplicated credentials. maybe dara can private message me on how to do this and i will test to see if the addon has the same issue.

Also if your up and running I wouldn't start messing around with things. All your asking for is the authorization failure or device conflict messages if you start screwing around with it, especially if your up and running. The mags will have freezing as well and it can be a number of things, from the setup all the way to the ISP provider.

[tuxen]

that wont help if a popup really pops up though but please report back if papaio 10 does the same.
I would take pod77's advice though. he is right.

you can modify the pvr cache with one setting it will adjust how much of the small buffer (8secs) must be filled before start playing, I pretty sure it wont do anything to this problem.

the stb emulator emulates a mag.

I have stb emulator installed and running. unfortunately the internal player cant play most channels (US interlaced ones) without looking like crap.
and i'm affraid if I install a external player it will be the same as kodi coz I pass the stream on to it. on the other hand the emulator run in the background how it would know how long a stream has played I have no idea. but i'm not sure I can ignore it for 3 hours lol.

the 3 hours popup seems more and more like false info. someone who has a mag or avov or has been using the stb emulator can quickly confirm or dismiss this.. please come forward. :)

[pod77]

that wont help if a popup really pops up though but please report back if papaio 10 does the same.
I would take pod77's advice though. he is right.

you can modify the pvr cache with one setting it will adjust how much of the small buffer (8secs) must be filled before start playing, I pretty sure it wont do anything to this problem.

the stb emulator emulates a mag.

I have stb emulator installed and running. unfortunately the internal player cant play most channels (US interlaced ones) without looking like crap.
and i'm affraid if I install a external player it will be the same as kodi coz I pass the stream on to it. on the other hand the emulator run in the background how it would know how long a stream has played I have no idea. but i'm not sure I can ignore it for 3 hours lol.

the 3 hours popup seems more and more like false info. someone who has a mag or avov or has been using the stb emulator can quickly confirm or dismiss this.. please come forward. :)

Check your pm 😉

[pod77]

@Tuxen right around 2 hrs it froze up on the 1 channel I was testing... As soon as I reloaded it on my STB emulator it started acting fine👍👍

[tuxen]

thanks that confirms the rumors.. not much we can do but restart the channel for now. :)

[XxPiratexX]

Also if your up and running I wouldn't start messing around with things. All your asking for is the authorization failure or device conflict messages if you start screwing around with it, especially if your up and running. The mags will have freezing as well and it can be a number of things, from the setup all the way to the ISP provider.

I'm using a VPN so my ISP should not be the reason.

I think i will investigate further with the papaio addon since i can just do a mac change and reset if it freezes aswell.

[tuxen]

@pod77: oh btw what player do you use with the emulator? mxplayer? or does the internal player work fine on your box?
oh.. and you also have mail lol.

[juan_vale]

This 'lockup' problem has been around for a while... see here http://iptvtalk.net/showthread.php?15381-Is-the-service-down-for-all&p=121637&viewfull=1#post121637. I also experience it when the channel does what I call 'catchup', that being when the stream in my box synchronizes with the main stream and you get a few seconds of fast forward.

[tuxen]

thanks. I missed that. I do not have the problem with 'catchups' but then again I very very seldom see one.

[XxPiratexX]

This 'lockup' problem has been around for a while... see here http://iptvtalk.net/showthread.php?15381-Is-the-service-down-for-all&p=121637&viewfull=1#post121637. I also experience it when the channel does what I call 'catchup', that being when the stream in my box synchronizes with the main stream and you get a few seconds of fast forward.

If your running an android box and using kodi for your stalker streams then you can fix the "catchup" issue by going into the video/aceleration setting and disabling the media codecs, worked like a charm for me :)

[pod77]

I'm using a VPN so my ISP should not be the reason.

I think i will investigate further with the papaio addon since i can just do a mac change and reset if it freezes aswell.
It actually can still be an issue with your setup or an ISP wheather you use a VPN or not. It's what happens between the VPN and the server... The VPN does not connect directly to the server! So if you are experiencing freezing or buffering start looking at the various items that cause it and rule them out. It has absolutely nothing to do with the PVR client.....

