Hulu / Disney+ Streaming Issues - Netflix OK

[pahurricane]

We just moved and the only service that we could find that can provide internet service to the address after several days of service is Hughesnet.  We just got hooked up today and are having all kinds of issues trying to stream TV services.

Off our Roku TV...

- Hulu will not load at all.  I get "Network Error" and it won't even open the app.

- WWE Network never gets to a point where I even know what the issues are.  It never gets off the loading screen.

- Disney+ buffers so bad that it only stays on for like 2 minutes before I start getting buffering errors.

- Netflix... absolutely no issues at all.

On my laptop...

- Hulu loads on the laptop, but it is VERY low quality and buffers every 3-5 seconds.

- Disney+ takes a long time to load and gives me the same streaming issues as the Roku TV but with a different error message since it's a Windows system and not an app

- WWE Network takes FOREVER to load... like several minutes of not loading to the point of frustration and shutting the window down.

- Netflix... takes a long long time to load once I select a video, but once it starts it's ok.

The VSD has already been disabled in the settings.  Any ideas?

[chudspeth]

I'm having similar problems. Netflix and Amazon Prime have always been fine. I can watch them even if I'm out of data, with only a little buffering.
STARZ, however, will only play for about two minutes, and then need to buffer. This happens even if I have plenty of data.
I wonder if the wifi booster would help this issue. I do not have that. But it seems like it's more for extending the area of the coverage, not making it smoother. The TV where I'm having these problems is right beside the router.

[MarkJFine]

Booster isn't the issue. The problem is how Starz servers operate, the resolution you're trying to stream at, and the overall latency involved in satellite internet.

[chudspeth]

Ugh. I suspected that. Seems like if Netflix and Amazon can get it together, they could show the other channels how it's done.

[MarkJFine]

Well, there may be ways to work it where the pauses aren't as bad. I'm unfamiliar with Starz' settings, but you can see if dropping the resolution to SD or low res will help. That not only drops amount of data required, but lessens the frequency of the packet handshakes, which is more appropriate for high latency paths.

[Cal-Beck]

I think you hit the nail on the head (I use Roku).  There is something that Disney is doing that exacerbates the latency problems with satellite communication that Netflix doesn't do.  Changing Disney to SD does not correct the problem.  Occassionally you will be able to watch a Disney show without the buffering problem, but for me, the buffering problem happens at least 50% of the time.  Once it starts, you might as well head over to Netflix.  There may be other issues, like time of day and weather, that affect all streaming services but that doesn't account for the discrepancy between Netflix (good) and Disney (poor).  I may try looking into downloading entire disney shows during "free" time, but not sure how I will view them on my TV

[GabeU]

@pahurricane 

On 3/20 HughesNet implemented a prioritization policy that is favoring work and schooling related activities during periods of high system load.  And unfortunately, that high system load is nearly around the clock at this point, so streaming may be difficult no matter the time you try to do it.  Individual beam/gateway load can also come into play, and your beam and/or gateway may be under it's own high load, which can add to the difficulty.  With the huge increase in system load, which doubled in just the week prior to 3/20, they had to do something to help those who are in greater need of bandwidth, so this is why they put the policy in place.

However, just in case, if you are not presently out of plan data you can run a few speed tests to see if your overall speed is the source of the issue.  Again, though, even if your overall speed is good, you may very well still have problems with streaming due to that prioritization policy.  The instructions for running the speed tests are here.  Please be sure to read them thoroughly before running the tests and follow them.  After you've run a few tests, please post your testmy.net "My Results" page URL into a reply here so that the test results can be viewed.

[mjvezzani]

@GabeU 

I'm experiencing issues regarding downloading Disney+/Netflix shows and movies during my "Bonus Zone" for watching offline. I've run several internet speed tests this morning on testmy.net: https://testmy.net/compID/48068080137636

The reported speeds seem high enough to warrant quick download speeds, but this morning I downloaded a 23 minute (86MB) episode of a kids show and it took 15 minutes (~100kbps). 

I saw this article this morning on the community forums, installed a VPN, and tried the download again. I'm continuing to get very poor download speeds from Netflix and Disney+ even with the VPN active.

So my scenario is:

- testmy.net reports fast internet download speeds

- Disney+ & Netflix download files at ~100kbps

- I don't understand the discrepancy between reported download speeds and experienced download speeds.

Can anyone provide reasons why this might be and what steps I might take to fix this?

[mjvezzani]

For further context, I'm not experiencing this on just one device/operating system.

I experience poor download symptoms for Disney+ and Netflix on an 8th Gen iPad (purchased yesterday) and a onePlus 6 running latest updates, suggesting the issue isn't with my device hardware, but rather the internet to which I am connected.

[maratsade]

@mjvezzani , you are posting to an old thread. For more visibility of your posts and to get individualised attention from the HughesNet reps, please go to the main tech support page, then click on the blue button labeled "start a topic." You can copy and paste the information you posted here.  You will likely not receive replies from the reps until you start a new thread. 

Your speed tests need to follow the procedure detailed here. This procedure is required to have speed issues addressed in this community. 

[Johnjporter33]

Having  the same issues paying 90 bucks a month and can't stream any service.

[maratsade]

Follow the instructions in the post above yours.  

Johnjporter33 wrote:

Having  the same issues paying 90 bucks a month and can't stream any service.

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