Insufficient bandwidth to stream HD video

When using Amazon Prime to stream HD video content, I now receive a recommendation that suggests watching my HD content in SD due to INSUFFICIENT BANDWIDTH. Is this a fault of the AppleTV I own (2nd generation), my Airport Extreme router, my Motorola SB6120 cable modem, or my Comcast Professional Tier internet service. I've read that Comcast and others may be the source of this problem related to Netflix, Amazon, and other content providers. I need to know what to do to correct the problem, if there is a solution.

Check speedtest.net to see what your current connection is. Check that against the plan you're paying for. Is it the same, or close? Note: HD streaming needs at least 6mbps.

Similar Messages

Insufficient Bandwidth when trying for video/audio chat?

When my Dad is away, I like to talk to him on iChat.
When my Dad tries to invite me to a video/audio chat, it comes up with a message, saying: insufficient bandwidth to run this conference.
I have tried altering the bandwidth on Preferences, but it doesn't seem to work!?!?!
Any answers to my question?
Thanks.

What is your actual Internet Speed Up and Down ?
http://www.speedtest.net/
Other sites http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/page5.html#_speedtests
Thanks to Defcom for finding them
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.
8:39 PM Friday; July 4, 2008

Getting message"insufficient bandwidth"when trying to connect ichat video

I have tried all the suggested tips.
I've updated software, changed quicktime streaming to my 256kbps dsl speed and I still get "insufficient bandwidth" message.
The other computer I"m contacting has same settings as mine.
Is there an apple customer service phone number I can call to get this issue resolved or can someone please assist me on the message board?
Thanks!
Anna
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Ok Folks,
IS your Mac Firewall On ?
If so it will need to have the iChat Ports Enabled in System Preferences > Sharing > Firewall tab.
Select the New Button and add the ports after selecting Other in the top drop down.
http://www.ralphjohnsuk.dsl.pipex.com/page4.html
iChat, like other applications and games does not use the defalt ports that are open in your modem and or routers and need the ports opened there as well.
http://www.ralphjohnsuk.dsl.pipex.com/page3.html
If these are set then you need to make sure the Quicktime Streaming spped is set to your Download speed.
To go with this you also need to make sure that the setting in iChat > Preferences > Video section > BAndwidth Limit drop down is set to NONE - as the Bandwidth can be capped by this setting.
Ralph

IChat and "Insufficient bandwidth" for video chats

I have spent hours and hours trying to solve this problem, after having spent a lot of money for an iSight specifically for use with iChat, which I now find don't work together. I just made the switch from PC to MAC and have been nothing but amazed until this... Here I have to give a huge "thumbs down", though. Apple has really screwed this one up.
The error when trying to connect video is "Insufficient bandwidth to maintain..." and sometimes "A communications error has occurred".
If anybody out there, especially APPLE can help me fix this, I'd be very appreciative. Note that I had GREAT success with aMSN, Yahoo Messenger, and Skype (for the mic).
Based on lots of reading, here are things I've done without success. Note that I have a very good ADSL-2 20MB connection! The machine is a new Mac mini Intel core duo.
1. Set the QuickTime streaming bandwidth to below what I know the ADSL line can do.
2. Set port forwarding for all the ports I found in all the FAQs, Apple technical documents, etc., etc.
3. Tried turning the UPNP of the ADSL modem both ON and OFF.
4. Made sure there is no firewall.
5. Tried every setting for the video bandwidth setting in iChat.
6. Tried both .mac and AIM accounts. (You never know...)
7. Made sure I have none of the known conflicting software indicated by Apple.
8. Made sure that Apple Remote connections are disabled.
9. Upgraded to 10.4.7.
I have actually read that some people got around this problem by connecting their MAC directly to their ADSL modem and (presumably) turning off its routing functions. But what am supposed to do with my 4 other computers, then?
Apple, please FIX THIS! There are abosolutely tons of people with the same problem and no solution.
Mac mini intel duo Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Ok Ralph... Thanks again.
When you said "two lots", I thought you may have meant that the DHCP server might be giving out IP addresses on two sub-nets (192.168.0.xxx, 192.168.1.xxx, etc.).
Since all of my machines have a static IP (except my business laptop, which I have to drag around to customer sites), I actually tried turning off the DHCP server to see if it helped. It didn't.
Also, I don't quite follow what you're saying about the NIC actually having two addresses (masquerading)... one from the modem and one from the DHCP. This should not be true, as it is the specific purpose of NAT to avoid this. Only the modem/router should really know "who is who" and relay packets appropriately.
The only pseudo-exception I can see for this is if the iChat software on the client and/or the AIM server is passing through the external/internal IP addresses as part of its data packets... ie., not in the IP headers to be handled normally by the NAT layer. If so, then this is just quite simply a design flaw in iChat... and a really stupid one.
One other point... Should I understand from your reply that if I set the modem up for "single user" mode (ie., turn off NAT and DHCP), then I would need to manually forward the right ports?
Mac mini intel duo Mac OS X (10.4.7)
Mac mini intel duo Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Insufficient Bandwidth to maintain Video conference