[XxPiratexX]

No buffering just the freezing.

I will just check the wiring since i do have a usb hub connected to my shield aswell.

[pod77]

No buffering just the freezing.

I will just check the wiring since i do have a usb hub connected to my shield aswell.

I have also read that certain routers also cause freezing as well. If you haven't been following this thread check it out as it has some info on freezing:

http://iptvtalk.net/showthread.php?15571-I-dont-know-if-its-just-me

[XxPiratexX]

I have comcast/xfinity's latest router with DOCSIS 3.0.

They are currently upgrading to a gigabyte connection DOCSIS 3.1 and i can't wait to get my hands on it :)

[pod77]

Well hopeful that will fix any issues you are having! As I said I usually don't have any issues unless they are working on the servers.

[XxPiratexX]

I'm running an average of 200mbps down and 25mbps up on speedtest.

I will possibly upgrade when available to see if that fixes the freezing issue, But i seriously doubt my connection is the culprit.

Thanks for your kind words of encouragement :)

[pod77]

It actually doesn't matter if you have 200mbps between you and the ISP provider. See this post that I had found at a different site:

Here is a c/p from another site that explains the buffering situation.. As some of us are not experiencing the issue all the time:

What you have described is very typical of ISP capacity problems. This has been a major problem in my area where the ISP's lack either the total available bandwidth to cover its commitment or they lack the infrastructure to distribute bandwidth at full capacity. I've had people paying for 30mbps that at peak times would get less then 1mbps.

If you can prove your ISP is incapable of providing an acceptable service through logging speed tests over time you should report it to your local authority that is responsible for the regulation of ISP's. Then you should report to your ISP that you have reported them to the authority

That is 200 mbps from your ISP to you but what happens between your ISP and the server? That is probably where the freezing comes from. Do a tracert and you will see where the freezing is from

[vidswaps]

Yes I have the same problem on my Mag254.
The screen will just go black after about 45 minutes or so of continues play.
I have to leave the channel,and come back for it to start playing again.
Sometimes it will start playing right away.other times it drags on for a while,and there are times
that it won't play again either.
This started to happen more often lately.

[pod77]

We did a few tests and about every 2hrs it times out... We have to go back out and then click on the channel so it will resume playing. I tested it on the STB emulator

[pod77]

Here is the answer directly from NFPS:

This option is used for security reasons and to save bandwidth at client and server sides in case the client forget to turn off the TV. But we are going to increase it to 8h.

[crazed 9.6]

thnx pod :)

makes sense now

[tuxen]

yes a little over two hours and the server kicks you from the channel. I have had so many shows/movies spoiled by this, because of moore's law it usually always happen in the most important/exciting parts. I really hope NFPS set the timeout back to 8 hours so people at least can watch the same channel all evening or during the day for that matter. and people with dvr can record movies longer than 2 hours.
I understand the logic in freeing up resources from people who fall asleep or leave it on more than 8 hours that is. but 2 hours that is imho ridiculous. I honestly feel like I been reduced to a trial account.

I can not recommend this service to others in its current state anymore either, they instantly pull back when I mention the channels stop after 2 hours. it used to be the first word on my lips when somebody wanted to cordcut, now I feel kinda embarrassed to mention it.

we can only hope more will join this thread and maybe NFPS/Rocket/IKS66 will notice it and set it back to 8 hours or even 6 hours could do it.

this is not a flame thread. I dont think I need to say that I love the service, but the 2 hour limit is beginning to ruin it.

[XxPiratexX]

So every 2hrs the server is set to kick you smh.

I really hope they do set it back to 8hrs. that would make the service much more appealing to people looking for a good reliable cable tv substitute.

I love the service, but 2hrs is a bit of a deal breaker for some people.

[Montyj]

I guess I just don't get it....

This service was hugely oversold. One of the original promotional phrases was "no freezing". That was a big plus to IKS users that have put up with it for years. Now they announce that freezing is intentional because they did not plan for scaling the system? Instead of building reliability and the ability to scale early, they went for the big bucks and reliability seemingly cast aside and now we hear they are cutting off users after 2 hours...incredible!

