Knowledge Base 12/19/2000 12:00:00 AM

Video Performance Tips

Web-Based SlingPlayer Setup

  1. Connect to your Slingbox using your web browser, or start a Web-Based demo here
  2. Click on "Auto" (lower-right corner) and a popup will appear with a list of different video settings
  3. Change the mode from "Auto" to "Best/HD"

Here's what you should see:

Web Player Quality Settings.jpg

SlingPlayer Desktop Application Setup

For some users, this method works better than the Automatic method, but follow these steps to force your Slingbox to stream your video at HD resolution by doing the following:

  1. Start SlingPlayer
  2. Use ALT+O or click "Settings" > "SlingPlayer Options"
  3. In the "Options" window, select the "Encoding" tab
  4. In the "Internet Access" pulldown, select "1280x720"
  5. Click "OK"

Here's what you should see:

Windows Desktop App Encoding Options.jpg

HD DVR Setup

When you feed your Slingbox 1080i video, it down-converts this video to 720p format (or lower if you have a slow connection). This down-conversion is a computationally-intensive task which pushes the processor in your Slingbox to the limits of its performance and as such, can cause your Slingbox to run hot. When this happens, you'll generally see low bitrates and/or video that "freezes" briefly every few seconds. By disabling the 1080i output mode of your DVR, the down-conversion to 720p is handled by the more powerful processor in your DVR and allows your Slingbox to "relax" a little bit more and stay cool. In no way will doing this degrade the quality of your video, it just shifts the processing burden to a more powerful VPU.  We recommend that you do the following:

  1. Connect to your Slingbox
  2. On your virtual remote control, select the Menu key
  3. Using the arrow keys, navigate to "Parentals, Fav's & Setup" > "System Setup" > "HDTV" > "TV Resolutions"
  4. De-select the all but "720p" mode
  5. Navigate back out using the left arrow key

Here's what you should see:

DVR Resolutions.jpg

Changing resolutions in your DVR setup menu doesn't necessarily place your DVR in that mode off-the-bat.  You need to do this manually!  We recommend the following:
  • Press the "Info" button on your virtual DIRECTV remote
  • Right-arrow over to "Audio/Video"
  • If the current mode starts with anything other than "720p":
    • Select "Change Resolution & Format"
    • Press "Select" until the mode is "720p Resolution + Pillar Box Format"
  • Here's what you should see:
DVR Res & Format Setting.jpg

We hope these suggestions improve you experience. As always, if you have any problems with these procedures, please let us know. We are here to help!