Lightbox

Forums › Sky, Neon, Lightbox › Lightbox - 5 device limit problem

1 | 2 | 3

597 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 125

#1239482 15-Feb-2015 17:41

tdgeek:
richms: If I could remove devices on demand, or better still the oldest use date was used to automatically pop that one out of the list it would be an acceptable compromise. but to have to contact support to get them removed etc is absurd.

Netflix, amazon and hulu dont have this limitation. I dont think I have seen it with HBO go but I have only used that a couple of times because the person whose details I was borrowing decided to cut the cord.

Therein lies the reason?

Therein lies the reason Netflix makes so much money, the fact that you can share logins has been monetized by Netflix in limiting the simultaneous stream count and charging for a higher count.

The three plans go 1 stream, 2 streams, 4 streams. That is a way better solution than limiting the amount of devices and requiring devices to be registered manually.

Regards
Stefan Andres Charsley

mattwnz

20259 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4524

#1239505 15-Feb-2015 17:59

When I asked them, they say the restrictions are like that are due to the studios, so they don't have any say, so it sounds like they are caught between a rock and a hard place. I am guessing that Apple and netflix therefore must have better arrangements.

Jase2985

13513 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5942

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1239541 15-Feb-2015 19:16

it may be because of the studios etc, but the way its been managed/implemented is just so last century compared to other services

mattwnz

20259 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4524

#1239640 16-Feb-2015 00:02

BigHammer: It's not really per device. It seems to be per app or browser, and each login to the device (eg windows login) will also create it's own set of 'devices'. So for three user accounts on a Windows PC, each accessing Lightbox from Chrome under their own Windows login, will create three 'devices' in the list. And if 2 of those users the tried using IE, then that'd be five 'devices' all up.

And yeah, if Chrome did an update, maybe Lightbox thinks it's a new device?

Not being able to identify 'devices' in their list doesn't help either.

Also if you use incognito mode in your browser, it can use up all 5 devices. It is a very clunky way of managing it. I like the netfix way of doing it better.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1528

#1239653 16-Feb-2015 01:17

mattwnz:
BigHammer: It's not really per device. It seems to be per app or browser, and each login to the device (eg windows login) will also create it's own set of 'devices'. So for three user accounts on a Windows PC, each accessing Lightbox from Chrome under their own Windows login, will create three 'devices' in the list. And if 2 of those users the tried using IE, then that'd be five 'devices' all up.

And yeah, if Chrome did an update, maybe Lightbox thinks it's a new device?

Not being able to identify 'devices' in their list doesn't help either.

Also if you use incognito mode in your browser, it can use up all 5 devices. It is a very clunky way of managing it. I like the netfix way of doing it better.

curious. why use incognito mode when watching Lightbox? Seems pretty pointless.

Jase2985

13513 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5942

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1239670 16-Feb-2015 07:57

it shouldnt matter how you use your browser though

ilovemusic

1441 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 264

#1240075 16-Feb-2015 14:54

i don't find the 5 device limit a problem.

a bigger hassle is only being able to delete one device per 30 day period.

wtf ???

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

mattwnz

20259 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4524

#1240167 16-Feb-2015 16:30

ilovemusic: i don't find the 5 device limit a problem.

a bigger hassle is only being able to delete one device per 30 day period.

wtf ???

Yes that is the problem I have. Although they do seem to bulk delete if you email them.

Jase2985

13513 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5942

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1240174 16-Feb-2015 16:39

but the thing is you shouldn't have too if your not even using 5 devices

i see lightbox is choosing to ignore this thread

tdgeek

29819 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9155

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1240222 16-Feb-2015 17:27

Jase2985: but the thing is you shouldn't have too if your not even using 5 devices

i see lightbox is choosing to ignore this thread

Not posting to support Lightbox as I work for Spark, but it depends if it's an LB choice or a media provider choice. I assume the issue is distributing logins to all and sundry. They could allow unlimited logins if you were locked into a location but that won't work as we could legitimately use LB off site. So not an easy solution

Jase2985

13513 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5942

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#1240224 16-Feb-2015 17:30

well it is as other online streaming services manage this better than light box has

richms

28343 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9325

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1240225 16-Feb-2015 17:30

Netflix manage to count how many streams you are running at once and its tied to what you pay. That seems like the smartest way to do it.

I know several households that have more than 5 devices among people in them that would want to use it, and infact do use netflix on them all. Kids have ipads each, there are 2 bluray home theaters that have it, and the games consoles on the kids tv.

Richard rich.ms

charsleysa

597 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 125

#1240247 16-Feb-2015 17:41

I have Netflix setup on over 10 devices with no problems, only one subscription required because at no point in time (so far) have we ever had more than 4 streams going simultaneously.

Regards
Stefan Andres Charsley

mattwnz

20259 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4524

#1240262 16-Feb-2015 18:08

richms: Netflix manage to count how many streams you are running at once and its tied to what you pay. That seems like the smartest way to do it.

I know several households that have more than 5 devices among people in them that would want to use it, and infact do use netflix on them all. Kids have ipads each, there are 2 bluray home theaters that have it, and the games consoles on the kids tv.

Also if you use a dual boot PC for trialing windows 10, or a virtual machine, it will be detected as 2 devices, even though it is a single device. At least lightbox do see it as a problem as they do bulk delete upon request.

301 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 103

Trusted

Lightbox

#1240288 16-Feb-2015 19:12

Jase2985: but the thing is you shouldn't have too if your not even using 5 devices

i see lightbox is choosing to ignore this thread

Not replying does not equal ignoring.

Content providers have certain standards around content security and usage rules to minimise account sharing, unwarranted access and their rights in general. We have to abide by these. Each studio and provider will have slightly different rules and as a streaming provider you need to build a service that accommodates them, generally implementing the strictest set you're faced with. We're obviously working with studios and trying to find models that give them confidence with minimal customer impact, but we're not going to be changing their general policy overnight and by ourselves. What other companies, especially ones with a global reach and their own distinct set of content providers, can and cannot do (and what they need to do instead to give studios confidence) isn't necessarily comparable to our situation.

The other local players have exactly the same usage rules and that's not because we all sat down together to brainstorm a solution that would annoy Geekzoners as much as possible. It's because those are the requirements you run into when you buy up content rights - including the 30 day cool down period.

While the implementation could certainly be improved, it's not a huge issue for most people - the people on this board are much more likely to be swapping around browsers, using a multitude of devices and changing setup than your average user. We're very happy to help you sort it on a case by case basis (and we're sorry about your trouble), but right now I've got other aspects of our service I'd rather spend my ressources improving and developing.

Lightbox - we are online TV.

1 | 2 | 3