Spark customers get Lightbox free for 12 months

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#1227261 1-Feb-2015 19:23

kendo: edit: cant even get anything to play, silverlight only crashes

Make sure you clear your cache, and install ALL updates available for Silverlight if any is offered.

kendo

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#1231553 5-Feb-2015 10:09

Does anyone have the lightbox apk file? Phone or tablet. Does it work with chromecast?

MikeAqua

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#1231657 5-Feb-2015 11:59

I have tried casting from within the chrome browser without success.

It will cast the screen image up until the item starts playing, then the TV screen blacks out. Kind of annoying. Currently plugging my Surface Pro into an HDMI port on the TV and controlling with a wireless keyboard/mouse. Far from ideal.

I have a Samsung Smart Hub Blu-ray player, but the app is not available for it. I have a Surface Pro 2, but no light box app is available for it. I have a Samsung Galaxy 4. But this device is not compatible with the app.

We like the content and quality is good, and playback is almost never interrupted. But .... due to difficulties getting it onto the TV in our house Lightbox is affectionately called ClunkBox.

Making TV viewing easier will be the determinant of whether we continue past the free trial period in our household.

Mike

Here2infinity

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#1232285 6-Feb-2015 17:43

The Lightbox stream is remarkably hard to get to TV's other than Samsung tV's newer than 2012. I have a 2010 Smasung TV, and a 2013 Samsung Bluray player with Smart Hub. I have tried everything suggested and more than a few things that were not, to try and get the Lightbox app from the Samsung app store with no joy. Attempts to get an idea of why this is from Samsung service has been without success so far, as level 1 techs have no idea of why the app isn't showing up on an approved device. Lightbox tech wouldn't know and are waiting for an answer from me to find out why that is.

I was not expecting, but rather hoping that it would simply be a channel to be found on my Roku box, as that would just be too easy and reliable. Except for the fact that my Roku is setup up for Los Angeles and would be a pain to have two accounts on one box. I would very readily buy another Roku box though, as it is by far the most effective way of streaming content without having to pay the high cost of going Apple.

Then I looked to what device would be here, in New Zealand and relatively affordable, so I thought Chromecast would do it, but nothing there either.

So for now, I can only try it out on the PC, but that, as others have said, is a pretty boring way to go.

DarthKermit

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#1232346 6-Feb-2015 19:17

Is it possible to get Lightbox without that discontinued Silverlight software?

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

YvonneW

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#1232371 6-Feb-2015 20:54

Works fine on Samsung Bluray player. Just downloaded the app from the Samsung hub. TV is an LG.

Andib

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#1232373 6-Feb-2015 20:59

MikeAqua: I have tried casting from within the chrome browser without success.

It will cast the screen image up until the item starts playing, then the TV screen blacks out. Kind of annoying. Currently plugging my Surface Pro into an HDMI port on the TV and controlling with a wireless keyboard/mouse. Far from ideal.

I have a Samsung Smart Hub Blu-ray player, but the app is not available for it. I have a Surface Pro 2, but no light box app is available for it. I have a Samsung Galaxy 4. But this device is not compatible with the app.

We like the content and quality is good, and playback is almost never interrupted. But .... due to difficulties getting it onto the TV in our house Lightbox is affectionately called ClunkBox.

Making TV viewing easier will be the determinant of whether we continue past the free trial period in our household.

You have a surface pro 2... You can install silverlight and use IE to watch lightbox is both Moden UI and desktop IE. I do this on my Pro 3

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#1232399 6-Feb-2015 21:39

So I tried this out. Sign up was ok but the code did not work the first time. I went in the next day and it worked fine. I have watched 2 episodes of Outlander on the PS3 app with no issues. Picture quality was very good and only had one tiny buffer on the first episode and the second played through non stop tonight.

Thanks Spark. Very nice of you to give this free to your customers.

Here2infinity

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#1232403 6-Feb-2015 21:46

YvonneW: Works fine on Samsung Bluray player. Just downloaded the app from the Samsung hub. TV is an LG.

It's great that it worked for you. The app for Lightbox just isn't in my Samsung store apps in my Smart Hub. I've tried everything and Samsung doesn't know why either.

nzkc

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#1232404 6-Feb-2015 21:47

Lightbox: All the system wide metrics are green, so it's a local issue...

Thats a bit of a brutal FU response.

