Popping Audio/Stuttering Video (Network Share)

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Streaming
1

Purchased a 46" LCD on Black Friday + a WDTV Live player and am having a couple issues:

  1. The audio pops/crackles noticeably and often. SEEMS to only be while playing 720p/1080p x264 MKV files, but I haven’t confirmed this 100%…it appears I can play  xvid/avi without audio/video problems. Brand new HDMI cable, switching cable doesn’t resolve. I’ve tried both Stereo and HDMI Passthrough audio settings. I suspect the dynamic range of the audio from the files is simply too much for the junky speakers of the TV?

  2. Aforementioned 720p/1080p MKV files stutter when streaming over SMP/network share but are fine playing off a USB HDD. Currently only have a newer Linksys G router; will upgrading to N/Dual Band help? 

-Insignia 46" 120hz LCD

-Panasonic CF-53, Win 7, 8GB RAM

-Linksys WRT54G2

-WD TV Live with attached Lacie 1TB USB3.0

2

Can you try the WD TV in another TV set? I don’t have crackles noises, but others users have reported this using the latest firmware update.

Honestly, wireless is not the best option to stream movies HD.

3

I could try it on another TV…

I understand that wired connections are better. I’m streaming HD movies from the USB hard drive and 720p episodes wirelessly (1-2GB files). Sometimes I can stream a whole episode flawlessly, more often than not, it gets choppy though.