Poor Performance -- Netflix Streaming

[webzilla]

When possible, I of course watch streaming video on the Mac side. However, Netflix streaming is Windows-only, and works fine booted up in boot camp; but it runs poorly in Fusion mode, on the same 1.5 mbps connection, even after filling the buffer. C'est la vie? Any suggestions?

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MacBook Pro 2.33 ghz w/ 3 GB RAM OSX 10.5.5, Vista Business w/ Service Pack 1, Fusion 2.0 116369 w/ boot camp install

[Uncle_Art · Accepted solution]

"C'est la vie?"

Yeah, pretty much.

What you're seeing in action is the fundamental difference between a BootCamp installation and a Virtual Machine installation.

When running under "BootCamp", you've turned your Mac's hardware completely over to Windows. Windows has direct access to the guts, and works with everything directly.

(This is why you CAN'T run OSX at the same time, and just "switch back and forth" without rebooting...)

In a "Virtual Machine", windows is running on, well, a "Virtual" machine. Fusion "fakes" a set of compatible hardware that Windows will run on...but it does NOT emulate a complete "second set" of everything in your machine... you don't get "two" Video Adapters, nic cards, etc; it just "looks that way". The hardware windows is running on in a Virtual Machine is NOT the same stuff that Windows runs on "natively" in BootCamp.

(This, BTW, is what accounts for the "Windows Activation" BS between a BootCamp and Virtual Machine install; Windows sees "different hardware" in each case.

In MOST cases, the performance in a Virtual Machine is just fine... but the "Virtualized" hardware simply isn't of the same speed, power, or capabilities of the "Real" hardware, so applications that need, or prefer, direct access to the actual hardware get a little pissy, or may not work at all. I'm guessing that Netflix is OK with the Virtual Hardware, but decoding/unencrypting/displaying video INSIDE all the overhead of "emulating" the hardware, AND passing all that data back an forth through Windows AND OSX on it's way to the screen... just too much work to happen at 30 frames a second.

There may well be tweaks, twists, and settings to improve your experience... I don't know. But fundamentally, especially in this instance, you're up against the difference in running Windows Natively, actually ON your Hardware, vs running it inside Fusion on Virtual hardware.

[webzilla]

Uncle Art -

Thanks for your reply, confirming my guess that boosting RAM allocation from the default 1 GB wouldn't help much.

I just had to reactivate Windows after installing Fusion. Will I have to reactivate again next time I run boot camp direct? Since my first Vista install I've activated maybe 12 times, the evil empire may be getting suspicious, no?

Steve t/a webzilla

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Msg sent via blackberry on 9/28/2008 @ 10:56 EDT.

[Technogeezer]

If you have VMware Tools installed you shouldn't have to keep re-activating when switching back and forth between Boot Camp and Fusion. So make sure they're installed per instructions.

Do you have 3D support enabled in your VM's video preferences?

[Uncle_Art]

"Will I have to reactivate again next time I run boot camp direct?"

I "THINK" this has been addressed, and corrected, in Fusion 2, and if you followed the "preferred sequence of events" in as far as installing Fusion, Vista, and VM Tools, and performing the "please let me run this" mantra with Redmond... Fusion 2 will "save" 2 sets of Hardware, and present the correct one to the Vista Activation Demon to prove you're activated, an have NOT changed hardware.

Search the site for said "preferred sequence of events"; I don't recall exactly what you need to do, in which order...I won't run Vista in large part because of that Activation garbage, so I can't tell you the specifics, other than to mention that I "believe" Fusion 2 will at least let you go back and forth between Bootcamp and VM installs, without needing to call and ask permission to use software you already paid for, if the "right" installation gets Activated First. (I may be wrong, but I think there's some neat stuff within VMWare Tools that pulls this off, so you want the right version of that, to go along with your Fusion Install)

rant AND sarcasm /on

Obviously, if you've gotten the "Blessing" this many times, you don't have an OEM version...which allows one, and only one, install, on the hardware that copy came with... but yeah, I'd get that straightened out, which I believe it can be. Eventually, if you keep calling with the same CD Key, they'll say "no more", and then you'll just be forced to skip all the activation / cd key nonsense and steal the darn thing, and miss out on calling HQ, and hearing that awesome Music on Hold, waiting to beg to use your copy of Vista! See the "Advantage" you have received for being "Genuine" !?!?

/end rant AND sarcasm

[rjcchan]

netflix works fine for me in a XP virtual machine. iMac 3G with 1G allocated.

[K-MaC]

What is your connection speed?

[webzilla]

Connected at 1.5 mbps via airport, as verified with speakeasy.net. Started out fine, then netflix said connectiion speed was slow and would have to buffer. After the buffer pause, the video was still choppy and slightly pixellated. So I'm not sure where the bottleneck is.

Oops, I guess the question wasn't for me.

[rjcchan]

connection speed 2700 kpbs per Whatismyip.com

[K-MaC]

Hmm, well that should be sufficient for netflix... I am sorry it is not working for you. Perhaps someone will have some more suggestions.

Cheers

Kevin

[Uncle_Art]

Does anyone know if there's a way to play with Netflix streaming

without actually signing up?

Free Trial, maybe?

It seems as though, since there are reports of it actually "working

fine" under fusion, that there's a setting or tweak in there

somewhere, but not being a current Netflix Subscriber, I can't add

much to the data pool ...

[webzilla]

Uncle Art -

If you've never subscribed to netflix, you can sign up for a two-week free trial. That is, you sign up and are charged for your first month, but if you cancel within two weeks you get a full refund. I recommend the three at a time plan, ~17.00/month plus tax. Usually I rip the DVD's, return them right away and watch them at my convenience, per my interpretation of fair use time shifting.

Re the netflix streaming, they recommend a minimum 1.5 mbps stable connection, 3.0 mbps if you want their best quality.

And this just in: netflix streaming will be available for mac by the end of this year, they say.

Tel for netflix customer service: 1-800-585-8131.

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Msg sent via blackberry on 9/29/2008 @ 13:22 EDT.