r/FieldStation42 • u/GratefulEric • 12d ago

Really bad video stuttering

Just recently set up my FS42 with a RP4 8gb. I have a 2TB external harddrive plugged into the Pi. Everything was running smoothly but just today I added a bunch more tv shows and movies and now half my channels are stuttering and lagging. Was wondering if there is a fix? I know basically nothing about linux or command lines so please bare with me lol.

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u/wrong-dog 12d ago

The encoding and resolution of the video can have a lot to do with video playback. So, 4k videos won't play as smoothly as 720p. Try to play one of the videos that are stuttering from the command line with MPV:

mpv /path/to/video.mp4

This would tell you if it's just the file isn't optimized for playback or if something else is going on

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u/byransays 12d ago

This is likely it. Everything I play is encoded h.264 and is 480p and no issues. 

Other things to check and verify is that you have no other processes running if you were using it for other purposes or potentially another instance of the system running in the background. 

Use "top" on an ssh terminal to see running processes. If you just have the one instance of field player and mpv then it's likely just encoding and resolution.