Full disclosure, I will be posting this same review over at the Xoom forums (http://xoomforums.com) site as well under the username JustDroid.
My set up at home is as follows: Time Warner Cable with a Cisco (formerly Scientific Atlanta) Explorer 8640 HDC DVR and a Slingbox SOLO. I have to 30/5 internet package.
The Good
Video quality is excellent. I have watched HD shows both on my home wi-fi and at work accessing across the internet and the picture and sound quality is astounding.
The Bad
I was not able to get an on screen remote other than the default remote. I tried several different settings via the online set up at http://setup.slingbox.xom. I tried the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD, the Time Warner Explorer 8300, the Time Warner Universal Remote, and the Cisco Explorer 8640. The TWC Univeral and the Cisco Explorer 8640 remotes even show the default generic remote control on the website in addition to on the Xoom. With this generic remote, I have no way to access the recorded shows list on my DVR.
There is an 8 to 10 second delay in the function of the remote on screen and something actually happening on the DVR. This makes fast-forwarding through the commercials next to impossible. This wouldn't be a problem if you were watching a commercial free movie but for network TV this is a major pain in the a$$.
The Ugly
I purchased the Android tablet SlingPlayer app last Tuesday. After messing with it for a day, I gave up and called Sling support. The gentleman I spoke with did an OK job overall but was not able to help me. I gave him my Sling account username and password and he logged in to my account via the web interface and went through the same steps I did. This gentleman put me on hold for a couple of minutes while he looked for a tablet he could test on, but came back and said he didn't have one available. He had me test on the Xoom a couple of times, but there was no change to the on screen remote.
Friday afternoon, I still had not heard anything from Sling support so I called back. The gentleman I spoke with explained that this case was escalated and said he would transfer me to the team it had been sent to. After several minutes of me being on hold, the same gentleman came back on the line and explained that the second level team told him there was no resolution at this time. So I got the big brush-off. As of this morning I still have not heard anything from Sling support, however I did get a customer satisfaction email this morning, asking for my feedback on my recent support call. I explained that there has been no contact nor resolution in this case and left my contact information in the online form.
I have been in the customer support field for 15+ years, and I would never let my customers go 6 days with no contact after I had escalated an issue. And I would have followed up had I been the one the issue had been escalated to, even if there was no resolution, at least I would let the customer know we were still looking in to the issue.
My Impressions
This tablet version of SlingPlayer mobile was a beta product at best, and should not yet have been released to general availablility. It should have been tested on more tablet devices, it's not like the Xoom isn't a popular device.
I have always been pleased with Sling hardware and the phone version of the SlingPlayer software, both Windows Mobile and Android. This is the third Sling device I have owned, and I upgraded to better versions as I got HD cable at home. This experience has left me bitter and angry. I am not sure I could recommend Sling products in the future.
Thanks for listening to my rant and feel free to comment or if you have a suggestion to resolve this, I would be glad to hear it.
UPDATE - Your case has been escalated
My original case was escalated to the second level team the night I originally called it in. I have called several times since, and never actually get to speak with anyone in second level support. I hear the same thing that 'they are working on it and will call you when they have a resolution'!
I do technical support for a living and I would have been fired if I had a case open for 15 days and not notified my client of my progress.
Looks like I now have to call Google and ask for a refund.
were you able to get your refund? im waiting for this to come out for "trial"
Hi All,
Just picked up a chromecast however I'm having some initial issues with getting it working.
It connected fine to my Wifi network and then goes to update however the update stays on 0% or 1% until it eventually times out.
Is anyone able to provide information around how the updates work for this device? I'm in New Zealand so I'm curious if there's an issue with Google servers not accepting from my location or something.
If anyone could provide any information that would be great, if there's a better place for this post or if I should be easily able to find this (I did try to search everywhere I could) then I'm sorry.
Kind regards,
Kyo
Kyonz said:
Hi All,
Just picked up a chromecast however I'm having some initial issues with getting it working.
