TiVo OTA NetFlix Bufferiing issues Please Help.

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That doesn't mean there isn't an issue NOW with your ISP and/or Netflix.

That's like saying....."but my light bulb worked yesterday when I flipped the switch, but today it doesn't so how can it be a blown bulb?"

Well lookie there!

FWIW, I do believe what others said about the issues may be related to using wifi with your TiVo instead of hard wired, so I'd try that first.

 

I am able to reliably watch Amazon 1080p/5.1 trailers on my Roamio with a 5Mbps internet speed. I do have an adapter on the Roamio to convert the wired to a wireless 802.11ac 5GHz link and a dual core Netgear R7500 router. A faster router and a strong signal helps.

 

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Try moving your Roamio to the router's location temporarily.

 

Do you have a small TV or monitor with either hdmi or composite?

 

+1

The 5GHz band works great for me, where 2.4GHz is hit or miss, mostly miss

If you do purchase a new Dual-Band 2.4/5Ghz router, I strongly recommend
the ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router

BestBuy sells the same router as the ASUS RT-N66R Dual-Band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router

Or the AC model ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router
TiVo WiFi does not support the AC standard, so unless you have other devices that can use AC, this model does not benefit you, but would future proof you.

 

I am having the same problem. My router is running at 50mbps with >90% signal strength on my Tivo. I now use Netflix with my Roku 3 player and have no problems. Is there an issue with the Tivo OTA?

 

There is your problem. Tivo does not support streaming content over a wireless connection.

Connect the tivo to the router via ethernet or moca as directed in the instructions for streaming services.

 

The AC routers actually work better with N clients than the N routers do. I have an N66U that I bought a couple of years ago, but the router to get today is the AC68U.

 

Did you ever find a solution? New router? What did you get? I have similar problem, but can not isolate problem.

 

First, I think a real long CAT5 cable can be a good test to see if your WiFi is the issue. Monoprice has 100 foot cables pretty cheap. Also, the ASUS is a good router and I use several of their adapters. I have a Netgear R7500 router though. It has a switch on the back to kill the very bright LED and the USB ports are on the side, and an eSATA port on the other side. Not pretty, but it's dual-core and I use it with a wireless Mini and Roamio. The Mini works with the TiVo AN0100 and the Roamio uses a ASUS EA-N66r. I get 80+ Mbps from a wired Premiere and the wireless Roamio. But, like was posted, the ASUS is good.

 

I've come back to Tivo after being away ~4 years, and I have been impressed with most that I've found, except...

I have the same issue, the Tivo Netflix app suffers chronic buffering (and I'm ethernet connected to Comcast modem, all the way... no cheap router in the path...) I have a Mini, and that isn't any better!

I thought this was a bad switch, or an issue with Comcast, so I've been systematically replacing (2 and counting) ethernet switches and cables in search of the source. After finding no joy, I started trying other devices, connected to the same ethernet switches. Guess what, they work sooo much better. Panasonic TV, Sony DVD player, I even paid $15 for a usb-to-ethernet adapter for my original Chromecast to get it off of Wifi, and Netflix on it is superior to the Roamio OTA and the Mini!

So the other guys that *don't have this issue*: Do I own a lemon?
I dread trying to explain everything I've tried to a poor customer support person...

This is the second OTA I've owned, the first one died 60 days out...
But I don't hold that against anyone, customer service was great, just lost the shows and the subscriptions...

Any tips on insuring that my OTA is working up to to par?
(There's no hard drive in the Mini, right? So doing disk maintenance on the Roamio won't help with the issue with the Mini, or am I missing something.)

The Mini isn't recording shows while rendering Netflix, so it should have the computing cycles to run that app... Is the Roamio OTA just too constrained to do this well and record shows at the same time?

How often is the Netflix app updated on Tivo?

Amazon Video app on the Roamio is sooo much better than the Netflix app, it rarely buffers. So it looks to me like the Roamio is capable, it is just the Netflix app itself?

I can try shutting down the Mini to make sure that it isn't stealing IO cycles from the Roamio that affects the Netflix app...

If this gets solved, then I can continue to recommend Roamios to all my friends.

The way it currently works, I can't share a show on Netflix with company, it's a total turn-off...

Can anyone help?

TIA

 

I have TiVo Roamio, using it for OTA. I never have any buffering issues with Netflix. If you do, it is a problem with your internet connection. Is your OTA connected via WiFi or Ethernet to the internet? Have you checked network speed? Check all connections and try a direct connection to the modem or router to see if it is the intervening hardware causing a problem.

Peter G

 

Huh?

Almost everything in my home is connected wirelessly including my Roamio OTA.

I don't ever get buffering, never! On my Roku, Sling TV buffers but that's a Sling TV issue..

Do I have a magical Roamio OTA or something as I can easily and without issue connect to ALL the Roamio streaming apps while connected to WiFi...

Netflix? Yup and no buffering
Amazon? Yup and no buffering
YouTube? Yup and no buffering
Yahoo? Yup and no buffering
Vudu? Yup and no buffering
Web Video Hotlist? Yup and no buffering

 

Me too.

I have a place with no cable or FIOS or Comcast. It's just old-fashioned DSL. The speed, hard-wired, maxxes out at 2.4 Meg. Really slow.

But even so, my TiVos connect wirelessly to the router, which of course cuts the speed, and I still watch Netflix rock-solid. No issues at all.

Here's a couple of ideas for anyone having trouble.

First, use Vudu to test your internet speed on your TiVo.

Second, Netflix has test videos that show your speed and resolution. Search 'Test Patterns, Multipurpose Chart' for the 4K versions, or 'Example Short 23.976' for the HD version.

This will show you exactly what speed your TiVo is getting. Of course, you can also use the test videos for any other device that streams Netflix. They're pretty cool - I keep them in 'My List.'

Won't solve your problem, but if you're paying for 20+ Meg service...and the TiVo is reading like, 1 Meg...you know there's a bottleneck.

One more idea: I hard-wire everything to my LAN. But I use only CAT 7. Only did that when I went 4K, and for 4K Netflix, your entire broadband flow has to absolutely fly.

Good luck!

 

Long story, short: I am NO LONGER having this problem. Netflix app is working without buffering!

Root cause was ONE of the following (likely), or a combination (less likely):

- Software update, I had to recently accept new terms of service, on the Netflix app so it has updated

- My OTA was missing recordings, full disk drive, and subscriptions were configured as "Keep until I delete". All subscriptions are NOW set to "Space needed", I turned off Tivo Suggestions, and cleared low priority shows to get disk usage below 70%.

I have not tested the Netfilx app on the Mini as yet, but I will post after I'm sure that this problem is in the past for me.

Hope this hopes someone else.

 

That makes sense. If you press the Info button on the remote while watching a HD Netflix show you can see that they adjust the picture quality as they go along. I think the first few seconds are usually "384" moving to 480 moving to, in my case, maxing at 720 since I have a 3Mbps connection. I never have buffering with a roamio basic using wired ethernet.