I would agree to that in most cases, cell-phone viewing can be slow...however there are other factors that definitely play into the speed of viewing.
As we have many customers who use the Alnet System with PDA Phone and Cell Phone remote access. I personally also use the PDA-Phone Viewing on 2 different Cell-Phones: Hitachi G1000 on Sprint PCS Vision (limited to 115 Kb) - approximately 2-5 fps at 320x240 resolution depending on time of day; and Audiovox PPC-6601 on Sprint PCS Vision 3G (approx 300-400 Kb)- approximately 5-8 fps at 320x240 resolution.
Some of our distributors and installers have noted 10-15 fps on the Verizon equivalent of the PPC-6601 using EVDO service.
As each of the manufacturers increase their data network capabilities (Sprint will be expanding to EVDO shortly), you will notice increased speeds and frame-rate on DVR Remote viewing as well.
1. Cell-Phone's Internet connection Speed
2. Provisioning (a problem Sprint is constantly Plagued with)
3. Internet connection speed of DVR Server (upload bandwidth)
4. Time of Day (leads to crowded use of wireless bandwidth)
5. Proximity to Cellular towers, etc.
Most of the DVR browser remote viewing I have encountered, generally require Java Scripting which cannot be downloaded to most phones, unless ported specifically for the device. Even with a Windows Mobile Cell-Phone, the Pocket IE browser will generally not allow for that advanced rendering. Your best option is a specific Phone Client that is designed for you platform. For example, the Alnet System has client apps for Symbian, Java, and Pocket PC cell phones.
What type of Cell service/Phone Model are you using?