Sometimes when I use the video ichat it says insufficient bandwidth and won't allow me to video chat. I have changed the server settings and everything to 443. Other times it will work perfectly fine.
Any suggestions?

How can I tell if its my broadband provider? I tested it and it showed Download Speed: 30967 kbps (3870.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 12248 kbps (1531 KB/sec transfer rate)
I just don't understand why sometimes the video chat will work and sometimes it won't.
Thank you for your input I really appreciate it.

Insufficient Bandwidth driving me crazy!

I’ve read and followed the suggestions in all the discussions on insufficient bandwidth with iChat but I still can’t get it to work with certain people. I can chat with and see my friends in Chicago but not my family in the UK. We’re all using macs. Could someone please help me?
Mac OS X Version 10.4.11
iChat AV 3.1.9
I did a speed test: down load 1163 kbps, upload 1057 kbps
iChat bandwidth limited to 500 kbps
iChat server port set to 443
QuickTime streaming speed set at 1 Mbps cable
ISP: Current through an Asoko PlugLink Ethernet Wall Mount Model # PL9620-ETH
Do you need any other info that would help pinpoint my problem?
Thanks!
Andria

Hi Tony,
Thank you for all your help yesterday! By the end of the day I'd have my fill of trying to get iChat to work and tried another program to video conference (SightSpeed). It worked right away and now all my family can see each other, no problem.
Thanks again for all your help and time,
Andria

Insufficient bandwidth/failed to respond

I cant 1 on 1 video chat. most of the time when i invite there is a delay and then it says i failed to respond. on the other end it tells them that they failed to respond. occasionally it will say insufficient bandwidth.

Hi Shawn,
Can you tell us what your settings are in:
1) System Preferences > Quicktime > Streaming tab ?
2) iChat Preferences > Video section > Bandwidth Limit drop down ?
3) What your Mac Firewall settings for iChat are ?
4) What you modem Port settings are for iChat ?
5) Are you still on 10.4.2 or have you updated ?
Ralph

