Streaming Videos Wirelessly Causes Stutter

Hello Everyone, I know this has been posted a few times but I've looked everywhere and can't find an answer. I have a MacBook running Tiger and a desktop running XP. The desktop has a 500GB hard drive that holds my movies, music, etc. They are both connected to my network using 802.11g. When I try to stream movies wirelessly they stutter every now and then. However when I connect only the MacBook to my router the videos play fine. I am able to wirelessly stream movies to my friends windows notebook without problems. What is causing this problem and can anyone help me find a solution?

Thanks for any help.

The first thing you need to do is to try and isolate where the problem is occuring.

To narrow it down you need to try each of these and note what happens.
Choose a few different video files (short/long/avi/mov) to see if the problem is restricted to particular types of file:
1. connect the XP PC & the mac to the router with cables.
2. connect the XP PC to the router with a cable, connect wirelessly with the mac.
3. connect the mac to the router with a cable, connect wirelessly with the XP PC.

How are you accessing the connect on your mac?
If you copy the file to your mac does it play OK?

Bit confused by this "when I connect only the MacBook to my router the videos play fine" - If your movies are stored on the PC where are you getting the file from in this case?

Let me know the results. I suspect it's the data rate coming from the XP pc or the codecs on the mac.
Is the wireless card built onto the motherboard, a PCI card or a USB adaptor? Which manufacturer?

I know I'm asking for a lot of info but it's one of those issues than can be caused by lots of different things.

Hope I answered all your questions

Thank You for being willing to help.

OK First, the desktop is connected via 802.11g with this card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839121008

The router is a linksys wrt54g.

Second, I ran a lot of tests. Using both Quicktime and VLC, I tried viewing these files.

2 mpg, 1 short (less then 5 minutes) and 1 long (longer then 30 minutes)
2 flv, 1 short and 1 long
2 divx, 1 short 1 long

So here's what happened.


(1)
MacBook: Connected via 802.11g
Desktop: Connected via 802.11g
--------------------------------------
All files stuttered between every 5 seconds to 1 minute in both players

(2)
MacBook: 802.11g
Desktop: 100 Mb ethernet
---------------------------------
All files stuttered between every 5 seconds to 1 minute in both players

(3)
MacBook: Connected via Ethernet
Desktop: Connected via Ethernet
----------------------------------------
All files played fine in both players

Now here's the odd thing

(4)
MacBook:Ethernet
Desktop:802.11g
-------------------------
All files played without stutter in both players

I get that the stutter seems to be caused by the MacBook being connected via 802.11g

But what I don't understand is situation (4). If the desktop can send the files via 802.11g fast enough, whats wrong with the MacBook that it can't receive the files fast enough. An interesting thing I noticed was that the lights on the router that indicate data transfer seem to blink much more when the MacBook is connected via ethernet.

Also all the files played with no problem when I copied them to the MacBook.

Hope you can help.

Thanks again.