Well here are some network measurements (1 second resolution) while playing or copying the same file from QNAP to Mede8er or PC via SMB.
PC, Mede8er and QNAP are connected to the same Gigabit switch and no other devices are connected!
First let's look
how fast Mede8er can copy this large file via SMB to internal HDD.
And now let's look
how fast my PC can copy this large file via SMB to internal HDD.
We can see that Mede8er is only capable of sustained data rate of about
93.6 Mbps, but in case of my PC it is around
322.0 Mbps. Quite a difference I'd say!
--------------
Now lets see what happens while
Mede8er is playing the same file.
While playing this file there are a lot of stuttering going on. Data stream is about 48 Mbps that matches what MediaInfo reported about this file.
Now lets see what happens while my
PC is playing the same file.
While playing this file there where no stuttering!
--------
Notice the
big spike in the beginning (PC playback graph) - that is content buffering before starting playback!
If you look on Mede8er playback graph, then you can see that there is no such buffering going on at the beginning...
I conclude, that Mede8er has quite small playback buffer and therefore frequently run into buffer under-run problems that cause stuttering.
In fact I confirmed that by starting playback on Mede8er and then while playing this file I disconnected the network cable - playback stopped almost immediately. That's exactly what would happen in case of very small playback buffer.
I used to do the same test (play and disconnect network) on my PCH C-200 and playback continued for few seconds.
That indicates large playback buffer.
So, here are measurements that tell a lot.
QNAP is more than capable to stream high bit rate content. Mede8er is the bottleneck - insufficient buffering and weak network interface.
I hope developers will find a way to increase data buffer and improve networking part of Mede8er.