Good old insufficient bandwidth

i am going mad trying to figure out how to troubleshoot my "insufficient bandwidth to maintain the conference" problem. i have just moved from one side of north america to another, and i can no longer video chat with anyone using ichat, nor can i audio chat.
i have been reading the forums and trying the different fixes, but it seems that the problem is slippery one with no one solution. here is my particular setup, and what i have tried:
-powerbook g4 running 10.4.3
-ichat av 3.1
-isight
-aliant dsl service with 1.5 mbps download (i've checked using dlsreports speed tests, and i get 1157 kbps down/339 kbps up)
-comtrend ct-301 adsl modem (which is NOT configurable, according to my service provider)
-airport express base station with airtunes as my wireless
i've never had a problem using ichat until now, and only in this location. i know that the problem is specific to my isp, because i can use ichat audio/video just fine at work, in my old apartment (where i had cable internet), and at a friend's house (with dsl).
-i have tried every streaming speed in quicktime.
-my ichat bandwidth limit is set to none
-i've tried changing the login port in ichat from 5190 to 443
-i've tried plugging in directly to my dsl modem, rather than using airport
-i have firewall off
-my service provider tells me that they have custom built-modems that cannot be configured
-i'm reading the forums for any clue
-i cannot switch service providers, because cable internet is not supported in my building. besides, my property managers have a contract with aliant, such that only they can provide internet to my building
what else can i try?
thank you in advance for any help i can get.
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hi,
This is the first time I have posted to the forum, although I find myself looking for solutions here quite often.
I am experiencing the same problem as the inital post, and use the same ISP, the same modem, as well as airport express. I have tried all the same solutions mentioned (disable firewall, plug-in directly to modem etc.) with no change in results.
- I have an imac intel running 10.4.5 with ichat 3.1.2 and built in isight
- speed test results were 831kbps download and 272 kbps upload
I tried downloading IPNetMonitor X and scaned the ports as was suggested by Ralph Jones using the IP address of a buddy and received results which said no ports were blocked. I also successfully pinged the same buddy's IP address as suggested.
Here is the weird twist: I have tested ichat with this same computer at my workplace. We use the same ISP, with airport extreme, and it worked perfectly on the first try. The only difference (apart from the modem model number) is the fact that our account at work is called "highspeed" whereas at home I have the upgraded service called "ultra highspeed". When I upgraded to ultra, I did not receive a new modem- all I had to do was change my user name setting and reset my modem.
To further test my theory, I tried the ichat test again from two other locations, one using high speed and one using ultra, with the exact same results.
While I had my father's computer, identical to mine, here at home, I was able to video chat and audio chat between the computers without using Bonjour.
After a lengthy and frustrating discusssion with my ISP, they have told me that there is no difference with both services other than improved speeds, and that the problem is on my side of the modem, not theirs. I suggested that they send me a different brand of modem, but they don't seem to think it will make a difference.
I am hoping that this new information might provide a clue, or that other users might be able to offer more suggestions I could try. I'd love to have specific questions to ask my ISP, with hopes that it might lead them to explore the right avenues to help me solve this problem.
Thanks for any help!

"Insufficient Bandwidth Problem" and "Did not respond" error messages

I am getting 3 error messages when I try to video chat using isight and ichat with my son's PC (which does video chat with my husband's PC) I have not been able to video chat although I can instant message with my son's PC.
1. It says insufficient bandwidth"
2. It says "starting" for a LONG time, and never finishes.
3. Or they request a chat with me and I get a "Did not respond" message.
I have tried connecting with both my .mac account and my aim name inside of iChat
So far, I have:
1. Changed Quicktime streaming to 1mbps Cable
2. Reinstalled Quicktime 7.0.1, erasing 7.0.3
3. Made an ichat AV entry under Firewall, listing TCP etc ports for network entry, using numbers from previous posts
4. Firewall is off
Since video chat works between my son's computer and my husband's, I doubt that it is our cable company or my son's. My son can also video chat with friends in his area. They are using msn or aim. However I have not been able to establish a connection using ichat.
If there are no other fixes, then I will probably have to call Apple tomorrow for a return on the isight that I just purchased. Too bad, because the Los Angeles Times this morning said that iChatAV image quality is superior to even Skype's new product 2.0 for Windows. At this time Skype does not have a cross platform product. Is that the problem with iChatAV, it really only works with other Macs?
Please advise if there is anything else that I can do to correct the problem. I have used an apple computer for more than 20 years, since the first little Apple IIc that I had. This is the first thing that I haven't been able to figure out.
Thank you,
Linda

HI,
This
1. It says insufficient bandwidth"
2. It says "starting" for a LONG time, and never finishes.
3. Or they request a chat with me and I get a "Did not respond" message.
Normally implies the ports are not open some where.
The bit I have changed to Bold is not specific enough
I have tried connecting with both my .mac account and my aim name inside of iChat
So far, I have:
1. Changed Quicktime streaming to 1mbps Cable
2. Reinstalled Quicktime 7.0.1, erasing 7.0.3
3. Made an ichat AV entry under Firewall, listing TCP etc ports for network entry, using numbers from previous posts
4. Firewall is off
Can you tell us exactly which ports you have opened and which protocols. APple Doc 93208 is Wrong.
1. All iChat AV traffic is UDP except for ports 5190 and 5298, which need to be open for both TCP and UDP; and 5220, 5222, and 16384-16403, which need to be open for TCP only.
You have not siad what ports you have opened and by what method in your modem ?
Ralph

