Insufficient Bandwidth for Hulu + Airplay Using Time Capsule & Air

[jason.siegel]

I just received a new Apple TV and have been trying to use it to stream Hulu (not Plus) from my browser and display it on my TV using AirPlay. I am using a Time Capsule router from a few years ago and an Air from late 2011.

It appears there is insufficient bandwidth for this. I can stream a movie from iTunes just fine, but when I attempt to stream to my Air and then to Apple TV, the video is choppy and overly compressed. I don't believe it's the download to my Air; I believe it's the upload/download between my Air, Time Capsule, and Apple TV.

Should my hardware be capable of this? Does anyone have experience with as similar setup? Thanks.

[Edit: Perhaps it would work if I plugged in an Ethernet-in to my Apple TV?]

 

[Mrbobb]

Perhaps it would work if I plugged in an Ethernet-in to my Apple TV?

Given that:

TM -> Notebook [HULU: WIFI traffic lane #1]

Notebook -> TM [UPLOAD TO AIRPLAY: WIFI traffic lane #2]

TM -> ATV [Access Point routes traffic to ATV: WIFI traffic lane #3]

So if u can make TM -> ATV a hardwired connection ridding u of 1 WIFI traffic lane, it can only help. Do it.

Now I HOPE ur Internet_Gateway -> TM is already an ethernet connection because otherwise you have a 4th WIFI lane there, and as u already surmised, u don't have unlimited WIFI bandwidth.

 

[mmomega]

How far apart is the Time Capsule the AppleTV and the Laptop? Distance is a killer for any WiFi setup that is repeatedly streaming

Not to jump away from your original question but Hulu is built in with AppleTV (or is it Plus only subscribers) couldn't you just use that rather than streaming?

Back to the topic.... When I initially tried what you are attempting I would have some extended buffering and degradation. Once I hardwired my AppleTV in my videos would come up almost instantaneously, from Hulu NetFlix or AirPlay.

I believe the problem is the pulling an HD signal from the router to the laptop, the laptop wirelessly sending it back to the router and the router then sending it wirelessly yet again back to the AppleTV but then again someone could prove me wrong.

If if isn't to difficult would you be able to see which model number or generation your Time Capsule is?

 

[jason.siegel]

That all sounds right, thanks. My cable modem is already wired to TC. I'll try wiring Apple TV to TC, tonight. TC model MB276LL/A. (Wow. Didn't realize it's 11 years old!)

(Also, ATV only has Plus, for subscribers)

 

[mmomega]

The model you listed is the 1st generation Time Capsule, a 2008 model so it have signal-band operation, essentially it will operate on the band of the slowest device on your network.
So example, you have a 802.11B device on your WiFi, those would be the WiFi speeds you are throttled too. If you were using all N devices only then you'll be getting the quickest speeds available.

Hard wiring the aTV to the TC should make a difference


Noted on Hulu for aTV, I wasn't aware it was Plus only. We've been using +since it was 1st offered.

 

[jason.siegel]

Wiring the AppleTV seems to have helped. Thanks!