Picture Stuttering - Netflix, video files

Hello Everyone,

I recently upgraded my television to a Samsung UN55D7000.  Upon firing up the Hub on the new TV and playing a video file (720p .mkv located on the Hub drive), I noticed significant image stuttering.  This occurs in Netflix as well.  

To test the stuttering, I plugged in the old TV (32" LCD) and noticed no suttering with the file on the Hub’s local storage and limited stuttering in Netflix.  The stuttering within Netflix may just be less noticeable on the smaller screen, and is brought to light with the larger TV.  It did appear smoother.  However, the Netflix app within the TV plays video’s perfectly smooth (I prefer streaming using the Hub as the TV does not allow me to adjust the image settings within the app’s themselves; therefore, making the picture on the hub much better).

My hardware is as follows:

Router:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833314041&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Network±+Wireless+Routers-_-Belkin-_-33314041

HDMI:

http://www.amazon.com/GTMax-Premium-Supports-4096%C3%972160p-Resolution/dp/B0035718CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327782548&sr=8-1

I frequently hit 20-30mbps network speeds.

If a file is on the Hub’s local storage, often it will stutter significantly for about 15 minutes and will correct itself and play normally.  If the video is pause or stopped, the stuttering resumes upon restart for another 15 minutes and so on.  Sometimes it corrects sooner, sometimes not at all.  

The TV and firmware updates happened around the same time, and I cannot pinpoint whether it is the firmware or the hardware that is causing the issue.  

Any recommendations or similar circumstances?  Should I try and rollback the firmware to see if the image still stutters?  I have had the hub for almost a year and have not noticed stuttering to this degree.  The video’s are still watchable, but guests that have watched video through the Hub have noticed and it becomes quite irritable to watch.

Hmmm.   I have no idea what it could be since you’re saying it’s occuring in NetFlix as well.  

Sometimes (particularly with international films that were originally in 25 fps) I have seen poor display on NetFlix here in the US (where it’s 24 fps).

Are you in NTSC Land or PAL land?

Thanks for responding Tony.  

Not quite sure regarding NTSC or PAL.  The range of local video files that stutter varies from large 1080p video to standard 480p files.  Some play fine, some stutter.  Normally I would blame the file itself, but these played perfectly fine when using the smaller TV.  They also play fine on a PC.

I read up on others having micro-stuttering issues, but since these files are located on the Hub itself, and thus not subject to bandwith and network transfer rates, I did not feel like those applied.

NTSC is North America and Japan mostly.

PAL is Europe, mostly.

But never mind that.  :)  Now that I’m putting 2 & 2 together, I’m guessing you’re in the US…   Since NetFlix only works in North America on the Hub.

I guess we could go back to the basics here…

Try setting different HDMI resolutions in the HDMI setup of the WD. 

Try using a different input port on the TV.

Try different HDMI modes on the TV (motion compensation, smoothing, judder reduction, etc…  different brands call it different things…)

See if you can narrow it down to specific files.  Do the stutters happen in the same place every time?   

Also, for one that has the issue consistently, Please post the full TEXT output of MEDIAINFO for such a file.

http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net

Perhaps since the firmware update your settings have changed. Did you reset the box? My tv has some troubles like you describe if I have the video settings set to something static like “1080 24p” instead of the “auto” setting that will stream in whatever the media presents and let the television do the down/up conversion. You could try the auto mode after a device reset and see if it might help. You could also check that your tv isn’t set for 24hz pulldown as was already suggested while the hub is set for something like 60hz, in certain cases this can cause trouble. 

If all else fails it is worth it to swap the hdmi cable as these do go bad sometimes. Although it isn’t a likely candidate if it was working properly before.

I have been toying with the settings as mentioned to no avail. However, I want to revisit the NTSC vs. PAL. I realized that the files that stutter more dramatically and for more sustained periods of time have been video that was originally recorded from UK broadcasts (Top Gear).

Is there a setting that that I maybe overlooking on the hub or the TV?

No, there’s really nothing to change.

Keep your WD set to NTSC if you’re in the US, and complain to NetFlix that their 25p (PAL) video doesn’t work well on the WD.