Constant Podcast Video Buffering

[dekkadekka]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

Device

(iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy 9, Macbook Pro late 2016)

Operating System

(iOS 10, Android Oreo, Windows 10,etc.)

My Question or Issue

Video Podcast is constantly buffering on Sony smart tv. About every 4 seconds. Yes I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Premium plan. Every other media platform is streaming fine for me and my connection is good. The JRE Podcast WILL NOT STREAM VIDEO CORRECTLY and has been the case for quite some time. I first noticed this issue about six months ago and it is still not resolved. Other users have raised this issue before. Why isn't there a current fix or investigation for this?

[Kiril]

Hey @dekkadekka,

Thanks for reaching out on the Community!

Constant buffering doesn't sound right indeed, provided that you have a good network connection. Does this happen only with this particular podcast show or is what you experience in general when casting podcasts containing video? Can we ask you to share few more details about your current setup, so we can give you a better advise? It be helpful if you provide us with the following additional info: 

• the exact model and OS version of your Sony smart tv (might be worthwhile to check for pending firmware updates as well)
• the current versions of the Spotify apps on the devices you use for casting

In the meantime, you might also try doing a so called clean reinstall of the apps, as this is more thorough than the normal one and ensures that no cached data will cause interference with the new installation of your app. 

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on.

[ryanppax]

I have this same issue for the last couple months, when previously it worked flawlessly.
Hisense Android TV at my house: Working fine
LG Web OS Smart TV at my house: Buffering video. Wont play video after a couple seconds.
LG Web OS Smart TV at my girlfriends house: Buffering video. Wont play video after a couple seconds.

Reinstalling the app has not fixed this issue either.

[Eni]

Hey there @ryanppax,

Welcome to the Community and thanks for reaching out about this.

Would you mind letting us know if this happens with all of the podcasts containing video or only with a specific one?

On another note, could you try restarting your router by unplugging it from power for at least 15 seconds? Also unplug your TV and plug it back in.

If that doesn't make any difference, check and make sure that there aren't any firmware updates pending for your TV.

Keep us posted on how it goes.

[ryanppax]

I have tried these things several times...
This is not a local network problem. Works fine on the android app, works fine on the windows app.

This issue is affecting 2 different LG brand Web OS smart tv's in 2 separate houses.

All video podcasts are affected

[Eni]

Hi there @ryanppax,

Thanks for your reply.

Could you let us know if this started happening after a specific event such as an update? Additionally, we'd like to know if this happens when you use Connect, or only via the TV app.

On another note, would you mind sending over a video where we can take a better look at what you're seeing from your end? You can attach it using the Insert Photos or Insert Video options in the post editor.

We'll be on the lookout.

[ryanppax]

Hi Eni
I am not sure when this started by I believe around 4 months or so. 
After reading this message I tested a podcast without connect and doing everything direct. It appears to be working a little better, but still eventually starts to buffer and never replay. 
I can quickly find out if its going to mess up depending on the video quality.
Here are google drive links since the files are too big
Video 1 :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FEqrkrFkd1EGCnbn8
shows using everything directly on the tv. The first podcast buffered but the 2nd one seemed to play fine.

Video 2:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yuEur2b81GSUt72u9
Using connect from my computer. Video starts with really bad quality and then eventually buffered.

Video 3:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SBvwqPx8N3KzME1w8
Closing spotify on my Tv, desktop, and phone just to ensure connect isn't running.
Reopening spotify on the TV only, and playing a podcast. Connect is not running and video starts with poor quality and eventually buffers.

My network is 1GB fiber and TV is connected via wired LAN

[Yordan]

Hi @ryanppax,

Thanks for providing these videos!

You mentioned that you use a wired internet connection. LG suggests that you should disable the Quick Start and Simplink features if you are having issues with your internet connection. Could you try that to see if it helps? You can follow the steps in this article.

You can also try connecting to a Wifi network instead to see if podcasts would still buffer.

Let us know how it goes.

Cheers!