Wdtv slingplayer problems

I have really enjoyed the fact the WDTV has Sling player now installed fantastic, all in one box and wonderfull, had to upgrade my Sling box Pro to the Sling box HD to work but no problem done. Please Please though release a version where I dont have to wait 10 + seconds for a command to be transmitted, surely this has nothing to do with the Buffering why would a Stop on the recorder need buffering, sure the video may take a couple of seconds but the segmented command in the top corner waiting to be coloured Blue shouldnt take that long.

Overall love the fact Slingbox player is on the WDTV thanks. Please optimise the controls that it becomes useable, waiting 10 seconds for a pause to be transmitted while the video continues to play is a little excessive and certainly would make me miss a call if I was to wait for the playback to pause.

WDTV streaming no problems.

PS had the same problem with basic settings restarted the the slingbox player got rid of the audio problem and started to stream the audio correctly.

I think that it’s great that the slingplayer app has been added to devices like the wdtv but i still think there’s alot of issues they need to fix with it.

For hours i can be on the basic setting without the noise, sometimes there is the horrible noise, sometimes there is no audio at all.  It can be a bit hit and miss with the audio problems.  There can sometimes be the problem of no audio or video being received on a quality setting.  On occassion it says streaming then times out, i know its not the upload from the slingbox as i get well over 3000kbps if i want, i know it’s not my connection either, works great on the website and the pc app but seems more unstable on the wdtv app.

If you get connected and streaming perfectly button presses is usually 3secs, if the connection with the wdtv app gets glitchy and freezes then the response time is unbelievably long.  I think this is to do with the buffer that is set on the app, if your streaming and hit red it will show connection stats, at the top it shows it has a setting of 3secs and under that is 0 UNLESS there is a freeze in which case there is a buffered amount and the response time **bleep**.  The buffer does mean you continue watching from the moment it freezes but its more trouble than its worth!!  It shouldn’t be freezing up like that anyway!! never does on my laptop.

Btw when you do get a connection and it hasn’t froze yet and you need to do alot of button presses like down down ok, just press them and it will take those commands, better than waiting for each response.  It’s a pitty theres no option to customise the buttons for this app aswell as some buttons don’t seem to have a function anyway within the app, i’ve read that some people have programmed a universal remote to work with the wdtv but i’ve never used one.

I too have the aspect option greyed out, which is what brought me to this topic thread, but it causes me the opposite problem as that of the OP. I’ve hooked up the WD TV to an old TV in my basement that’s still an old SD CRT. The Slingbox Pro-HD is hooked up to an HD source (DirecTV HD PVR) and is therefore streaming widecreen.  With the aspect option greyed out I can’t windowbox it on this old TV.

There is probably a setting on the directv box where you can change the video output type, usually 14:3 or 16:9, dunno if that would work for you but being as i’ve had hdtv and other widescreens for a while so i’m not sure, i would think hd widescreen content might have the black bar at the top and bottom, i guess it would depend on whether it is a hd or sd channel you’re watching too.

Anyone experiencing the timed out issue or being unable to connect to their slingbox?

Slingplayer on the site always connects, the pc app connects but on this wdtv app it’s hit and miss, however if i’ve tried to connect on wdtv and it stays on streaming then timed out, then if i go on the pc version it says that wdtv is already connected to it even tho i didn’t get an actual stream.  I’ve tried login to the site and logout, likewise with the pc version so nothing is logged in, wdtv still is hit and miss whether it connecfs, i’ve tried a reset, system restart, unplugging the power, just dunno what the problem is.

I am not having the noise issues but video freezing.  Just bought a new WDTV Live+ and a used slingbox solo, only wanting it for this use.  SLingplayer works fine for a few sedonds to maybe a minute, then video freezes while audio continues.  All other WDTV controls dodn;t work.  Only way ut is to access slingbox from another device and kick the WDTV off.  This only works for a while, but if left alone the whole system hangs and can only be reset by unplugging it.  Has anyone else had and/or solved this?  BTW Slingbox iss connected via ethernet, port forwarding enabled properly (I think) and WDTV is voer wifi (other services all working great via wifi, so good connection).

I also get the noise on the Basic setting as well.    I have slingplayer on the hub as well as the google tv  on Sony blu-ray and a pc.  The pc is by far the best experience.   Another thing that happens on the wd is that occassionally the screen goes dark with no sound, particularly when making changes.   I gets lots of disconnects both with google tv and wd slingplayer.  I do not get this with the pc version except rarely.     My devices are on a DSL connection which usually has close to the 3/1 MBS while my Slingbox HD is FIOS.

I am very interested if WD is still working on the program or if this performance is what we can expect from now on.

I’m finding the app connects 99% of the time but it’s still very glitchy in maintaining a perfect stream, pressing the red button shows the connection in the '000’s kbps then can drop bellow then up then 100 odd kbps, the stream then freezes and any key presses are painfully slow, i think the 3 sec buffer is no help and causes the 3 sec key press to become about 20 secs.  This app just seems to struggle a smooth and relatively consistant speed, ofcourse there will be little fluctuations but not to this exstent.  Speedtests through the app used to be 10/11mb and at a maximum of 4mb upload from the slingbox, strangely my connection on the speedtests sometimes shows 100kbps +/- for both which is not what it should be.

