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Video stutter

Greetings,

I've been using another CDN and am testing out Bits on the Run. I uploaded and encoded one video and used the WP Bits on the Run plugin to embed in a page at:
https://www.ligminchalearning.com/ourcourses/welcome-elements

This video stutters on playback using FF or Safari on the machines I have tested. It does not stutter with Chrome. CPU load is only 17% and the required bandwidth is relatively low. (And I'm testing on fast network connections.)

Yet if I view the direct link in FF or Safari on my Mac on the same machine, I don't see any stutter:
http://content.bitsontherun.com/videos/7KUjPlp0-XtbHHakf.mp4

Perhaps the issue is related to the web page being encrypted via https and the video stream is not? Chrome gives a warning, and one has to agree to run the "dangerous" script.

What is the cause of the stutter, and how does one avoid the ugly warning in Chrome about a dangerous script when embedding in an encrypted page?

Thanks!
JJ

6 Community Answers

Up Down

Remco van Bree

JW Player Support Agent  
0 rated :

The performance issues are caused because we play back the video through Flash. I expect that for some reason the version of Flash that was bundled with Chrome is better optimised or is more up to date than the version of Flash that you use with Firefox/Safari.

To avoid the security warning you should make your embed code HTTPS too by changing

http://content.bitsontherun.com/players/7KUjPlp0-0319j9oc.js



to 
https://content.bitsontherun.com/players/7KUjPlp0-0319j9oc.js

Up Down

JW Player

User  
0 rated :

The different player version is a good guess, but not the case. I just updated to the latest version of Flash player today, and there is still stutter.

It also doesn't make sense because in Firefox and Safari I can play full HD video from other CDNs without stuttering. I also have no such stutter problems from sites like YouTube and Vimeo.

Other ideas?

In terms of having to use the other embed code, it seems like that I would have to avoid using the BOTR Wordpress plugin, correct? Or is there some option there I have missed?

Thanks!

JJ

Up Down

Remco van Bree

JW Player Support Agent  
0 rated :

Your link works fine in Safari and Firefox on my mac (no stutter whatsoever), so I can’t think of any reason why it doesn’t work for you.

Forcing https with the wordpress plugin would mean that you would need to make a small source change to the shortcode replacement function in the wordpress plugin.

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JW Player

User  
0 rated :

Rather mysterious. I have tested on 3 Macs, and all exhibit stutter on FF and Safari, with the latest release of Flash. On one of them (the oldest) Chrome also exhibited some stutter, but the CPU showed only 20% load levels. No other applications were running during testing.

I tested on a Windows 7 box (not a virtual machine, but a Dell) and saw no stutter on IE, FF, or Chrome. I was on the same wired network subnet as the Macs used for testing.

I also created a progressive download player and tested with the same video. It too stutters on Safari, but not on Firefox on the same Mac.

I tested on a iPad mini as well. No problem, but of course it avoids the Flash player.

I am beginning to think it is the CDN and how it communicates to the Flash plugin to regulate data rates. Do yo have a map of where your data centers are located for your CDN?

JJ

Up Down

JW Player

User  
0 rated :

I should say the point of all this testing is to determine whether I migrate all my video content from Kaltura to Bits on the Run, or some other CDN. If I cannot determine the cause of the stutter issue and resolve it, it is unlikely I will move to Bits on the Run.

JJ

Up Down

Remco van Bree

JW Player Support Agent  
0 rated :

Given that the Windows machine on the same network did not stutter, this cannot be a CDN issue.

The only thing I can think of would be some issue that is related to specific Flash versions and graphics card drivers, but given I cannot reproduce this, I cannot say anything else about this.

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