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.
