Wanna tell us about your experience with Chromecast on Lightbox?

Forums › Sky, Neon, Lightbox › Wanna tell us about your experience with Chromecast on Lightbox?

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1467 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1405565 14-Oct-2015 11:06

Hey Fred,

Some might argue that the ability to fast-forward / rewind playback on the Chromecast using the Lightbox app is actually more intuitive than using a remote (dragging the progress indicator to where you want it, rather than having to hold a remote button), but I take your point regardless. RE your Panasonic device, am I right in assuming that this is the Blu-Ray player? We haven't verified that Lightbox works on this device, but I assume you've attempted to find and download the app? It won't be pre-loaded.

You are right - we don't currently support either the Android or Sony Apps operating systems, but we are certainly looking at how & when we can do that.

We currently don't support the Samsung JS devices as they run on a different operating system (Tizen) - this requires building another app to support another OS. We are looking at this, but there's nothing in flight at the moment and as such no ETA for Tizen support.

Thanks very much Kieran for your above reply. Overall, my view is that it's far better to have one TV which comes preloaded with all the main video streaming apps that you are likely to want. You then need only one remote control that controls all these apps and you don't need to fiddle around with casting from mobile phones and using Chromecast when the TV doesn't have this built-in.

Therefore, it's a pity that Lightbox is not included on the latest Samsung Tizen system TVs or on the latest Sony Android system TVs. Therefore, if I had one of these TVs I doubt whether I would want to subscribe to Lightbox.

Even access from a PC to Lightbox can be difficult as explained in some threads here with the need to carefully avoid deleting any Lightbox cookies!

With regard to the Panasonic DMR-PWT550GZ (a set top box Freeview HD recorder and blu ray and 3D DVD player), this doesn't have the Lightbox app installed and you definitely can't install it yourself from internet. The Lightbox App has to be installed by Panasonic by way of a software update, which, hopefully, will happen in the future!

With regard to "casting" from a mobile phone, dragging the progress indicator sometimes doesn't work and you occasionally get the message "Unfortunately Lightbox has stopped". Despite this notice, the program happily plays on and you have nothing to control it other than disconnecting internet. You can even turn your mobile phone off altogether and Lightbox keeps on playing until you turn internet off.

Cheers
Fred

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#1405571 14-Oct-2015 11:13

frednz: Hey Fred,

Some might argue that the ability to fast-forward / rewind playback on the Chromecast using the Lightbox app is actually more intuitive than using a remote (dragging the progress indicator to where you want it, rather than having to hold a remote button), but I take your point regardless. RE your Panasonic device, am I right in assuming that this is the Blu-Ray player? We haven't verified that Lightbox works on this device, but I assume you've attempted to find and download the app? It won't be pre-loaded.

You are right - we don't currently support either the Android or Sony Apps operating systems, but we are certainly looking at how & when we can do that.

We currently don't support the Samsung JS devices as they run on a different operating system (Tizen) - this requires building another app to support another OS. We are looking at this, but there's nothing in flight at the moment and as such no ETA for Tizen support.

Thanks very much for your reply. Overall, my view is that it's far better to have one TV which comes preloaded with all the main video streaming apps that you are likely to want. You then need only one remote control that controls all these apps and you don't need to fiddle around with casting from mobile phones and using Chromecast when the TV doesn't have this built-in.

Therefore, it's a pity that Lightbox is not included on the latest Samsung Tizen system TVs or on the latest Sony Android system. Therefore, if I had one of these TVs I doubt whether I would want to subscribe to Lightbox.

Even access from a PC to Lightbox can be difficult as explained in some threads here with the need to carefully avoid deleting any Lightbox cookies!

With regard to the Panasonic DMR-PWT550GZ (a set top box HD recorder and blu ray and 3D DVD player), this doesn't have the Lightbox app installed and you definitely can't install it yourself from internet. The Lightbox App has to be installed by Panasonic by way of a software update, which, hopefully, will happen in the future!

With regard to "casting" from a mobile phone, dragging the progress indicator sometimes doesn't work and you get the message "Unfortunately Lightbox has stopped". Despite this notice, the program happily plays on and you have nothing to control it other than disconnecting internet. You can even turn your mobile phone off altogether and Lightbox keeps on playing until you turn internet off.

Cheers
Fred

Hey Fred, I understand your point of view - there's always a healthy tension between commercial limitations and providing the ideal user experience - but we're always working hard to make sure that we get that balance right.

RE your Chromecast issues - those sound fairly specific to your device & setup, as we're not seeing that same issue across all Chromecast users. You shouldn't have to touch your internet connection to disconnect Lightbox playback on Chromecast - you should be able to kill the Lightbox app and re-launch it to connect to the cast receiver and regain control of the stream. Failing that, you can restart or reboot the Chromecast via the Chromecast app.

