Streaming problems with video and sound—keep it up!
Streaming problems with video and sound—keep it up!
While using YouTube, Disney+, Netflix, or similar streaming platforms the video may pause and resume. Occasionally the audio plays while the video loads, at other times the video replays but the sound is out of sync. When playing an audiobook on Audible it tends to skip forward, rewind a short time, and replay. All problems disappear after refreshing the browser, yet they persist. Irrespective of the browser used, tried every solution.
PC#1: Processor – 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11700KF @ 3.60GHz
Memory – 32 GB RAM (31.9 GB free)
System – DDR4, 64-bit OS, x64 architecture
GPU – RTX 3080
Connection – Wired gigabit
PC#2: Processor – AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D @ 4.20 GHz
Memory – 32 GB RAM (31.2 GB free)
System – DDR5, 64-bit OS, x64 architecture
GPU – RTX 4080
Connection – Wired gigabit
Recent troubleshooting steps:
1. Deleted browser cache on every device, no extensions installed
2. Reinstalled and updated drivers (networking, graphics, audio, etc.)
3. Swapped Ethernet cables
4. Updated ISP
5. Installed new modem and router
6. Updated network card via new Ethernet setup
7. Reinstalled Windows 11
8. Ran commands via admin terminal (netsh winsoc rest, netshint ip rest, ipconfig/release/renew, etc.)
9. Posted a Discord reward for a fix
10. Constructed a brand-new PC from scratch and bought fresh Windows 11 (problem still present)
You own a Netgear device, it's working fine. I've noticed logs need to be disabled on any Netgear router. I'm not sure about their modems, but checking the settings should reveal an option to turn off logs, then clear them. Try it out. All the Netgear models I've used before have worked well and lasted many years.
Do wireless gadgets such as phones face the same problems as your PCs? If they do, it might be worth checking Netgear settings or enabling QoS. I haven’t used a Netgear device in more than ten years, and I only have a modern switch from them. Also, should I switch to using Windows apps for streaming instead of browsers? If that’s the case, are there browser options that boost hardware acceleration?
I've noticed that using optical audio out on my PC can sometimes cause audio latency. Have you considered switching the audio outputs? It might not be the main reason for buffering, but it could affect audio timing. As for troubleshooting at a networking level, I think using WireShark to check logs would help. I'm not familiar enough with Wireshark to identify the right issues, so someone would need to look into packet loss, unusual packet behavior, and QoS problems—like streaming packets missing proper priority tags.
It might help to adjust the router's DNS settings to those of Google or Cloudflare. Consider assigning a fixed static IP address to your PC rather than using DHCP, and manually configure your network settings on each device.
Confirm the setup is clean—no auto or gaming QoS settings active on any Netgear devices. For reference, I noticed a shift from AT&T fiber to Spectrum, yet issues persisted; Spectrum didn’t seem to worsen them. AT&T has consistently delivered smooth streaming across all my PCs and both wired and wireless connections.