1 (edited by Steevo 2013-10-24 15:53:01)

Topic: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

I have been trying to use some of the music in Blue Octy Radio.
It plays a few seconds or minutes then it stops.
I push the arrow button and it sometimes starts again, then stops again shortly.
Sometimes pushing play doesn't do anything. 

I tried some of the streams I had set up in My Streams, radio stations.
They seem to mostly play without interruption.

This seems like a data problem with Blue Octy Radio.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

I take it back, now some of the direct streams stop playing, and I have to push forward again.
I just wonder why this seems so unreliable nowadays.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

You know, our homes have such high-speed Web access now, we forget how many other bottlenecks there can be along the way. Seems like cyberattacks are 24/7 everyplace now, so who knows how much our incoming data has to be rerouted. A year ago I had the slowest copper wire DSL and things were kind of predictable, things would slow down if the weather was bad or it was a busy day on Wall Street. Now with FIOS and 4g LTE, I still get occasional crazy lapses of "buffering" when I try to watch an SD clip on YouTube or stream a 32 kbps radio show. But when I think the problem might be on my end, I can still go download a massive file in seconds. Here in NY, my C1 radio's been going fine.

4 (edited by Steevo 2013-10-25 07:17:14)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

I do have a crappy ATT Uverse data line, it can barely manage 2.5 mbps. ATT did it intentionally, I could get a 15 MBPS line across the street.

But I am just not faced with any evidence that is the problem with chumby.  As I posted before, I get disconnects often.  They mostly reconnect automatically or I can tell them to reconnect and they do.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Blue Octy Radio is just a list of third party streams listed in an RSS-like structure very similar to the structure provided by SHOUTcast - in fact, Blue Octy and Sleep Sounds sources are actually based on the SHOUTcast code.

Once this structure has been loaded into the device (i.e. the list of streams is shown), then the method it uses to actually play is identical to the way all of the streaming music sources play.  The devices are connecting directly to the third-party streams, and the chumby back end systems are not involved.

I can't really think of any reason why only Blue Octy would behave any differently than the others.

6 (edited by Steevo 2013-11-03 10:20:35)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Duane,

Neither can I especially after your explanation, but I am playing KOST FM through Iheartradio at this second and it's playing continuously. About 3 or 4 minutes, which is a record in recent days. 

The old chumby.com system, I didn't notice this at all.  Was there somehow more reduncancy built into that?

Well, I spoke too soon. 

It was playing continuously but it just stopped.  Same as Blue Octy did.  I just dunno. No real traffic on my network as far as I know.  I am looking at it to see if it starts again.  Not yet.

I just clicked stop on the music screen. It didn't change anything.

I clicked goto and it restarted. I think that to be a coincidence. It played an entire song.

I just switched to Blue Octy Radio Paradise, I am clicking the forward button but it still says idle.
It finally started playing after several presses.  Played a few notes and stopped, and now says idle again.

It's been like that for about a minute, it has not restarted yet.
2 minutes.  I pushed play and the button surround turned gray when pushed. It started again.

It just played for about 5 minutes, and stopped when I refreshed a web page I was looking at, so that could be traffic related but I don't see why.

It does say idle, so it knows it's stopped.  That is interesting.
Well, I left it there saying idle for 10 minutes, radio paradise never resumed.
I just clicked play at the bottom of the window, the button did press, turned gray around but it did not resume playing.  I clicked play a couple more times and it finally restarted. It played for a minute and now says idle again.

Hmm.  I am going to be watching this.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

For some reason the stream through IheartRadio is much more reliable than the Blue Octy.

It still stopped, but all in all much much better.  I wonder what the difference is?  The IHeartRadio client has some code to make it retry.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Since most all of the radio sources give you problems at some point, I think you can rule out the idea the problem is from the originating stream. Seems it's much more likely the connection between your Chumby and the streams. Have you tried your Chumby on anyone else's wifi or hotspot? I'm not suggesting it's necessarily the speed of your connection, just something flukey with the connection. Some older mp3 radio streams are slow as 32 kbps, and even worked with dial-up connections. Your problem might be something as obscure as your modem firewall slowing the streams or your ISP throttling gone crazy. Trying someone else's connection could rule out all these unlikely possibilities all at once.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Well, yeah and I will be trying that. But there is something else going on that is more than meets the eye. 

I also have the units disconecting, displaying the non connected clock.  Sometimes they will reconnect on their own, sometimes I have to tell them to use a current wireless connection. 

I just did that to one that is here in front of me and it now says "authorization timed out".  It disconnected last night, and it just failed.  I just clicked retry and it did connect this time.

Three units here all acting the same.  I had the same problem before I switched from ATT DSL to ATT Uverse, same slow speed.  The network works and none of the 4 computers or other devices (2 Network DVRs and lots more) in the house don't connect or have any problems.  I think the chumby authorization is the issue.

I got a different router/modem on the Uverse migration, so that is different.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

I'm not seeing any server issues at my end - the only dropped connections I'm seeing are probes looking for PHP exploits.

The "authorized timed out" message would happen if the device is unable to connect to the server.

Playback of audio any streamed audio does not go through our servers, so you're dropping a connection between the device and third-party streaming servers.

This really smells like a local connectivity issue.