Another insufficient bandwidth data point

I have been having these problems.
I can video chat with appleu3test01, which would seem to disprove a router problem. I have set firewalls and QT bandwidth streaming correctly.
I have been testing within my network. I have two macs A (Power Mac) and B (iMac) both running Tiger. Neither can initiate an audio chat with the other under normal circumstances (insufficient bandwidth) but.
Situation 1)
If I start iChat on A with
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
and start iChat on B normally
and then initiate an audio chat from A -> B it connects fine.
Situation 2)
If I start iChat on B with
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
and start iChat on A normally
and then initiate an audio chat from A -> B I get insufficient bandwidth.
Situation 3)
If I start iChat on A with
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
and start iChat on B with
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
and then initiate an audio chat from A -> B or B -> A I get insufficient bandwidth.
The difference between situations 1 and 2 seems to be that in situation 1 (audio chat successful) when A sends a '1 Subscribe', B sends back '2 Notify'. In situation 2 (unsuccessful) when B sends '1 Subscribe', A sends back '2 Bye'.
Apart from that I can see no other differences in the logs of these two situations.

HI Gavin,
It seems that some Macs (I suspect G5s) do not seem to process the Harware rules properly.
This seems to cause a problem for Audio chats from Tiger to Panther connections despite being able to Video.
Copy and pasting the bold text line into Terminal and hitting enter will show you a log of an iChat startup.
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
To end use the Quit item in the Termianl menu and say yes to all.
The Hardwarerules-(procesor).plist check is near the top.
I have yet to find this .plist to confirm that there is a problem with it.
Upgrading to Tiger all round seems to get over this problem. As does booting back into 10.3.9 (Panther)
Ralph

Tweaks aren't eliminating Insufficient bandwidth

My daughter and I have not been able to video and are getting "insufficient bandwidth" error messages and Connection Doctor always says our bandwith is 49 and 50 is the minimum required, but we have checked our speeds and they are 350 or greater (upload). After one tweak, I believe after closing the firewalls, we repeatedly got messages that we had declined to videoconference but we HAD accepted. ONE SINGLE TIME we videoconferenced and audio was fine but the pictures were horribly pixelated and unrecognizable.
Since that one event we are back to "insufficient bandwidth" errors and no resolution......and most bizarre....during the attempts to video I can hear the camera taking snapshots when I,m not asking it to...(I don't even know where the snapshot button is)
We bought an iBook G4 and an iSight camera and before shipping it off to her my husband and I set it up and had both iBooks sending and receiving great audio/video, using wireless in our home with cable broadband(Time Warner). We shipped the new iBook to Texas and my daughter has highspeed via satellite dish (WildBlue).
1.My download speed ranges from 1-6 and upload is about 350 and hers is the same.
2. Both firewalls are off
3. Her streaming is set at 768 kbps DSL/Cable and mine is set 1 Mbps Cable (the guy who installed the dish said hers was a form of DSL which doesn't use the phone line)
4. We do not have Viex installed on our computers
5. We used the Quicktime 7.0.1 Reinstaller for QuickTime 7.0.4
6. I use a DI-524 wireless router
Where do we go from here?

hI George,
Where do we go from here?
System Preferences > Quicktime > Streaming tab
Set this speed to 1meg
The Satelite connection is going to be very difficult to get to work at an acceptable level.
iChat makes a bandwidth check at the start up of the application.
Satelite connections tend to start slow and get faster as the data being sent or downloaded increases. This mean the person is not flat out when iChat reads the speed.
iChat work within the speed it detected.
Attempt to fool ichat by starting it up when doing a download or Uploading to a web page or similar met with little success as it also ignores what is in use and aims to use the spare capacity which in effect does not exist with Satelite.
There is not much you can do about this except move house again or get a new daughter
10:28 PM Wednesday; April 26, 2006

Streaming audio/video issues

When I attempt to play video (Hulu, YouTube, Netflix) or audio, my IPhone 5c goes into this continuous buffer mode. How can I get audio/ video to stream again?

You are joking right? establish an ethernet connection?
We try not to joke on the forums. If you are using 802.11n 5 GHz, that might do it if the Blu-Ray player and Time Capsule have close to a line-of-sight relationship. If 5 GHz won't do what you want, that tells you that the connection has insufficient bandwidth to provide the connection quality that you need.
If you are using regular "n" wireless at 2.4 GHz, ethernet will have about 8 times the bandwidth capability than wireless. Using 5 GHz, ethernet will have 3 times the bandwidth of wireless.
You may not want to consider ethernet, but it's hard to argue with physics. I've tried to stream high definition sources over a very good wireless network, but have not found a way to do this and obtain the performance that I want. But, perhaps another user has found the answer and will post to tell us about his workaround. I will be watching this thread.

