BBC iPlayer witholding service

[Jmc99]

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? 

[dingaby]

MY tv does not appear in the BBC list of tv's that will be capable of receiving BBC iplayer after October. Has certification of this model been applied for? Is there a fix.

[AntS]

Hi all.

Official statement on this is:

"The Samsung Smart TV platform is used by Content Providers to make apps available and providers may remove apps from the platform or stop supporting them at any time. As of 17/10/2017, BBC TV applications will no longer work with Samsung Smart TV, Blu-Ray & Home Theatre models from 2010 and 2011. Users are encouraged to access https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/how-to-guides/getting-started/Samsung to find support on how to access BBC TV applications using alternative methods. In addition, users can access BBC Applications on current Samsung Smart Blu-Ray players, a number of streaming sticks and set top boxes as a way to access BBC TV applications. All other Samsung Smart TV models remain unaffected."

(@Jmc99 and @dingaby: Hope you don't mind but I've merged your threads as they concern the same issue.)

[PJ1968]

My family consumes all TV content via the iPlayer, but iPlayer will no longer work on my Samsung TV from 17th October. Effectively this makes my television obsolete. This TV is only six years old, was an expensive top-of-the-range model and is wall mounted with all cables chased into the wall.

When the BBC switched from analogue to digital there were many months (if not years) of warnings, public service briefings and even financial support for some. When the BBC switched from VHF to UHF TV broadcasting, the BBC VHF signal continued for many years to ensure very old TVs were not obsolete. We have had just six weeks notice. This is not public service broadcasting.

I suspect that iPlayer will no longer be supported as some TVs will not allow the new sign in process, meaning that if it continued, some people would be able to consume iPlayer content without paying the licence fee. If this is the case, people are being penalised for all those who do not pay for a TV licence.

I'm very surprised that there has not been a huge outcry, the BBC should reverse this decision or give us all a £40 licence reimbursement to pay for Amazon Fire Sticks (or similar).

I've contacted BBC You and Yours, please can everyone else in my position do the same?

[Pollowick]

I am being hit with this too.

Not just my TV but my BluRay player also.

The BBC are "blaming Samsung" saying that it is becasue of problems users are encountering with the product.

Can I ask why Samsung have not taken on te BBC in relation to this and asked for a formal statement from them and rteratcion of their ridiculous decision.

I am not having any issues with iPlayer or BBC news.

At present I cannot afford to get another TV - we have recently added two more smaller screens for other rooms but want to continue with this one in our lounge.

And how long before they decide to add more TVs to their list of unsupported ones?

Can Samsung make a software update available that will stop the applicatin being deleted?      

[PJ1968]

I believe that this is a BBC issue, not Samsung (although I cannot be sure). Please contact BBC You and Yours (Radio 4). The rest of the BBC are not listening - I've spent hours contacting Complaints, the iPlayer team and TV Licensing - they all direct me to each other.

Please also email Dan Taylor-Watt, head of iPlayer. His PA's email address is *****

[Mod edit: email address removed at request of addressee.]

[Radar]

I have spoken to samsung several times and asked them why they are not updating their Firmware to enable the new version of BBC Ipayer to work and I have been met with "our engineers are working on it".
If Samsung's approach is not to update when their Smart TV versions are only 5/6 years old one has to question whether any future purchase of their products is a good decision.  Computer operating system software is continually updated for 10 years or more why have they stopped updates, perhaps a commercial decision to attempt customers to upgrade their Smary TVs.  Come on samsung do the right thing and upgarde the firmware.

[Phil12]

Hi

I work in software (not connected with TVs or Samsung) and it's a state of things constantly changing.  Stopping support on a 5 or 6 year old TV and not updating it to fix iPlayer I can understand.  The costs involved in supporting all their different models released over a course of several years would cost so much money, we would just paying for this in the price of the TV. 

Legally in the UK, you could take them to court under the sale of goods act or equivalent but it wouldn't be worth it, the TV is still functional, and it's given 5 or 6 years of service, so any compensation if awarded would have that use deducted.  Besides in legal terms no one has gone over 6 years and been successful on a products age.

The simple solution is to purchase something like a Chromecast dongle or Firestick.  I'm sure a letter to Samsung complaining about the issue would see you receive the equivalent cost back in a good will gesture.

I've had several things like this happen on products, where the "added features" have stopped working after several years because the manufacturer has stopped support, but then in the case of most of them, over time those added features had become available by other means.

It's a pain I know, but Smart TVs after 5 years or so will become less and less Smart as "apps" disappear due to lack of updates, and just become a TV again.

Regards

Phil

[Pollowick]

I have to disagree with Phil's comments.

I too have a lot of experience in delivering software worldwide - with several major implementations.    And with some legacy systems partners may have installed with our customers

In the case of these TVs and iPlayer there is an aplication that runs on te TV and it has a primary function of requesting a data stream (TV programme) from a server and then converting that into the on-screen image.    Sitting around it are the nicities or bells and whstles allowing searching, favourites, latest &c.

The encoding of the video stream has not changed - the codecs are still the same so there was no need to change that part.

So,  why could they not have left the same application on the TVs - which may not give the latest user experience but would still play the content?

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.

[Pollowick]

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@AntS wrote:

Hi all.

Official statement on this is:

"The Samsung Smart TV platform is used by Content Providers to make apps available and providers may remove apps from the platform or stop supporting them at any time. As of 17/10/2017, BBC TV applications will no longer work with Samsung Smart TV, Blu-Ray & Home Theatre models from 2010 and 2011. Users are encouraged to access https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/how-to-guides/getting-started/Samsung to find support on how to access BBC TV applications using alternative methods. In addition, users can access BBC Applications on current Samsung Smart Blu-Ray players, a number of streaming sticks and set top boxes as a way to access BBC TV applications. All other Samsung Smart TV models remain unaffected."

(@Jmc99 and @dingaby: Hope you don't mind but I've merged your threads as they concern the same issue.)

This year ... what about next year?   

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