It connected fine to my Wifi network and then goes to update however the update stays on 0% or 1% until it eventually times out.
Is anyone able to provide information around how the updates work for this device? I'm in New Zealand so I'm curious if there's an issue with Google servers not accepting from my location or something.
If anyone could provide any information that would be great, if there's a better place for this post or if I should be easily able to find this (I did try to search everywhere I could) then I'm sorry.
Kind regards,
Kyo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here +1
would appreciate a reply or solution
Got my Chromecast a week ago. It was setup and working/casting without any problem but since yesterday, a message appeared about updating..."Your Chromecast deserves the best...." and the update screen is stuck at 0%. I have restarted routers, chromecast, reset and tried everything, but after setup it gores to update screen and stays at 0% for hours without any progress.
I am using it in Pakistan. Have tried to search online solutions but found nothing, though I have seen some other people having the same problem.
PLEASE HELP and ADVISE how to go about. I have already tried resetting and factory reset etc.
I just opened the box for chromecast today. The setup went fine. As soon as it was connected, it started the update. It gets to 100% and does nothing else. It just stays on that screen. Anyone else experiencing this?
+1 same issue here.Seems to be affecting Pakistani users.
Maybe because youtube is blocked in Pakistan.
Anyway to manually update device ?
So my chromecast started updating itself a day later, well I never saw it updating but it did. (didn't change anything so not sure why it wasn't working).
Good luck to those others who have the issue.
Any update on this? I'm having the same issue... purchased chromecast yesterday and never got it passed the update screen, remains on zero. Even after leaving on overnight!
Talked with Google last night at midnight, very cool support is open 24/7, but they were unable to help. the one thing they did mention is that the router should be within 20 feet of chromecast! Mine is easily double that, but everything else in the same location works fine; xbox, roku, LG G2, Nexus 7 and my Vizio DLNA and smart apps. I can stream on everything but the chromecast.
Is the chromecast really that weak?
Help?
loaded! said:
Any update on this? I'm having the same issue... purchased chromecast yesterday and never got it passed the update screen, remains on zero. Even after leaving on overnight!
Talked with Google last night at midnight, very cool support is open 24/7, but they were unable to help. the one thing they did mention is that the router should be within 20 feet of chromecast! Mine is easily double that, but everything else in the same location works fine; xbox, roku, LG G2, Nexus 7 and my Vizio DLNA and smart apps. I can stream on everything but the chromecast.
Is the chromecast really that weak?
Help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the included extender? At times I'd lose network connection and was forced to use it.
wptski said:
Are you using the included extender? At times I'd lose network connection and was forced to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm using the extender... I am also using the tv usb to power the chromecast. are there better results with the wall power plug?
loaded! said:
Yes, I'm using the extender... I am also using the tv usb to power the chromecast. are there better results with the wall power plug?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't think so.
Since your TV has DLNA, you should be able to stream using BubbleUPnP alone providing you also have WiFi on it as well.
Chromecast stuck on 0% updating
I fixed Chromecast stuck on 0% update by rebooting with little button THEN switching the cable box cable to HMI-2. Then plugging Chromecast cable into HMI-1 port on the TV and selecting HMI-1 setting. Chromecast started loading and rebooted itself about 3 times. With-in 6 or 7 minutes it was ready to CAST! Yay finally. It took my 4 hours to figure it out as there were no solutions on the internet blogs.
+1 this! Thank you so much!!
All the reviews I've read of the new LG Watch Sport say Android Pay works on it, thanks to the giant NFC chip on the bottom. And, formerly smartphone-only functions like "OK Google" and Google Maps are now supposed to work on this watch, even when the linked phone isn't present.
Not true.
I bought the watch on the first day, Feb. 10th, and set it up. Since then it's been on my wrist but it hasn't been away from the Android smartphone it's linked to. But today I needed a new health card for my work and some groceries. So, as I'm new in town, I found a "Doc-In-A-Box" on Google that's nearby and that advertises that they do the government-form DOT physical that my job requires.