Your service to me (a Snap VDSL customer) was good (always in HD) until you offered the 12months to Spark customers. Now I cant hold a decent stream and get lots of buffering during evening hours. I can watch other streaming services just fine so I would be highly suspicious that its a "local issue" for me. Yes I have a ticket open but I'm close to cancelling my service.

MarkCerny

88 posts

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#1232649 7-Feb-2015 18:18

Just got my voucher set up and started to watch 'Suits' on my Samsung 55H6400 and PS4.....AMAZING. Really impressed. No buffering, no lag and the picture quality is like HD. Not to mention I get it free for a year! Can't wait for "Better Call Saul"! Thanks Spark.

Bazil

79 posts

Master Geek

#1232674 7-Feb-2015 19:35

kendo: Does anyone have the lightbox apk file? Phone or tablet.

This. I have the older apk however due to my device not being on the compatibility list I am unable to get the latest version from the play store. I see the app was updated on the 3rd of February 2015, so if someone is able to grab the latest and upload it (or pm it to me and I will upload it) it would be greatly appreciated!

Lightbox

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#1232697 7-Feb-2015 20:29

nzkc:
Lightbox: All the system wide metrics are green, so it's a local issue...

Thats a bit of a brutal FU response.

Your service to me (a Snap VDSL customer) was good (always in HD) until you offered the 12months to Spark customers. Now I cant hold a decent stream and get lots of buffering during evening hours. I can watch other streaming services just fine so I would be highly suspicious that its a "local issue" for me. Yes I have a ticket open but I'm close to cancelling my service.

Sorry, didn't mean to be rude, let me expand a little on the "system wide metrics are green". We have client side analytics in all off our players, meaning that every single rebuffering and buffering events gets logged. As buffering can be caused by lots of stuff, much of it beyond our control, there's always a baseline buffering rate.

We're constantly looking at the numbers, to watch for any uptick in buffering rates or special segments exhibiting higher rates. So while I can't speculate on your specific issue, I can tell you that our general level of buffering has not increased post our Spark offer launch. I can also tell you that the Snap buffering rates are comparable to other ISPs in the country, both pre and post launch of the Spark offer.

Again, not disputing that there's an issue affecting you (or that it was timed with the launch of the Spark offer), just pointing out that it's definitely not a global issue or caused by any congestion in our parts of the network. It also doesn't look like Snap has a general issue, so that points to a local issue affecting you - whether that's caused by your setup, device, connection or something completely different is the real question here.

What other streaming services are working fine for you?

Lightbox - we are online TV.

tdgeek

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#1232740 7-Feb-2015 22:19

Lightbox:
nzkc:
Lightbox: All the system wide metrics are green, so it's a local issue...

Thats a bit of a brutal FU response.

Your service to me (a Snap VDSL customer) was good (always in HD) until you offered the 12months to Spark customers. Now I cant hold a decent stream and get lots of buffering during evening hours. I can watch other streaming services just fine so I would be highly suspicious that its a "local issue" for me. Yes I have a ticket open but I'm close to cancelling my service.

Sorry, didn't mean to be rude, let me expand a little on the "system wide metrics are green". We have client side analytics in all off our players, meaning that every single rebuffering and buffering events gets logged. As buffering can be caused by lots of stuff, much of it beyond our control, there's always a baseline buffering rate.

We're constantly looking at the numbers, to watch for any uptick in buffering rates or special segments exhibiting higher rates. So while I can't speculate on your specific issue, I can tell you that our general level of buffering has not increased post our Spark offer launch. I can also tell you that the Snap buffering rates are comparable to other ISPs in the country, both pre and post launch of the Spark offer.

Again, not disputing that there's an issue affecting you (or that it was timed with the launch of the Spark offer), just pointing out that it's definitely not a global issue or caused by any congestion in our parts of the network. It also doesn't look like Snap has a general issue, so that points to a local issue affecting you - whether that's caused by your setup, device, connection or something completely different is the real question here.

What other streaming services are working fine for you?

Yes, I work for Spark, but nice post Jakob. Stuff happens. But LB are responding, and personally, that is a good thing, Spark employee or not. Disclosed.

richms

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#1232742 7-Feb-2015 22:40

These local services need to talk to samsung about the problem of getting their apps onto the players/tv's when they are set to another region.

friends bluray player just setup with US apps when they finally took it online because of the DNS unblocker being set on the router. Now according to samsungs useless help they are stuck like that and there is no way to put tvnz or lightbox onto it without losing netflix and hulu plus which they also use.

Probably not a huge issue for spark customers, but what about slingshot ones with the default global mode?

Richard rich.ms

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