Does 10.4.3 fix anybody's "insufficient bandwidth" issue?

Apple claims that 10.4.3 makes progress on curing the "insufficient bandwidth" issue that plagues many ichat users. It did not help me. Did it help you?

hi Cgist,
iChat needs a minimum connection speed of 100kbps for even 1-1 Video chats.
This can be capped by setting System Preferences > Quicktime > Streaming tab to a speed less than than this.
It can be further capped by iChat itself in Preferences > Video Section > Bandwidth Drop down (even setting it to 100 here will enable only abbout 80% of the bandwidth available.
There is also a difference between pure internet connection speed and the bandwidth available. Imagine a 4 lane carriage way. It may have 4 lanes and a speed of 70 mhp but add cars and coaches(buses) and lorries(trucks) then it soonn becomes congested.
You can test your Internet connection speed here http://www.dslreports.com/stest
You can check the settings above.
You also need to get your Buddy to check.
Also any other app that is using the internet is also eating into that bandwidth as are other computers sharing the connection.
Ralph

Beating a dead horse but...Insufficient bandwidth error on Tiger 10.4.6

So I'm running a new Macbook pro i just took out of the box, my girlfriend is doing the same. It's come with the latest version of Tiger. Here's the thing: with iChat my girlfriend and i get the all-to-familiar Insufficient Bandwidth message when we try to connect. I can connect with another friend on a standard Macbook, and my girlfriend can connect with me on the PC at my work, but we cannot connect with each other.
We're both running off of Cable Modem router wifi and have bandwidth of at least 750 mbps. I've been through the support pages, opened port channels, adjusted quicktime streaming preferences, but to no avail. Any more ideas or any other tips to get this to work. Visual communication was the primary reason for the purchase of these computers, and we're frustrated to no end that it simply will not work after troubleshooting.
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

HI theBen,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
At the ned of the day this can come down to the way your individual modems do NAT when using Port Forwarding, Port Triggering or DMZ and just not talk to each other properly.
This is because there are about six different ways manufacturers use to achieve NAT.
UPnP can help avoid this problem.
See here for more info http://www.ralphjohnsuk.dsl.pipex.com/page15.html#CertainBuddy
The iChat error messages are not always clear as to the exact problem and as you guessed ports can also be part of the problem.
11:22 AM Monday; June 19, 2006

Insufficient bandwidth

I'm trying to set up an iChat video chat with my dad.
We both have an brandnew iMac with iSight build in.
Both have an ADSL with more then 250kps upload (should be enough for ichat videoconferencing, isn't it?)
And still we get the warning insufficient bandwidth.
The same warning comes with audiochat as well.
Text chat works.
We tried to chet with the firewalls turned off.
So my guess is that it is the modem, either on my side or on his.
Best guess is his side as he has a wireless adslmodem/router.
But how do we check this and most important! How do we turn the firewall from the modem off?
We only need the firewall on our macs turned on and configurated well.
Ralph. Is was hoping to test my side of the iChat by trying a chat with you, but is your account AIM our .Mac??

Ralph, thanks for the help so far.
My side seemed to be working just fine, considering the succesfull chat we had.
I'm now working on my dads side.
The firewall of the modem (Philips Wireless ADSL modem sna6500) is disabled.
For the macOSX firewall I've installed the same iChat exception as I have on my own iMac, and I've found those in another tread about insufficient bandwidth on this forum.
The test-chat with appleu3test01 works.
But a videochat with my iMac doesn't work. Not even with both firewalls turned off.
Any suggestions what to sort out next?
The settings for Quicktime are set to 256 kbps (the uploadspeed of the ADSL-connection).
The settings for video in the iChat preferences are set to 200 kbps (500 is over the 256 kbps upload).
I'm pretty much out of idea's.
Normally both connections are fast enough.
My dad has 256 kbps upload and 4 mbps download
I have 384 kbps upload and 3,3 mbps download
at least, that is what we are paying for. How can we check the real connectionspeed?

Insufficient bandwidth to stream HD video

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