Possibly found a fix for Slingbox on the Mogul!

yskhyr · #1 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 07:05 PM

So, as many are well aware, slingbox on the mobile is not an optimal experience due to the mogul's directdraw issues. It's okay in when it's non-full screen, but in full screen mode it's borderline unwatchable--lots of frame stutterring, very choppy video, bad audio sync. SlingMedia promised to look for a fix about 2 months ago but there's still no news.

A few weeks ago I installed vTap, which seemed like a great program. However, I was disappointed to see that it suffered from the same exact directdraw issues as slingplayer, and its video was almost unwatchable on my mogul. Well, people complained, but this time the company actually listened!! About 2 weeks ago they released an updated player that played things almost perfectly, though the videos still had audio sync issues (which seem to be another mogul-wide problem).

My initial reaction that I was happy vTap came out with an updated client that quickly, and i wished slingmedia would do the same. However, ever since I installed the new vTap client, my slingplayer performance seems to have improved DRAMATICALLY. I can watch in full screen now with smooth, stutter free video (although of course the audio still gets thrown out of sync at times.) I'm pretty sure this isn't just in my head, as it was pretty bad in full screen before and now it's nearly flawless.

So my guess is that the new vtap client modified something with the mogul that as a byproduct resolved the same issues that were affecting the slingplayer. I know there are vTap employees that check this board, maybe they can confirm or deny this fix?? Or at the very least, explain what they did to resolve it with their player so we can tell SlingMedia how to fix their own program!

Those that can, give it a try and let me know what you think!

alabij · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 07:14 PM

I gotta be honest, I'm yet to see this Slingbox issue. I watch my Slinger everyday in full screen. I mostly watch CNN, BBC America and MTV Jamz and videos always play smoothly. Sound is great and no audiosync issues. My Mogul connects at 600kb/s on average here in Atlanta,GA.

Try setting your Slingplayer to action in the encoding menu.

answerman · #3 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 07:29 PM

No issues on my Alltel 6800 either. Works well, connecting anywhere from 200 kbps to 900 kbps.

yskhyr · #4 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 07:34 PM

trust me, i've used every setting imaginable before this. high action, medium action, slingstream on, slingstream off, diff stream rates, everything. i was hoping i'd be one of the lucky ones that had no problem watching sling on the mogul but i did have problems and i'm not alone. there's a long thread on slingmedia's forums from mogul users complaining about slingplayer problems. but anyway, for those who do have issues, try this and let me know how it goes.

letsgoflyers81 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-11-2007, 09:30 PM

I just got a Slingbox yesterday and I had problems with SlingPlayer on my Mogul right away. Video is choppy and skips, and audio is almost always out of sync. I checked out the thread at slingcommunity.com and played with the settings as recommended... no help. I installed vTap but I don't think there's any difference. Did you do anything other than install the program? Was there any configuring involved?

knives of ice · #6 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 12:34 AM

can you link me to the version i should download? thanks. i've been going insane with the slingplayer problems. i downloaded win pro 6 mobile version but i'm not sure if it is the vesion they fixed for the mogul.

gxnext · #7 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 12:40 AM

wait, do yall experience this choppyness even over wifi? I was upgraded to the 6800 the otherday from the 6700 due to problems with the phone and good insurence lol and i noticed a lil frame rate hick up here and there but over all my experience has been watch able... i wish i still had my 6700 to compare... but if my memory serves me correctly it did play noticebly smoother on the 6700... you say its direct draw issues... i just remember the 6700 would slow down the video and audio in the beginning a bit to sync up everything and afterthat the video would play as smooth as your connection would allow... livein in the tri-state area i usually had a good connection.

letsgoflyers81 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 07:55 AM

This was the version of vTap I just installed.

http://www.soft32.com/download_210546.html

I just got my Slingbox so it's not like I can compare how it runs to a different device, 6700, Q, Treo, etc. I heard about how great the mobile clients played and thought it would be much better. Even on Wifi it's pretty bad. It's watchable when not in full screen but it gets really annoying if I set to full screen. It seems that some people say it works fine, some can't stand the choppiness and sync issues. I'm wondering if it's really behaving differently for some people, or we all just have different expectations of how it should look.

alabij · #9 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 10:11 AM

There have been a couple of firmware updates to the slingbox. You need to download the desktop version to install the firmware.

letsgoflyers81 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-12-2007, 10:19 AM

I set the Slingbox up on Wednesday, and installed the software from the website rather than the CD. I also updated the firmware. I have the latest versions of both SlingPlayers and firmware. It looks great on my PC, mediocre at best on my Mogul.