Playon having issues with slow download speed?

[spydermike]

I have tried to find a solution to actually be able to use our HNS service for something other than just emial and very light browzing (no videos).  It was suggested here that Playon could be a solution - to download during the early morning so as to have better performance due to less traffic and to not affect our daytime data cap.  I am now working with Playon Tech Support (who have been great) to understand why that is hit and miss.  We are able to download maybe one or two shows and then due to stalls and buffering the recording stops.  This happens to at least 50 percent of the attempts.  Sometimes we have to try several days to download a single one hour show.  Meanwhile, each attempt takes away data from our allotment.  This is all being done after 2am and before 8am.  Ugh.

Anyone here have any advise or experience with this?

Thanks

[maratsade]

When you say "We are able to download maybe one or two shows and then due to stalls and buffering the recording stops" you mean that the downloading stops, right?  Recording happens in the cloud, bypassing your system completely.

POC is sensitive to congestion, so if there is congestion at the time when you try to download, the downloads will slow down or will stop.  Unfortunately congestion can pop up at any time. 

[spydermike]

Hi maratsade,  what I mean is that if I queue three 1 hour shows to record between 2:15am and 7:55am, the forst two shows record fine but the third records only 2 minute of frozen frame and then stops.  I get a message that my video has recorded.  

Playon is researching this.  The same effect happens during peak times like right now when I just tried it for them.

I am not usingPOC.  I have the app on a dedicated Win10 Laptop.

[maratsade]

Gotcha. 

So you have PlayOn Desktop, or do they make a PlayOn Cloud app for PC?  I used to have the PlayOn Desktop app and it was awful.  

[spydermike]

I have it on the PC and there is no cloud app for PC.   When did you try it and what was so awful about it?  

[maratsade]

OK, so you have PlayOn Desktop. I had it a couple of years ago and I had two main issues: Recording AND downloading both use data (so your data gets used up very fast), and downloading was very spotty and often gave me errors, so I had to keep trying to restart the download.  

I ditched the desktop app and went with PlayOn Cloud. It uses no data at all to record, and I have very few issues with downloads. 

[spydermike]

Things may have changed...my video folder for Playon was created 1/2/21 and contains 53Gb of video downloaded.  My HNS account has 35.2 Gb used from my Bonus Zone date allotment...I still have 14.8Gb to go and my period ends in 2 days.

[spydermike]

The only issue we have with it (so far) is with Amazon Prime and the HNS buffering.  Playon is looking into it.

[maratsade]

"Things may have changed"

Totally possible. I hope the PlayOn techs have an answer for you soon!

[spydermike]

oh, I think I found that the older version of Playon may have had you watching the channel while recording...was that the case?

Now that doesn't happen unless you have visible.mnt in the Playon folder...they use this for troubleshooting.  

[maratsade]

No, I didn't have to be watching it to record it. I could schedule it, and it would record, but using my own data. To download, it would once again use data. 

[GabeU]

@spydermike 

You may want to look into running an Android emulator on your PC so that you could use the PlayOn Cloud app.  

[spydermike]

Thanks.  I think I will wait for Playon to suggest moving to the cloud.  I see that they have a sale right now - 365 dowloads for $45.  I got the desktop lifetime unlimited app on sale for $19.95.  That was a deal...and it is for most downloads (Netflix, CBS, Youtube and PBS so far have worked pretty much fine).

I think the problem is again the latency and the slow download speeds from HNS causing Amazon Prime to kick me out.  That is what happened during my testing today...During the first minute of the download a popup says the download is taking too long and it asks me to chose to stop or continue.  I can't answer that question at 3am during off peak recording, so it times out and kicks me out.  That process takes about 2 minutes which is how long my failed videos are.

Let's me stand back and see what I am doing.  I could need more software (Android emulator) with a cloud app for a PC or a cloud app on a phone to download shows to be able to watch videos because my internet service provider can't perform that function.  They "might" work.  I have also been told Gen 5 "might" work.  Am I headed down another rabbit hole?  Time will tell...

[GabeU]

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@spydermike wrote:

I think the problem is again the latency and the slow download speeds from HNS causing Amazon Prime to kick me out.  That is what happened during my testing today...During the first minute of the download a popup says the download is taking too long and it asks me to chose to stop or continue.  I can't answer that question at 3am during off peak recording, so it times out and kicks me out.  That process takes about 2 minutes which is how long my failed videos are. 

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It may very well be the reason.  PlayOn Cloud completely eliminates this issue, which is why it's the one we always recommend.  Don't get me wrong, there are some people out there who use PlayOn Desktop with HughesNet, but I just mean that Cloud isn't susceptible to the same issues, as with it you're just downloading a file.

For reference, I think you could probably even use an old, decommissioned Android based Smart Phone, as I think you can still use the Android things via WiFi without it having actual phone service.  I'm going to dig out my old Tracfone and see if I can do this, though I can't remember the Android version on it.

[spydermike]

Thanks.  The closest cell signal is 7 mile away, so anything cellular won't work.   So from cloud to android phone, phone to PC, then PC to USB stick then USB stick to TV.  Hmmm.  Or use my cell phone as a USB stick.  Hmmm...

Will Playon Cloud allow the scheduled downloading at Bonus Zone times then like the Desktop version does?

[spydermike]

Ha, trying to download the cloud app onto my phone using my blazing HNS internet.  So far 10 minutes to download 6MB...fingers crossed...only 56MB more to go!

[spydermike]

okay, 30 minutes into the download and 36MB downloaded...26MB to go.  I might acutally get this app installed!

[spydermike]

40 minutes and 47MB downloaded....15MB more to go!

[GabeU]

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@spydermike wrote:

40 minutes and 47MB downloaded....15MB more to go!

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Eek.  The Play Store is always slow for me too.  

[spydermike]

Okay, so I also tried Playon Cloud and it is not working very well...yet another support ticket for that.  The cloud records fine, but my downloads fail.  Hmmm, unstable internet connection?  Fun Fun Fun.

[GabeU]

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@spydermike wrote:

Okay, so I also tried Playon Cloud and it is not working very well...yet another support ticket for that.  The cloud records fine, but my downloads fail.  Hmmm, unstable internet connection?  Fun Fun Fun.

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Yeah, that definitely sounds like a HughesNet issue.  

If you've had need to, have other sizable file downloads been successful, even if not speedy?  Not necessarily Microsoft related downloads, as those seem to be wacky for a lot of people, including myself, but other kinds.