11 (edited by Steevo 2013-11-04 11:09:39)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Duane wrote:

I'm not seeing any server issues at my end - the only dropped connections I'm seeing are probes looking for PHP exploits.

The "authorized timed out" message would happen if the device is unable to connect to the server.

Playback of audio any streamed audio does not go through our servers, so you're dropping a connection between the device and third-party streaming servers.

This really smells like a local connectivity issue.

Yes, but I cannot figure out how to verify this.

I just went in and pinged from the motorola uverse modem diagnostics
The trace below looks a little weird to me.


PING chumby.com (192.81.128.27): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.81.128.27: seq=0 ttl=52 time=32.894 ms
64 bytes from 192.81.128.27: seq=1 ttl=52 time=32.103 ms
64 bytes from 192.81.128.27: seq=2 ttl=52 time=32.822 ms
64 bytes from 192.81.128.27: seq=3 ttl=52 time=32.509 ms

--- chumby.com ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 32.103/32.582/32.894 ms


traceroute to chumby.com (192.81.128.27), 30 hops max, 38 byte packets
1  108-94-88-2.lightspeed.irvnca.sbcglobal.net (108.94.88.2)  20.371 ms  20.761 ms  20.228 ms
2  75.20.0.152 (75.20.0.152)  19.521 ms  18.797 ms  21.181 ms
3  *  *  *
4  *  *  *
5  12.83.38.145 (12.83.38.145)  23.805 ms  12.83.38.129 (12.83.38.129)  18.910 ms  12.83.38.145 (12.83.38.145)  22.153 ms
6  ggr2.la2ca.ip.att.net (12.122.128.97)  23.629 ms  23.976 ms  23.674 ms
7  las-bb1-link.telia.net (80.239.193.213)  21.042 ms  20.830 ms  20.797 ms
8  hurricane-ic-138362-las-bb1.c.telia.net (213.248.67.142)  20.707 ms  20.759 ms  24.516 ms
9  100gigabitethernet15-1.core1.sjc2.he.net (184.105.223.249)  31.615 ms  34.247 ms  33.384 ms
10  10gigabitethernet3-2.core3.fmt2.he.net (184.105.222.13)  36.030 ms  31.602 ms  37.264 ms
11  linode-llc.10gigabitethernet7-6.core3.fmt2.he.net (65.49.10.218)  33.115 ms  37.160 ms  31.199 ms
12  li587-27.members.linode.com (192.81.128.27)  32.461 ms  31.268 ms  31.941 ms

12 (edited by bobsz 2013-11-05 21:34:06)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

A ping just shows you what was happening in those milliseconds. You're like trying to diagnose a hangnail with a CT scan. Great tool, but doesn't show you anything about your particular problem. BTW, if you read what Duane wrote you'd realize there was no reason to test the *Chumby* servers. Read the above again. Take your Chumby to the library (maybe better bring earphones!) or anyplace and try it on another web connection. Otherwise you'll just keep running in circles for another two weeks.

13 (edited by Steevo 2014-01-13 07:46:53)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Well, I finally threw out AT&T. Too slow and unreliable.
So I got TWC and now I have a 15 Meg line. Much better.

I had to renumber my network. 
One of the chumbys (I 3.5) could connect immediately and it works.
It's playing Iheart Radio as I write this. 
I streamed from Iheart, tried sleep sounds and blue octy, both load and work.

Two others, I had a heck of a time getting them to connect.  I finally put a static IP on one and it connected. Another one, I did the same and it connected finally.

The last 2 units lack I heart radio, and the blue octy radio and sleep sounds are blank.  Empty.
Does that mean my last units are on the new server? 

Or what?

14

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Most of this month my Chumby has exhibited similar problems.  Various audio streams from SHOUTcast and iheartradio seem to randomly stop.  It's then as if it enters some sort of timeout state where if I attempt to start a different stream (or stop and restart the current stream) it remembers my actions but stubbornly inists on waiting for the previous connection to shutdown, after which whichever stream I attempted to switch to will be attempted.  While this is going on I can listen to the streams in question using my laptop with no interruptions.  Any ideas?  I've even engaged in some superstitious Windows-style power-cycling of the Chumby but no joy.

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Well, on my new, much better TWC 15 MEG line I can stream through my chumbys, no problems at all.

It seems likely the whole trouble was caused by AT&T and their crappy UVERSE internet.

I'm enjoying this.  Now, if I could only quash the Space Clock once and for all. Heh

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Steevo wrote:

Well, on my new, much better TWC 15 MEG line

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/13/technol … able-deal/

17 (edited by Steevo 2014-05-03 10:15:36)

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

nathanm wrote:
Steevo wrote:

Well, on my new, much better TWC 15 MEG line

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/13/technol … able-deal/

That scares me.

From the video:
"Tough sell to regulators".

I have to find some of those regulators, whisper in their ear. "No, don't let it happen".

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

Back on topic... ;-)

Sounds quite similar to an issue I had, which ended up being related to my wireless access point settings.

Try this: http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=9172

Re: Blue Octy Radio stops playing

PaperClippy wrote:

Back on topic... ;-)

Sounds quite similar to an issue I had, which ended up being related to my wireless access point settings.

Try this: http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=9172

It could also be the WiFi Dongle not receiving a good signal. I have noticed most of my problems have gone away with a better WiFi dongle.