I put the doc's office address into "Maps" on my new watch and I told it to navigate there. Leaving the subdivision, though, I noticed the watch was searching for my location. even though it had been fine in the house before I left.
As the weather's nice, I held my hand out the car window, south side to face the satellites, and I drove in the direction I was pretty sure the business was. At each stop light on the way, I checked the watch, wondering why I hadn't heard it yelling directions. At every stop the watch still showed the neighborhood where I'd started, still searching for my exact location.
When I got to the "Doc-In-A-Box", it was still searching. Inside, waiting, the watch eventually gave up, saying "Smartphone required to complete action" or something like that.
As it turned out, the "Doc" was similarly useless, doesn't do DOT physicals. So I pushed the "OK Google" button on the watch to ask it for another place nearby. But "OK Google" wasn't OK at all. Instead of finding another doctor the watch said "Something went wrong. Can't reach Google at the moment". Plenty of bars of cellular and WiFi, too, but instead of "OK" I got "Oh NO".
At the grocery I was going to use the Android Pay I'd linked my bank account to over the previous weekend. As required, I'd even locked the watch screen, for extra security, in case my arm fell off a public place and I didn't notice. My bank must have been really pleased about me activating Android Pay--day after I did it they sent me a long email saying how great and secure Android Pay would be for us both. As I was checking out of the grocery store, since no one was waiting behind me, I unlocked the watch, selected Android Pay, and saw an image of my bank's debit card briefly. But as quickly as it appeared it went away and the system message: "No cards are linked to this account. You must link an account on your smartphone before you may use this app" appeared.
So "Google Maps" on your wrist? Forget it. At best, it's just a second screen. And "OK Google" doesn't work. And neither does Android Pay.
On the plus side? Battery life is good--still ALL DAY, like the LG Watch Urbane 2nd LTE was, even though LG lopped 20% off the size of it.
Edit: The smart watch was not tested with the AT&T SIM in came with but with an MVNO's and this largely or ENTIRELY explains the problems I had with the device. For some reason, it takes a few days for the watch to get reliable connections with the MVNO's SIM--had the same problem with the Urbane 2-LTE when I bought it, but I'd forgotten.
Without a doubt, the LG Watch Sport does everything the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Ed. LTE does and MORE.
Your sure your watch has an active cellular connection? It sounds as if your watch can't reach the internet.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Cannot comment on Android Pay as I'm not using it, but Maps and Google Assistant works on AW 2.0 DP4 on Watch Urbane 2. So I expect it had some connectivity issues. As for the wifi, it will not connect to any network unless you connect with your phone to the same network first.
_Dennis_ said:
Your sure your watch has an active cellular connection? It sounds as if your watch can't reach the internet.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be. Made a test call Friday or Saturday on it, np. But this morning (Tuesday), no go..
"Settings" > "Connectivity" > "Cellular" > "SIM status" seemed good:
Network: H2O,
Signal strength: -107 dBm 3 asu
Network type: HSPA
Service State: In service
Roaming: Not roaming
Network state: Disconnected
Not sure what "Service state: In service" and Network state: Disconnected" mean, together, so I restarted phone and then could call, np.
Issues may be the MVNO I'm using (H2O Wireless) or AT&T (towers) or the hardware..
FWIW, I had problems for a couple of days with connectivity with my LG Urbane 2nd Ed LTE, too, I'm remembering. It worked itself out around day 4. Presumably this will too.
roebling said:
Network: H2O,
Signal strength: -107 dBm 3 asu
Network type: HSPA
Service State: In service
Roaming: Not roaming
Network state: Disconnected
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do the APN settings in the watch look correct for H2O? When I first got my Urbane 2nd Edition, I tried a couple of MVNO (H2O and Ting) but could not get both calls/texts and/or data working until I switched to Truphone. That was over a year ago so maybe it has been corrected.
mward1995 said:
Do the APN settings in the watch look correct for H2O? When I first got my Urbane 2nd Edition, I tried a couple of MVNO (H2O and Ting) but could not get both calls/texts and/or data working until I switched to Truphone. That was over a year ago so maybe it has been corrected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After verifying that I could make calls this morning, I Iook a second trip into town with the watch, without it's partnered smartphone, GPS on & navigation on. Again it failed to get a location while the car was moving so no Navigation. But today, when I stopped, it figured out where I was. Could be that asking the tiny antenna in the watch to track the tiny signals from a couple of tiny GPS satellites 22,000 miles away, from inside a rolling steel can (hardtop car) could be asking a little much.