Pc app is always consistant and fast considdering (fraction of a sec delay in key press comands), no freezing like wdtv app or slow key press response times.  Hopefully they’re working on this app still!

For a few hours the other night it was working perfectly in terms of it maintaining the connection above 1000kbps meaning all key presses were at the 3 sec wait (wondering if the delay is linked to 3sec buffer setting) and speedtests were as they should be, even basic setting was working without a bad noise, unfortunately this didn’t last as it’s returned to glitchy as **bleep**.

Not the wdtv app but dunno if anyone has the android app as this too has become worse where you get a circular buffer for each command, before this was almost as fast as the pc version of the sling app.

Be carefull, don’t expect the Slingplayer for WD Live TV works like Slingplayer for PC.

I just bought WD Live TV which is very good for Youtube and Movies, but very poor with Slingbox player, it misses buffering and continuosly restart the video unless you have a very good internet connection. If you want to do a test before you spend your money, go under Facebook and start the Slingbox player there. What you see there is what you will see  under WD Live TV.

Amelia

Hi guys!

I posted this somewhere else before finding your thread.

Just thought one of you might have a clue…

WD TV Live - SlingPlayer – Can’t Display List of Recorded Programs and Start Playback of Recorded Programs

Problem: We recorded programs on a DVR hooked up to our SlingBox, but can’t display a list of recorded programs via the SlingPlayer app on WD TV Live.

Hardware:

SlingBox: PRO HD

DVR: BUFFALO 地デジチューナー内蔵 コンパクトHDDレコーダー DVR-1C/500G

Additional Info:

Our DVR is supported by the SlingPlayer software. We can record & playback from it using SlingPlayer on other devices, including PC & iPad, where we can display the actual remote control.

However, with SlingPlayer on the WD TV Live, there are no (working) options to allow us to see the list of recorded programs. We can see a “DVR” icon at the bottom left of one of the screens, but it is always grayed out.

Any ideas???

Unfortunately, even with the latest firmware, 1.11.14, it is still flaky and unusable. Before, it just used to disconnect almost immediately and now, it connects but after the first command, on the second one, it just crashes and the power has to be unplugged to restart it.

A great shame as I would have bought another one for my daughter to use the other side of the world. Other functions work without problems except for the very occasional crash.

Regards

1 Like

I’ve been experiencing a new problem for about a week which is that the slingplayer auto logs in but then instantly asks for the slingbox password, this until now has never come up on this app.  Entering the slingbox password was saying incorrect password even though it was correct.  While this has stopped me from being able to use the app my laptop and s3 have been working fine.

A reset of the slingbox (pro hd) at first apeared to have fixed the issue BUT the next time i used the app i was asked for the slingbox password again and it was accepted and started optimising and streaming, next attempt auto connected, next attempt asked for the password again and said was incorrect another time it accepted the password streamed then i got a code:3 saying something along the lines of invalid id session.

This app has got oh sooo many problems and it’s been long overdue for a fix to address the problems everyone is experiencing.  I like others bought a wdtv player for this app and it’s beyond useless in it’s current state, glitchy and unstable now another problem added to the list. 

Hello, 1st post here since this is my 1st WD device :wink:

Bought the live yesterday only for Slingplayer use, BUT

i´m deeply impressed by the functionality of this device. I had a terrible time with an Xtreamer Sidewinder 2 …

The Slingplayer works fantastic - shows a much much better quality then my PC . It streamed for hours with approx 3000kbs, sound was clear without noises.

The only annoying thing is the delay for remote commands.

Hope it stays this way and remote functionality improves

I’ve had the slingplayer work for hrs before but it’s not always consistant, if the picture freezes for even just a moment you will experience longer waits on any commands from the usual few secs to like 20secs, i think this is due to the 3sec buffer that has been put on there which needs to go!!.  The horrible noise sometimes experienced on the basic quality has dissapeared.  

I don’t know if the app works better if you’re using it on the same network as the slingbox, i’m connecting to a pro hd thats not on the same network, using the latest firmware on everything , using wifi but have tried wired and my dl is around 11.5 meg.

If there’s a series of commands needed and you know what u need to be pressing you can press the buttons and it will go through them when it does the lil timer thing.

I have experienced similar problems with freezing and disconnects / reconnects on the WDTV using the Slingplayer app… anyone found a solution or can suggest anything?

I have approx. 4.1 Mbps download.

Any help appreciated!

Slingplayer also hangs up and disconnects for me (code 27). I have 10 mbs down and 10 up. Seems to be an issue since firmware 3.08.14 update. Also only bought WDTV live for slingplayer use. Disappointed so far.

Are you guys using WIFI for your WD Live and your Slingboxes? Have you tried using a wired connection to see if that fixes the sling app problems?

