I am streaming from my base model 2015 iMac via file sharing (SMB) to my 4K ATV that is connected with a CAT 6 ethernet cable. When doing a speed test with the ookla Speed Test app I am getting around 550 Mbps down and 24 Mbps up. When using Infuse to stream 40GB - 80 GB 4K RIPS I am getting EMBARRASSING speeds. I have Infuse set to SMB3 which seems to perform a bit faster which is still not doing much better. My iMac is in another room than the ATV is, but when doing a speed test on my iMac via Wi-Fi it still got 520 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.
I have seen other people with similar problems on here and tried what they did. Unfortunately it didn’t help at all. I tried switching SMB settings on Infuse, I tried aiming the router at a better angle which is 3 ft from the ATV and even disabling background refresh except for Infuse in the ATV settings and NADA!! Why am I getting robbed so badly with Infuse?? I’ve used Plex, which did maybe a tad better, but nothing big enough to be considered a fix. I am running a VPN but with it On or Off it didn’t make difference. It’s just buffering every 5 seconds and makes me want to pull my hair out.
Here is a screenshot of my humiliation for you all to see. The connection just falls flat on its face and gives up. Can anyone offer any assistance please? I am lost.
First thing I’d try would be try setting SMB to either 2 or Legacy. Level 3 may be adding an unneeded level of security and slowing things down.
Also, don’t try to compare what Speedtest shows for Internet speed to what the speed test in Infuse shows. Infuse simulates the actual streaming of a video for play. There is a level of overhead that will naturally slow max speeds.
I already tried switching the SMB to every option from AUTO, SMB3, SMB2, SMB1 and Legacy. Legacy performs the worst overall. Could switching to FTP over SMB help me out?
Are you seeing problems when trying to play videos? Do they play alright? Some users get so focused on what the reported “speed” is they feel like their missing something even though videos play fine. Not all videos require super fast connections.
What are you using for the “normal” network connection, WiFi or Ethernet?
I’ll add another thing. I used to use an iMac to serve videos to Infuse and with SMB it would often drag. I’d do a restart on both the ATV and iMac and it’d be fine for a while but after a few days it’d start dragging again.
I replaced the iMac with a Synology NAS and haven’t had those issues since. The iMac was doing other things in the background and I don’t know if it was an OS issue or the SMB protocol but it seems that there’s a memory leak somewhere. I still see similar issues when transferring file from my MacBook to the NAS but a restart on the Macbook solves the problem for a week or so.
What gen ATV4k are you using? What OS on the iMac? What OS on the ATV?
Have you let Infuse complete it’s scans, fetching metadata, and iCloud sync before doing a speed test?
Looks like there’s a bad connection somewhere. Try replacing ethernet cables or changing slots on the router. Have one other devices on Wi-Fi, try temporarily moving it and connecting it to ethernet.