I placed a phone call driving down the road & it worked very well.
Running the GPS for two hours plus driving around & making a phone call and opening a couple of web pages on "Web Browser for Android Wear", I'd expect the battery to be tested. Watch has been on my wrist for 10 1/2 hours and I've still got 25% charge remaining. Nice!
This isn't the first "bleeding edge" tech I've bought, or the 2nd or third or... Maybe it's the 20th, dunno. But the two LG watches I've had--the Urbane 2nd Ed. LTE and this Sport--are the most finished, ready-for-prime-time high tech I can recall. Especially the gorgeous Urbane 2 LTE. Works pretty flawlessly & fit and finish are magnificent. I regret posting this because I didn't try the watch thoroughly with the AT&T SIM card it came with. Not fair to LG or AT&T.
I'll check H2O for the tweaked APNs. Knowing LG, I'll bet the few small issues remaining aren't the hardware's fault.
Just wanted to toss in my 2 cents as far as connection issues go. With a T-Mobile Wearable plan, it's working great. Worked on a data line too, except for calls, which are disabled on data lines (despite what the CSRs in India say).
OP, it seems that you have or had both Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE and Watch Sport. What is your opinion comparing the Watch Urbante 2nd Edition LTE and LG Watch Sport ? I am especially interested in battery life differences.
Thanks !
kevinlevrone said:
OP, it seems that you have or had both Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE and Watch Sport. What is your opinion comparing the Watch Urbante 2nd Edition LTE and LG Watch Sport ? I am especially interested in battery life differences.
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life's the same. Even though the Watch Sport's battery is smaller, I get all-day use out of it in normal use.
For developers, ADB debugging over wifi, the only kind supported by the new Watch Sport, drains the battery quickly if you don't have it on the charger.
Fortunately, the new watch's wireless charging is awesome. With the included wireless stand there're no problematic, sweat-sensitive physical contacts like on the Watch Urbane 2. And,amazing to me, wireless charging's fast--60 or 70% in just 30 minutes or so.
Both watches have worked flawlessly, I noted no difference in the screens, bezel or bands except for color.
Wireless charging is the new Watch Smart's big selling point to me. It also has NFC for Android Pay and a hardware change to the winder that senses spinning. That's utilized in the OS for scrolling screens vertically but developers can trap it and use it for anything. The downside of the newer watch is that it's much thicker and the back is plastic.
The Watch Urbane 2's back is stainless steel, very finely made, engraved with the watch's serial number. And it's thinner--svelte, by comparison.
roebling said:
Battery life's the same. Even though the Watch Sport's battery is smaller, I get all-day use out of it in normal use.
For developers, ADB debugging over wifi, the only kind supported by the new Watch Sport, drains the battery quickly if you don't have it on the charger.
Fortunately, the new watch's wireless charging is awesome. With the included wireless stand there're no problematic, sweat-sensitive physical contacts like on the Watch Urbane 2. And,amazing to me, wireless charging's fast--60 or 70% in just 30 minutes or so.
Both watches have worked flawlessly, I noted no difference in the screens, bezel or bands except for color.
Wireless charging is the new Watch Smart's big selling point to me. It also has NFC for Android Pay and a hardware change to the winder that senses spinning. That's utilized in the OS for scrolling screens vertically but developers can trap it and use it for anything. The downside of the newer watch is that it's much thicker and the back is plastic.
