Streaming 1080p with Powerline Networking?

[Nerva]

I'd like to be able to stream 1080p from my server to a future HTPC, and I'm wondering if powerline networking is a viable solution. Some quick research indicates:

From what I can tell, 1080p stored on blu-ray uses at most 10 GB/hr. Live 1080i/720p HDTV feeds are even lower bandwidth. So 10 GB/hr is the most I'll ever need.

10GB/hr = 22 mbps. The current powerline networking SotA is 200 mbps, and people are saying their actual bandwidth is closer to 100 mbps. So streaming 1080p shouldn't use more than 25% of the available bandwith.

I get the impression that powerline networking is essentially a hub technology... every packet gets sent to every location, so it's a global bandwidth, and using more than 2 connections would have performance penalties. But assuming I restrict the usage to just two computers, am I right in thinking this is a viable approach?

 

[Arch]

I think its hard to say what kind of speed you're going to get. Power line networking depends greatly on the wiring within your house. I think if you got 50mbps you should be good to go.

 

[archivalbackup]

I would be amazed if you could get this to work. With standard TCP overhead, I think that you would need nothing short of Gig-E with jumbo frames for this to be reliable.

What apps are you planning on using to stream the video?

 

[mikeblas]

10GB/hr = 22 mbps.

Huh? There are 3600 seconds in an hour.

 

[Snowknight26]

Max data bitrate for Blu-rays is 54Mbps, max for video and audio is 48Mbps, and max for video alone is 40Mbps.

 

[sdotbrucato]

Huh? There are 3600 seconds in an hour.

10GB = 80000Mb. . .

so 10GB/hr = 80000Mb/hr

80000/3600=22.222222222222222222

But back on topic.

The "200Mb/s" that companies brag usually relies on perfect world scenarios. The only way to really know is to pick up the adapters at a local B&M and run some tests. . .

 

[mikeblas]

Max data bitrate for Blu-rays is 54Mbps, max for video and audio is 48Mbps, and max for video alone is 40Mbps.

I think you're assuming largely uncompressed streams, which probably aren't required -- though that's certainly application dependent.

But back on topic.

Thanks. But, did you really have to be a douche about it?

The "200Mb/s" that companies brag usually relies on perfect world scenarios. The only way to really know is to pick up the adapters at a local B&M and run some tests. . .

While using a solution like powerline networking can save wiring, the problem is that it shares media. Seemingly unrelated and minor changes to the electrical infrastructure in the building end up changing the network environment. Dedicated wiring doesn't have this problem.

 

[sdotbrucato]

Thanks. But, did you really have to be a douche about it?

Wasn't trying to be a douche, I was just breaking down the math. My apologies.

 

[Nerva]

Max data bitrate for Blu-rays is 54Mbps, max for video and audio is 48Mbps, and max for video alone is 40Mbps.

That's good to know. Something I forgot when I did the 10GB/hr calculation was that the average per hour may be relevant in terms of storage, but there still could be peaks lasting several seconds where the datarate is MUCH higher, and I want to watch ALL the video without interruption.

Yes, I know, the 200mbps is highly theoretical marketing, much like the wifi theoretical speeds. I'm guessing 100mbps is the real maximum, and I shouldn't count on getting more than 50mbps. But that's still pretty decent bandwidth.

 

[mikeblas]

Wasn't trying to be a douche, I was just breaking down the math. My apologies.

No worries. No problem with breaking down the math -- the "But back on topic." comment it's what's troublesome.

I transfer HD content from one TiVo to another on my 100 baseT network at home, and I don't seem to be using more than 15 or 20 megs/second and that's 2.5 to 3x faster than real-time. (That is, I transfer faster than I watch.) While I display the content at 1080p at the other end, I'm not sure what upconverting is going on. I suppose that the network broadcast is only 720p, but the point is that given some compression, you can very significantly drop the data rate.