I have no issues in accessing my home Slingox 500 from my WD TV Live.  I can put up with the sub-par picture - not that bad, actually, and no freezing as others have described.  HOWEVER,  I cannot access any of the controls that allow me to satisfactorily watch my recorded programs. At home my Slingbox  is connedted to my TIVO Premiere XL.  Nowhere on the WD TV Live remote is there an option to bring up my TIVO menu to see recorded programs, to select one to view, and to skip 30 sec. forward, etc.  All of the DVR controls on the WD remote are greyed out.  If I use my iPad  to access the Slingbox, then I can select a program, pause it, then switch to my WD and resume viewing, BUT, I can’t skip commercials, etc.  Anybody know of a fix for this?  I thought maybe some of the programmable buttons on the “Misc” tab of the blue (D) key might be an answer, but can’t find a way to program them.

Just started using slingplayer with my local slingbox ProHD. Works pretty well. On my remote ProHD which is located in Asia. It streams exceptionally well even at 640x480 or HD quality. I have no major issues other than the fact that the keystroke input is very slow to respond. If I have to punch in two numbers. I see that the second number/key is very quick to be put through, no lag in the second key press. Why is each key press so laggy?

Let me explain further. Say I want to put in 52 to a remote slingbox. I press “5”, the number shows up on the upper right with a clock spinning. If I wait it out, it would put in 5 after about 5-8 seconds. But knowing that my set top box will quickly decide what to do with “5”, it loses track and perform a channel change to 5. Not what I want.
BUT, if I put in “5”, just when the clock starts spinning, I put in “2”. Just like you would on a normal remote sequence. The clock for 5 cancels out, and the clock for 2 starts spinning. As if the wd tv really is just waiting for you to key in whatever else you had in mind after each subsequent key press. Then, after the “2” is done spinning to 12 o’clock, the two key presses gets sent out  together finally and the set top box displays the input in the same fashion you’ve just pressed “5” “2”. This happens in a rather quick response time, of say, 1 to 2 seconds end to end(around the world and back, like what my end-to-end connection ping time suggests).  It looks like slingplayer is just waiting for all commands to be put in before actually doing a command send. It looks like this “wait” parameter can be customized for a longer or shorter “wait for additional” keystroke. I don’t really need 8 seconds to find the second key.

If I’m browsing a guide remotely, I can have multiple key presses of up, OK, down, down, down, and OK to select all pressed in a continuous sequence. The command set of up, OK, down, down, down, and OK will be sent after the last key stroke. But you really have to count how many clicks down to get to what you want if you want a to quickly browse the guide and select something.

I do NOT have this issue with my slingcatcher hardware that’s years old. The keystrokes are sent right away, although the stream stutters when keystrokes are sent, its response is quicker. No waiting for 5-8 seconds at the end to send it out. It would be nice if there’s an advanced setting to customize the wait period.

Update, both wdtv at home is now refusing to connect to my sling account. YouTube is also stuck at loading. I managed to reset the network settings and at least got tunein radio to work. Any ideas?

Ok,  for anyone that has an ipad 2nd gen or ipad mini…

You can buy the ipad slingplayer app to circumvent the WD Live box remote cursor lag issues…

Here is my setup: WD Tv Live box in bedroom.

Slingbox in LR.

  1. Start WD Live box and access Slingplayer app. After up and running…

  2. Setup Slingplayer App on ipad with local service info…e.i.- cable service or satelite info for Channel Guide info.

  3. On ipad (mini in my case)… start Slingplayer App.

  4. In Slingplayer App–>Settings–>Launch Preference=Don’t Automatically connect. You will only have to set this         once.Exit.

  5. Restart Slingplayer app on ipad.

  6. Choose Guide icon.

  7. Use the guide feature to instantaneaously search your cable or satelite channel guide.  Then if you select what channel you want to view by double tapping on the ipad… a box will pop-up to say: Another authorized user is logged on do you want to disconnect them - Choose “NO”.

  8. The app will send the channel info to the Slingplayer and change the channel to the your selection. Voila’.

This way you dont have to bother with the ridiculous cursor Up and cursor Down BS…

Hope this helps someone…

P.S.  - This wouldn’t be neccesary at all if Slingplayer hadn’t changed there ipad app.  In version 2.0 - you could use Apple Tv & the Slingplayer App and just use the Airplay feature to stream your channels!  You could run the app on ipad in the backround and even sleep with your smartcover and the app would continue to stream like other AirVideo apps do with minimal battery drain… then they changed it all in version 2.2 and tech support told me the app was only designed to work on the ipad not to “Airplay” onto larger HDTV’s…so FYI…  There was also a glitch with the ipad  v.2.0 app where when wanting to change channels to avoid the app freezing you would have to revert Airplay back to the ipad prior to switching channels. Then after channel change you could restream through Airplay…

Update:  I have now found out that if using Apple Tv and ipad app you need to use the Mirroring function(start before starting the app) for Airplay to work correctly. It will stream to your TV at the native aspect ratio of your TV and you can use the ipad as channel guide and remote simultaneously. Works well that way…but cannot sleep or turn off ipad display so I prefer the WDLive TV box (wired), and the previously mentioned work around for remote control and channel selection…so I can muti-task on Ipad…