The Watch Urbane 2's back is stainless steel, very finely made, engraved with the watch's serial number. And it's thinner--svelte, by comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the comparison. I do own a Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, and the wrist band cracked once and needed replacement (under warranty). I now try to wear it more loose on the wrist so as to avoit it happening again.
I was thinking of an "upgrade", but I can't upgrade to a thicker watch with smaller battery. The "new" Snapdragon 2100 wearable processor is built on the same battery-consuming 28nm process as the Snapdragon 400 from the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, which is a really stupid move from Qualcomm (should have been built on 14nm given the small watch batteries). Also, I already have an issue with the center button which kind of sticks out, at the gym the workout gloves and wrist supports push the button sometimes, on the Watch Sport this could be an even bigger issue (Motorola moved their center button off-center for that reason, I believe).
My battery lasts at least 3 days (72 hours) with screen off (with only notifications and touch waking up the screen) and 3G on but no credit on the prepaid watch SIM (so it can only receive calls forwarded from my phone, it doesn't have Internet access or ability to make calls).
I actually like the wired charging: I had a Motorola Moto 360 first gen (still have it...bricked), which had wireless charging, and suddenly the watch was bricked by Motorola with an update. Since no USB-to-watch adapter was provided in the box, I attempted making one (after removing some seals to reveal the debug pins) and, although it briefly worked, I managed to fry an USB port from my laptop before loading the firmware. Having an USB-to-watch connection brings me a lot of peace of mind
Tag discovery?
Has anyone tried the nfc tag discovery function? Can it read read tags for non-payment purposes? Would buy one if it does
Connectivity issue
I know this is an old thread but I arrived here twice trying to resolve my connectivity issues so others may as well.
My watch could call but seemed to have no Internet connectivity. I've had the watch for several months so I am not sure what caused this problem. I reset it several times and then noticed that I had access to Google Play--so, clearly, I had data - - but Google assistant did not work and I kept getting an error message about the account.
I went to an AT&T store after calling customer service, and they said I needed to warranty exchange the watch. The store personnel just looked at the watch and said they could not change the sim or do any diagnostic.
I called LG and started the warranty process.
Then I used an old email address to set it up, and it worked. So it was definitely a problem with my Google Apps domain and the device policy.
Ultimately, I deleted multiple instances of the watch in Google Apps Domain management - mobile devices and the next reset and setup succeeded.
Hoping that helps someone.
roebling said:
Battery life's the same. Even though the Watch Sport's battery is smaller, I get all-day use out of it in normal use.
For developers, ADB debugging over wifi, the only kind supported by the new Watch Sport, drains the battery quickly if you don't have it on the charger.
Fortunately, the new watch's wireless charging is awesome. With the included wireless stand there're no problematic, sweat-sensitive physical contacts like on the Watch Urbane 2. And,amazing to me, wireless charging's fast--60 or 70% in just 30 minutes or so.
Both watches have worked flawlessly, I noted no difference in the screens, bezel or bands except for color.
Wireless charging is the new Watch Smart's big selling point to me. It also has NFC for Android Pay and a hardware change to the winder that senses spinning. That's utilized in the OS for scrolling screens vertically but developers can trap it and use it for anything. The downside of the newer watch is that it's much thicker and the back is plastic.
The Watch Urbane 2's back is stainless steel, very finely made, engraved with the watch's serial number. And it's thinner--svelte, by comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi friend, do you know if the bands of both watches are interchangeable?
I'm thinking in buy a new band for my watch sport but it's harder to find a new one than for a urbane 2nd edition.
jairbj said:
Hi friend, do you know if the bands of both watches are interchangeable?
I'm thinking in buy a new band for my watch sport but it's harder to find a new one than for a urbane 2nd edition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no they are different or at least one of them is, the sport has one long connector on each strap the Ur 2 has 2x connectors on one of the straps
Hi everyone, this is my first post here, so thank you in advance to any help provided to me on this issue!!
