Are you still online?

Yep, still here.

I replicated your scenario -- as well as another one that has been reported (flash videos pause 7 seconds in)

Hey there. Sorry, I just saw you comment asking to chat. I'm actually away from the problematic computer, and I'm now on my laptop. I didn't want to be rude and igore you, though.

No worries -- do you have a few minutes?

(to talk -- don't need access)

Yeah, I appreciate the help!

My problem is a little different than what you just described, though.

I don't get a pause seven seconds in.

Your is the stuttering, right?

yes, I know

Cool - so what did you have in mind.

Your computers are both at home, right?

Yes.

They're actually within a metre of each other, under my desk.

Well, the usual PA stream is about 180 Kbytes/sec -- so it's pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

But my experiments showed me that over a Wifi network, I got the problem you had.

however when the two computers were bridged -- basically almost infinite bandwidth, things worked fine.

So I suspect it is something to do with how the PulseAudio tunnel from server to client works.

"Bridged"?

I can believe that.

think direct cable from one to the other, gigabit

In other words, not have the router between them?

Now, do you route all sound to the comp with the speakers, or do you still play something locally?

No, there should be no need for that, just an analogy :)

I route all sound to the computer with the speakers. It should be noted, just to be sure, that if I play a song in Banshee, the sound is perfect. I just mention that because that, to me, makes ot seem strange that it would just be a connection/speed issue.

no, it's something to do with how Flash packetizes its audio -- maybe it's using lots of very small chunks to break it up, so it somehow overwhelms something in the chain although the total rate is the same as banshee/rhythmnbox, etc.

Shouldn't that be: "App --> PAclient --> network --> PA server --> speakers"?

Ah, that makes sense.

Okay, I'm on board with your theory so far.

Sorry, you're right.

Well, the solution is to remove the tunnel, and do this instead:

App --> Network --> PA server --> speakers

Interesting.

How is that acheived?

and that works perfectly for me over the previously problematic wireless

Cut out the middle man, so to speak.

Exactly

On the server (with speakers)

you disable the RTP receiver, but leave the rest on -- this basically creates a PulseAudio socket listening on port 4713 TCP

on the client, you test by starting an app with e.g.

PULSE_SERVER=SERVER_IP:4713 firefox &

Can you be a little more specific about "disable the RTP receiver"?

so that flash videos in there, etc. will talk directly to PulseAudio on the server

Is that an option in an interface somewhere?

I'll write it out in an answer, with screenshots, etc. to test -- basically uncheck one of the boxes in paprefs

yes

The downside to this method is

that if someone wanted to say, halfway through, decide to switch the sound to local speakers, they'd have to restart firefox

obviously that's not something you'd be doing

Oh, if that's the only downside, I can totally live with :)

and you can force all apps to default to that by setting PULSE_SERVER in /etc/environment

My goal is to have all sound centralized so that I don't have to do any extraneous switching or whatever based on what computer and app is playing.

Well, most of the common apps work great -- if you run any legacy apps that dont understand PA and demand ALSA or ESD, there's a workaround for that

This sounds very promising. The Flash/packet theory has a lot of weight to it, as it matches all the observed conditions.

OK, so I'll write things out and hopefully you can test it (and it works!)

Awesome! I'll try it out as soon as I see it (and I'm at home).

It might be possible to capture packets and figure out why Flash is problematic, but that's something for another day (besides Flash is closed-source...)

I really appreciate you taking the time. That's really big of you.

Great, expect it within the next hour or so.

Okay! Thanks again. Over and out. :)