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the Lightbox app to ensure there's no issue with your install (and ensure you've got the latest version). Our support team will be happy to step you through this if need be - help@lightbox.co.nz

Smithy100

180 posts

Master Geek

#1407057 15-Oct-2015 08:31

KieranfromLightbox:
Smithy100: As an Apple TV3/iPad viewer (well, until recently), should I consider getting a Chromecast to use LB via phone/laptop?

Watching telly on the iPad mini really isn't cutting it lol.

I'd say yes - easy plug & play, HD streaming and is portable. And for that price ($60-ish) it's hard to beat

Thanks Kieran - yes, setup was easy.

Though disappointed that we *had to go and spend $60 solely due to your iPad/ATV issues (*or only be able to watch on a 7 inch screen). So no, the price was easy to beat if the product we signed up for worked as was indicated.

Not the best customer experience.

frednz

1467 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1407966 16-Oct-2015 16:18

"Hey Fred, I understand your point of view - there's always a healthy tension between commercial limitations and providing the ideal user experience - but we're always working hard to make sure that we get that balance right.

RE your Chromecast issues - those sound fairly specific to your device & setup, as we're not seeing that same issue across all Chromecast users. You shouldn't have to touch your internet connection to disconnect Lightbox playback on Chromecast - you should be able to kill the Lightbox app and re-launch it to connect to the cast receiver and regain control of the stream. Failing that, you can restart or reboot the Chromecast via the Chromecast app.

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the Lightbox app to ensure there's no issue with your install (and ensure you've got the latest version). Our support team will be happy to step you through this if need be - help@lightbox.co.nz"

Thanks Kieran for your reply (above). I uninstalled Lightbox on my mobile phone (version 1.0.63) and reinstalled the latest version (also 1.0.63).

Overall, the app works OK if I don't try and use the "fast forward" or "rewind" functions. So, for me, it's best just to play a whole episode and leave it running.

But, compared with, say, Netflix and Youtube casting, the Lightbox app is a bit unstable at times. Sometimes the progress bar disappears for a while and then reappears without the "pause" option. Sometimes, there is no response if you move the video forward or backwards, and sometimes the app keeps the video playing on the TV screen even after the message "unfortunately Lightbox has stopped" appears.

Anyway, I know now just to leave the app alone and watch whole episodes without pausing, rewinding, fast forwarding, or stopping the app. So, that'll do in the meantime, I don't have any more time to experiment. Sure, it could be my Chromecast device is faulty (or my phone), but everything runs perfectly on Netflix and Youtube, so this is rather unlikely.

Regards
Fred

huckster

842 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1422156 6-Nov-2015 08:56

Still get the odd crash when starting Lightbox. One other slightly annoying thing is that when I go to Recently Watched, select the program and it goes to the next, unwatched episode in the series (good feature), clicking the Play button doesn't start the program but acts as if I have pressed the next episode button to the right of play.

Seems to happen 1 in 3 times or so. I now find myself constantly double-checking whether Lightbox has indeed picked the next, unwatched episode before I click Play. Even when I do select the episode manually and then click Play, it will sometimes have a think and scroll to the next episode after that (not playing that, but acting as if I had selected the Next arrow).

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#1422157 6-Nov-2015 08:57

huckster: Still get the odd crash when starting Lightbox. One other slightly annoying thing is that when I go to Recently Watched, select the program and it goes to the next, unwatched episode in the series (good feature), clicking the Play button doesn't start the program but acts as if I have pressed the next episode button to the right of play.

Seems to happen 1 in 3 times or so. I now find myself constantly double-checking whether Lightbox has indeed picked the next, unwatched episode before I click Play. Even when I do select the episode manually and then click Play, it will sometimes have a think and scroll to the next episode after that (not playing that, but acting as if I had selected the Next arrow).

Yeah we've identified that behaviour, and we're aiming to fix it in the next app update on both iOS and Android.

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1428179 14-Nov-2015 21:34

Doesn't work on Windows because no support for either Chrome browser or Windows app.

Prioritising based on current Windows usage would be like deciding not to build a bridge because hardly anyone swims across the river. In my experience laptops are the preferred home device and a lot of households have one per person, even for the kids. So support it and usage will climb.

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

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Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1428185 14-Nov-2015 21:47

I hope you can add Chromecast support on the web player too, (Actually optimized using the chromecast API, where the chromecast itself plays the video, not casting a tab)

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#1428713 16-Nov-2015 10:39

Yabanize: I hope you can add Chromecast support on the web player too, (Actually optimized using the chromecast API, where the chromecast itself plays the video, not casting a tab)

We are very keen to get this done, we just have a few other priorities we need to work through first. I can't give you a date, but we do want to get it done.