I bought a Google Chromecast dongle from Bestbuy the other day so I could stream Mobdro from my phone to the Chromecast. Everything works when I press cast in Mobdro, however the stream always cuts out roughly 10 mins in.... if I watch on my phone then it streams with no issues.
I went into the settings from the Google home app and cannot change anything that would be relevant to this. I've tried it on my wife's phone with the same problem. My modem is in the same room with 50mbps download and 10mbps upload and I have no other connection issues with any other device on my network. Lastly, I've also tried it on another tv with the same outcome.
Any solutions or ideas on this issue would be GREATLY appreciated as this is driving me nuts!!!
Ever figure out a fix for this? I'm having the same issue, and it's infuriating.
---------- Post added at 04:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 AM ----------
To add a little more context:
It's only Mobdro that has this issue for me. Every other app I've tried with Chromecast support can stream for hours.
I've tried it on two different Chromecasts (a regular and an ultra) on multiple networks (including through ethernet on the Chromecast ultra) on two different TVs and from two different devices (my phone and tablet).
Screen mirroring and using Mobdro works without interruption, as well as just streaming Mobdro on my phone. It's only when I use Mobdro with the in-app Chromecast feature that this problem occurs. Sometimes I'll get five minutes, other times I'll be able to watch almost a full 45 minutes of football.
All this being said, I've narrowed it to two things: the Mobdro Chromecast API implementation is somehow faulty (which would result in way more forum posts about this that I can't seem to find), or both of my wireless networks hate the combination of Mobdro and Chromecast (which seems even less likely).
I'm at a complete loss...
By any chance have either of you figured out what the issue is or how to fix it? Have the same exact problem and can't find a fix for it either.
Same Issues
Works absolutely perfect on phone. Can watch entire primetime network programming.
If I try casting, it stops after about 10 minutes and has a hard time rebooting.
Every other app other than Modro works seamlessly with Chromecast.
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
WillieJamesOutlawJr said:
Works absolutely perfect on phone. Can watch entire primetime network programming.
If I try casting, it stops after about 10 minutes and has a hard time rebooting.
Every other app other than Modro works seamlessly with Chromecast.
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still can't figure out how to get it to stream seamlessly without stopping. I did manage to get rid of all of the advertisements. One thing that did seem to help a bit was increasing the speed of my internet service to 100mb download and updating my router. Sometimes I can stream from Mobdro without any problem (for hours without it stopping), other times it will stop every 5-10 minutes. I'm thinking that the problem is probably on their end, something to do with Chromecast compatibility. It's probably the reason they don't charge for premium service anymore, too many people complaining about the Chromecast support.
Ok. First thought they got into my gmail, and since all my accounts are linked for recovery options stayed on the reset, uninstall/reinstall, factory reset hamster wheel for a while. Multiple companies customer service for hours, just to tell me it should be working, hang up on me, ask me something completely retarded that i might be doing as the issue, escalate me to another dept. All to no avail. So, i factory reset an old phone not hooked up, brand new gmail not linked to anything, set up google wifi (for 1st time) on it and loaded security camera apps on it. And they still got in and erased all my security videos. Got cameras to not reapond, notifications to not come through even though all says everything was fine. Settings not changed. Before they had been affecting ceetain aspects of apps from Google play. Made it so i couldnt download from there as well. Or if i tried something would get kicked out before i could finish said task. Even changed the "this device" in my google account. Spoofed mac & ips for known devices on wifi. Changed info in every account, still locked out of 3. 4 trips from internet company. 4 routers, 2 extender, modem/router combo, 7 cameras from 2 systems. End result? Me beating my head against the wall telling everyone, sorry but thats not what is happening on my phone/laptop, to evreyone thinking i am crazy and they are still in my stuff. Any thought yo how this is possible? P.s. 100% believe its my meth head neighbors but never would think them clever enough or would have the kind of money to spend on equipment to be able to pull something like this off. Please for the love of God someone help. This is way above my pay grade [email protected]
336 686 6949 at this point i just dont care i just need serious help