Sorry Skiddins but im not quite sure what you mean. Im probably missing the point, but my 'now and next' is always near instant. However, playing again with the EPG this morning, things were as follows on my early Pace Twin:
Entering the EPG, say with 3 or 4 programs per channel visible on each channel timeline, the screen could fill pretty much instantly, within a second I would say. Other times it may display, initially quickly as above. but with some slots missing which would fill in over the next few seconds.
However, as you scroll forward through the timeline, things seems to slow quite alot. Im not sure whether this is because the information has not yet recieved or whether the Pace Twin doesn't handle things so efficiently as you progress through the time slots. One things that I have noticed, and may be related, is that interactivity is greatly reduced - I seem to have to repeat remote button press, almost as if it is ignored. This somehow seems to be linked with a chunk of program timeslots being filled in so maybe the Pace can't recieve EPG data and handle EPG interaction simultaneously. If so, hopefully the next software update will make this better.
I've forgotten how to do it, but I was going to make up an alternate channel list without the TopUpTV and text channels to see if a reduced channel list would make interactive response better. If someone could remind me how to do this...
From the little that I have seen of the Sky EPG, I don't think its not on a par with it speedwise.
Is it usable? For programs over the next few hours - definately an improvement. But until shortcuts, skip 24 hours, skip start etc are implemented in the Pace EPG, and interactivite response made better, EPG information more than a few hours into the future can be a bit tedious to view.
AOD
You comment about your Pace not caching is interesting. Im not sure if you have noticed, but the EPG also goes back in time (at least few hours worth) so there are many 'orange' programs also listed. Not sure if expired EPG data is broadcast, or these are programs previously cached by the Twin.
If anyone knows, I would really like to know how frequent the EPG is broadcast and whether some channels or timeslots are broadcast more frequently.
-Ian