MikeAqua

7779 posts

Uber Geek

#1483358 2-Feb-2016 10:56

Well lately Chromecasting of Lightbox at our place has gone pear shaped.

It starts off OK, but after one or two episodes it starts freezing. This happening when Chromecast and my S4 are the only WiFi devices operating in the house.

If I substitute my partner's iPad for my S4 the problem persists.

Rebooting Chromecast resolves the problem for an episode or two then it reoccurs. Rebooting the router makes no difference.

The only system change in the house is that we recently installed UFB and HG659b gateway (updated firmware) supplied by Spark.

Surely UFB can't be the problem? Other video streaming services over Wifi on my S4 (e.g. you tube) are quite quick to load up and very smooth to play with no problems casting them.

Mike

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#1483415 2-Feb-2016 11:38

MikeAqua:

Well lately Chromecasting of Lightbox at our place has gone pear shaped.

It starts off OK, but after one or two episodes it starts freezing. This happening when Chromecast and my S4 are the only WiFi devices operating in the house.

If I substitute my partner's iPad for my S4 the problem persists.

Rebooting Chromecast resolves the problem for an episode or two then it reoccurs. Rebooting the router makes no difference.

The only system change in the house is that we recently installed UFB and HG659b gateway (updated firmware) supplied by Spark.

Surely UFB can't be the problem? Other video streaming services over Wifi on my S4 (e.g. you tube) are quite quick to load up and very smooth to play with no problems casting them.

Chromecast recently updated their firmware, but there's no global issue with casting Lightbox that we're aware of. Can you tell me a little more about the issue itself - is it starting playback, then freezing? Or is it unable to load an episode at all?

andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#1483447 2-Feb-2016 12:16

MikeAqua: Well lately Chromecasting of Lightbox at our place has gone pear shaped.

It starts off OK, but after one or two episodes it starts freezing.

I've had this problem in the past but not recently. Over the last 10 days or so I've watched all of Homeland Season 1, a couple of episodes of Orphan Black Season 2, and started on Mr. Robot. This has meant watching four or five episodes of shows back to back (hey, there was a long weekend in there). I sometimes get a problem if I start playing around with it too much (e.g. dragging the progress indicator forward to skip the three minutes of opening credits and "Previously on Homeland..." footage) but if I leave it alone for a minute or two it always comes right. And if I don't play with it - just keep hitting the Next Episode button, it's all good.

Horseychick

150 posts

Master Geek

#1483483 2-Feb-2016 12:50

I've only recently signed up to Lightbox and I tried watching Season 3 or Suits using my Samsung TV, ipad and chromecast. Whilst it casts the TV fine for the first episode subsequent episodes buffer and hang quite badly. I got really fed up with it and stopped using it assuming that the iPad was maybe causing the problem. I've installed Lightbox on our new LG TV and watched the rest of the season fine on that so I know it's not my wi-fi or router that was causing the issue. I can watch YouTube video's fine thru the iPad and Chromecast so it does seem there is a chance it's Lightbox.

Keen to hear if you find an issue.

Dingbatt

6755 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1484282 3-Feb-2016 12:23

Since the latest chromecast update lightbox will not play on my panasonic tv (5 yo plasma TH-50PZ850). Audio is present but intermittent video. The same thing occurs with youtube and I believe it is an HDCP problem. I can still cast lightbox and youtube (and anything else for that matter) from my tablet to the TV with no issues but that is a sub optimal solution.
The TV's firmware is up to date and the setup worked perfectly prior to the chromecast update. Is there something that needs tweaking in the Lightbox app to take account of changes to chromecast?

Unfortunately, unless I can watch lightbox on my tellie, it's not worth having (lightbox that is, not the tellie).

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

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#1484300 3-Feb-2016 13:04

Dingbatt: Since the latest chromecast update lightbox will not play on my panasonic tv (5 yo plasma TH-50PZ850). Audio is present but intermittent video. The same thing occurs with youtube and I believe it is an HDCP problem. I can still cast lightbox and youtube (and anything else for that matter) from my tablet to the TV with no issues but that is a sub optimal solution.
The TV's firmware is up to date and the setup worked perfectly prior to the chromecast update. Is there something that needs tweaking in the Lightbox app to take account of changes to chromecast?

Unfortunately, unless I can watch lightbox on my tellie, it's not worth having (lightbox that is, not the tellie).

If it is in fact an HDCP connection issue, the problem is likely with the 2 pieces of hardware (TV and Chromecast), so I don't believe it's something that Lightbox can address at a software level.

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