TV, be it OTA, cable, satellite or IP TV, is meant to be watched whenever, and where ever you can get a signal. If I want to go to sleep with my chin on my chest at 2am and leave the TV on, that capability is built into the system since TV was invented. But apparently not with NFPS. We are being monitored an told we are limited.

NFPS made a big apologetic announcement that the service wasn't reliable, then raised the prices (IKS extra). Now we hear they are monitoring and limiting the length of time we can watch TV. And peeps are claiming they 'understand'??

Knock off the zillion channels, come out with a core group, make it reliable and slowly scale up. We paid for just that. 'Bout time we get it.

Just an o'le geezers opinion...

Montyj

[tuxen]

Here is the answer directly from NFPS:

This option is used for security reasons and to save bandwidth at client and server sides in case the client forget to turn off the TV. But we are going to increase it to 8h.

that post is back from 2015 (you got it from me, but you forgot to look at the year I undertand why it can be missed because its exactly a year old) when people also complained about a timeout, I dont know if i'm allowed to post the link but you can find it on the official nfps forum as said it is a year old. someone set it back to 2 hours, I really hope NFPS will listen to us again, and then they will get great appreciation but not from when they made the first bummer. I have no idea why they do not learn from their mistakes. sorry.

[juan_vale]

that post is back from 2015 (you got it from me, but you forgot to look at the year I undertand why it can be missed because its exactly a year old) when people also complained about a timeout, I dont know if i'm allowed to post the link but you can find it on the official nfps forum as said it is a year old. someone set it back to 2 hours, I really hope NFPS will listen to us again, and then they will get great appreciation but not from when they made the first bummer. I have no idea why they do not learn from their mistakes. sorry.

Well.. in view that it's old info maybe the Staff here can get an up to date version from the providers... is it another bug in the system or is it being done intentionally. If it is the latter then it should be put on the Sales pages so peeps know what they are gonna get.

Montyj's comments make a lot of sense.

[XxPiratexX]

Is there even a mention of this 2hr timeout anywhere to be seen?

I think it's something they should let their subscribers know before purchasing.

[pod77]

Is there even a mention of this 2hr timeout anywhere to be seen?

I think it's something they should let their subscribers know before purchasing.
Only the one I posted from a year ago... We will have to see if they post about it again

[tuxen]

Well.. in view that it's old info maybe the Staff here can get an up to date version from the providers... is it another bug in the system or is it being done intentionally. If it is the latter then it should be put on the Sales pages so peeps know what they are gonna get.

Montyj's comments make a lot of sense.

yep, they should I wonder if they wrote it before signup how many will complete the payment. not many I would guess. as I said the times I told about this service after the timeout was introduced again (I feel obligated to tell people, apparently nfps do not) instantly pull back.

I doubt the awesome staff can help us on the way. in the new thread elsewhere many people experience this too and it does not seem to be a bug its very consistent after we measured it. in the old thread a forum member even contacted infomir to get an answer the answer infomir gave was it is the provider with the exact config file and what they could change to disable it. nfps was aware and the answer posted here is a response to that, that was as said a year ago just before it went paid. and then they set it back to 2 hours a half year in.. go figure

I agree with you and montyj's post I does make a lot of sense it should be watchable with the chin dangling on the shoulder whenever the server is up, and they should scale it from all the money they get from donations now, if they aim for somewhere near premium this tbh is ridiculus, imagine if even free to air channels did that. I think we will get a very had time getting that trough, hence the suggestion of at least 6-8 hours.

we helped nfps buying donations is it not time to help us just a little back. 2 or 8 hours what does it matter for the resources when people watching the same channel all evening or day restart their channels with unnecessary interruptions. as said i'm suggesting this because I think getting them to put the line 'enable_playback_limit = false' in the correct section of the config file is near impossible.

and security issues what the heck its possible to change token or whatever without interrupting peoples viewing experience.

[debug337]

Thanks for this thread , I was wondering what the hell was going on. I work in my office and usually just leave the TV on fox news just to listen .. I had to get change the channel a couple of times today.