Reviews:
 ·Comcast
 ·AT&T Southeast
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| [Skype] Skype and Powerboost do not seem to mix I've been chasing this issue for some time but since I got an HD camera the symptoms have been exasperated making the issue easier to troubleshoot.
The symptom has always been that I start a call and enable video. The call goes well for sometime until video either stops, freezes or quits altogether and some extreme cases the call drops.
During the course of troubleshooting the issue I enabled QOS on my ASUS RT-N66U and ran a speed test. I noticed that the router was strictly enforcing the upstream to whatever I specified. This is the 1st router I've ever seen do this but it ended up being a blessing.
Since my router is enforcing the upstream bandwidth and not allowing traffic to infringe in the excessive burst or "powerboost" zone and since there is no peak and then drop off of traffic which skype seems to be overcorrecting. The connection is a lot smoother.
So in conclusion , Skype seems to be responding to the drop off from powerboost a little too dramatically. I’m not going to call this comcast’s fault. Comcast is the largest ISP in the country and this means that skype is not properly testing their APP. If skype is supposed to be slowly ramping up their app then backing off when network conditions change then they should smooth that out as well. Going from 1100 Kb to 48 is a dramatic drop off.
Other notes.
I'm using a custom build PC running windows 7 64-bit, 16 gigs of ram and an overclocked 2nd Gen core I7 to 3.5 ghz. My internet connection is comcast "performance" 16/2 in my area.
Also I've noticed that sype is a choice for a general topic in this Comcast forum. So I'm guessing there is a good chance I'm not the 1st to discover this. |
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jobias
join:2006-01-18
Knoxville, TN | Just an fyi, that Skype option in the Comcast forums is because Comcast has a Skype product they offer where it hooks up to a TV (»www.comcast.com/Skype), whether it's also an issue with that system, I dunno. |
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 pflogBueller? Bueller?Premium,MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA
kudos:3 | reply to CplEstesUSMC
You may not have this problem for much longer.
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"I drank what?" -Socrates |
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 JohnInSJPremium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA
 ·PHONE POWER
·Comcast
| reply to CplEstesUSMC
What's your upstream? Skype shouldn't ever use more than 1.5mbit up even for "HD" (unless you are doing multiple people in a call... then it's 1.5MB per person, and indeed could get pretty bad on some of the lower tiers)
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My place : »www.schettino.us |
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 tshirtPremium,MVM
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA
kudos:3 | But Skype SHOULD be designed to promptly sense the low rate and reduce the stream size to fit. |
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pflogBueller? Bueller?Premium,MVM
join:2001-09-01
El Dorado Hills, CA
kudos:3 | said by tshirt: But Skype SHOULD be designed to promptly sense the low rate and reduce the stream size to fit.
Yep, sounds like lazy programming. Sets the target rate initially but never re-evaluates it or something like that.
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"I drank what?" -Socrates |
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JohnInSJPremium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA Reviews:
·PHONE POWER
·Comcast
| reply to tshirt
said by tshirt: But Skype SHOULD be designed to promptly sense the low rate and reduce the stream size to fit.
it may be designed that way, and whatever the op is seeing has nothing to do with PB
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My place : »www.schettino.us |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
·AT&T Southeast
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to JohnInSJ
According to Skype, they need a minimum of 1.2 megs for 720P and 2 megs for 1080P.
I have tested this on a Gigibit lan and I've seen it ramp up to 5Mb/s where it leveled off.
I've seen a review where another person saw skype usse 8 Mb/s
At 1080P skype will sacrafice frame rate above 15 to meet the BW restrictions before dropping back down to 720P and then 480P |
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| reply to JohnInSJ
My upstream is 2200k |
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| reply to JohnInSJ
What do you think the issue is ? |
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JohnInSJPremium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA Reviews:
·PHONE POWER
·Comcast
| No idea, just suggesting that blaming Skype or Skype interaction with PB may not be it.
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My place : »www.schettino.us |
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