Music frequently pauses with "Rebuffering Stream" message when playing shared library

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Music frequently pauses with "Rebuffering Stream" message when playing shared library

I am trying to play my iTunes Library stored on a source Mac Mini on an alternate Mac Mini in another room over WiFi.

I have set my iTunes library for sharing and can access it on the remote Mac. However when I set it playing the music is constantly interrupted whilst a "rebuffering stream" is displayed.

The source Mac where I have my library stored is connected to my router via WiFi. The alternate Mac I want to use for playback is connected to my router directly via Ethernet.

I never have problems streaming any other files (e.g. video using iPlayer) over the WiFi conenction and seems to be a problem specific to playing a shared iTunes library.

Basically the music playback will pause for a few seconds whilst the "rebuffering stream" message is displayed multiple times during every song.

Both Macs are running OS X Mavericks

Mac mini (Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jan 2, 2014 2:16 PM

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Answer 1

sterling r

Community Specialist

Jan 4, 2014 8:57 AM in response to Chunky JD

Hey there Chunky JD,

It sounds like you are using Home Sharing but it is having performance issues. I would try steps 4 - 7 from this article named:

Troubleshooting Home Sharing

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2972

Here is step 4 to get you started:

Your devices are not using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), or that they are all on the same VPN. A VPN may isolate the device and cause connectivity disruptions.

If you have a router set up with a guest network, make sure all devices are either connected to the guest network and devices on the guest network are allowed to communicate with each other, or switch all devices to the primary network on your router.

If your computer is asleep or shutdown, or iTunes is closed, there's no access to the shared iTunes library. Wake up or start the computer and open iTunes to regain access to that library.

Your router needs to be up-to-date. If you are using an AirPort or Time Capsule, learn about firmware updates. If you are using a router from another manufacturer, contact the manufacturer to inquire about available updates.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Sterling

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Answer 2

Chunky JD Author

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Jan 5, 2014 5:19 PM in response to sterling r

Sterling,

The article is really aimed at problems connecting rather than performance issues whilst connected, to quote the summary

Learn what you can do if, after setting up Home Sharing, you cannot access your shared iTunes library over your home network from another computer, Apple TV, or iOS device

I have however been through points 4 - 7 (e.g. re: point 5 Check Firewall Settins - I don't have Firewalls enabled) and they are either not relavant or do not resolve the problem.

Do you have any further suggestions ?

Cheers

Chunky

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Answer 3

Chunky JD Author

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Jan 12, 2014 5:43 PM in response to Chunky JD

Does anyone else have any suggestions as to what could be causing these performance problems?

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Answer 4

Jan 29, 2014 7:42 PM in response to Chunky JD

I don't have any suggestions for a fix, but I can confirm you are not the only person with this problem.

Mini running 10.9.1 hard wired to router. itunes library on the mini. Home sharing turned on.

Macbook running 10.9.1 with wifi connection to router. Macbook is a client for the shared library on the mini.

Music will start playing immediately, but usually quits about 1/2 through a song. "rebuffering stream" dialog pops up and it takes several seconds for music to start again.

There is no other network traffic.

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Answer 5

nbastin

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Jun 4, 2015 2:54 PM in response to george-in-kg

I also have this problem, and the environment is even more ridiculous and lacking stupid things to blame:

* MacBook Pro Retina 10,1 running MacOS X 10.10.1

* iMac 12,1 running MacOS X 10.9.2

They are connected *directly* between a thunderbolt display on the iMac and a thunderbolt ethernet adapter on the Macbook Pro. No router, just an ethernet cable.

Get rebuffering of stream pretty regularly towards the end of podcasts (only towards the end, so I think this is some bug with iTunes itself).

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