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BBC iPlayer witholding service

(Topic created on: 31-10-2017 08:08 AM)
2726 Views
Jmc99
First Poster
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BBC announced yesterday that as of 17 Oct I will no longer be able to receive BBC iPlayer.

Is this a software problem eith my TV or an unsubtle marketing ploy? 

23 REPLIES 23
Phil12
Voyager
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Hi


@Pollowick wrote:

  

As for buying a Chromecast of Firestick - next year the BBC may decide to end support for thise, or ones of a certain build.   Remember,  they did the same to Sony televisons last year aswell as other brands.


Which makes BBC iPlayer the problem.  Samsung could fix this problem and just have iPlayer change again 6 months later.  In addition iPlayer may be introducing some form of encryption or some change that just isn't supported by that TVs hardware. 

We already pay £145.00 a year for our TV licence, for the convenience of iPlayer it may cost some of us an extra £15.00 a year or so to keep buying new devices every 24 months that support it.  It's a pain, but I've lost count of the number of devices that did work with iPlayer or Youtube then stopped.  I've a Blu-ray player that did all this stuff now it just plays Blu-rays, just the way this tech is.

 

Regards

 

Phil

 

 

 

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Salboh
Apprentice
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Thank you for all the comments on here. I've just been to the BBC iPlayer website to lodge a complaint. Not sure how much good it will do but the more people that complain the better.

 

My TV, like everyone else is approx. 5-6 years old, works perfectly and I'm happy with it. I have no intention of buying a new one and quite frankly I do not wish to buy a Firestick or Google Chrome out of sheer principle. I have a Smart TV!! That is the whole point you don't need extra devices. 

 

I am particularly fuming as I recently ditched cable TV due to all the wiring and set top box space needed. I thought I'd be fine with my Smart TV and of course I can access other apps just not BBC. 

 

I've asked them for 1) an explanation on this move and 2) reimbursement on any other device I have to buy to access their channels. 

 

Let's see what they come back with.

 

Regards.

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Daisy2017
First Poster
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Good for you. Youre right of course, probably wont do any good but lots of people agree with you and I look forward to hearing what their reply is - they should certainly give you the courtesy of a reply. Cheers.
Whizzard
First Poster
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Samsungs official statement misses the point. They say "applications will no longer work " as if they have decided to not work on their own!!!

Take responsibility Samsung. What have you changed that has caused the applications to not work. Is it your licensing activity (or lack of it) or what specifically have you done to bring about this change.

 

Can you answer this accurately please?

Salboh
Apprentice
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Hi all, 

Just to let you know the BBC responded to my complaint with the below.

Thanks

 

Dear Ms *****

Thanks for contacting us about BBC iPlayer closing on some older Samsung TVs.

We’re sorry to hear that your TV has been affected by the closure of iPlayer on some Samsung devices in October and we understand this must be frustrating for you.

As time goes by, the number of users accessing BBC iPlayer on older devices decreases, which makes it less financially justifiable to keep the service running and to provide technical support for those devices. We only make the decision to close apps on particular devices if user numbers are considerably low, and we're unable to update the app to the technical standard we've built it to.

This difficult decision to close less popular, older versions of the app is made so that we can focus finances on advancing the service we provide, to make it accessible to and enjoyable for as many people as possible.

However, you can still use your existing TV for iPlayer, as you can adapt it with a set-top box or streaming device via your TV’s HDMI port. They are generally cost-effective and usually very straightforward to set up and use.

Although our service is available on these devices, we can't advertise or promote one over another, so take a look at the following page where we have listed some links to some independent reviews of the most popular devices:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/device_help

We understand that you must be disappointed, but we hope it is of some reassurance to know that your comments have been passed on to our BBC iPlayer Development Team, including those who are responsible for the creation and closure of apps. We appreciate all of the feedback we receive from audience members and build our service on this feedback.

Thanks again for contacting us, and I hope you can continue to enjoy BBC iPlayer on another one of our supported devices, such as a computer, mobile, or tablet.

Kind Regards


BBC iPlayer Support Team
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help

BobL
Journeyman
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Clearly, these are all profit driven decisions.  I too have fallen foul of Samsung change of support for the BBC iPlayer yet my TV is just a year old and cost me £2000 at the time.  Samsung tells me that my (2016 model UE65KS9000 full 4K UHD) TV is not being updated to receive BBC iPlayer in UHD/HLG but will continue only in HD.  The TV will, of course, show broadcast UHD TV whenever that comes along. They appear to have reneged on a previous promise that they would fully support UHD/HLG but that is all in the interpretation I guess. Meanwhile, I have this huge high spec TV with little or no UHD content to show.  On the other hand, my daughter bought a smaller at less than a quarter of the price on mine an LG 2016 TV shortly after I bought mine and that shows BBC iPlayer in glorious UHD with apparent ease.  I know where my money is going next time I need a TV.  I am not sure that the current batch of streaming boxes and sticks will be a workaround as I have yet to see one that has the UHD/HLG version of the BBC iPlayer among its streaming Apps.

paul1277
Black Belt 
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If you go onto blue planet hlg forum, there are a lot of unhappy Samsung 2016 owners. There is also advice on possible solutions for mis selling. It got quite large but could be worth reading through.

Paul

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BobL
Journeyman
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Thanks, I will have a look and report back my findings.

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TheBreadman
First Poster
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Dear Ants,

 

its seems your “official statement” neglects to mention problems relating to 2016 models as well?  It also fails to answer any specific questions raised by your customers on the forum with regards to a technical solution to this problem that Samsung could effect?

I purchased my Samsung TV for the specific reason of it being a “Smart” TV, a function that no longer works for the main provider I use.  

 

I spent more money than I needed for the benefit of your “Smart” product, BBC iPlayer was shown on the packaging I believe.  The only option for me is to now spend more money on a suitable box that supports IPlayer. This is not acceptable.  As a company you have not done enough to ensure that this service continues and have disregarded the basics of customer care and loyalty. It is obvious from your statement that you intend to do nothing to assist customers with this issue.

 

My my official statement on this matter is this;

 

”I will not, under any circumstance, be purchasing another Samsung (or Sony, as I have the same problem with this manufacturer) product in the future.  I will attempt to sway anybody I know or meet who is thinking of purchasing a Samsung (or Sony) product into selecting a different manufacturer.”

 

Please pass this statement on to your CEO for acknowledgment,

 

thank you, 

 

TheBreadman

 

jhonnhy
First Poster
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Dear Samsung,

 

Frankly, I beliebe it is utterly unacceptable the fact that Samsung retires such a core app (BBC iPlayer) from their TVs, whatever the reason may be, especially after having bought about 6 years ago a top of the range UE46D8000YUXXU and  paid £1,500 for the privilege.

May I add that the suggested solution really is not to plugin in a media player (Chromecast, Fire Stick, etc.) in this case. A 50% discount on a brand new TV may be acceptable but in all honestly anything less than that really is not good enough from a giant like Samsung.

Having been a supporter of Samsung from mobile phones, to Blu-ray Players, TVs, etc. I am afraid I will have to change my views as cannot justify otherwise.

 

Thank you very much for you time for reading.

 

Best regards.