Accessing Lightbox

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rb99

3422 posts

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#181236 7-Oct-2015 13:06

I have a Sony Smart TV, a FireTV, a Raspberry Pi, even a WDTV Live. Is there any way to use any of these to use Lightbox on the Sony TV ?

If not, is there any way to use Miracast, or something more obvious to get Lightbox from the main PC (in a different room) to the Sony TV ? Particularly, is there an Ethernet equivalent of Miracast, assuming there aren't any apps for the above devices (or plans for them) ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

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#1401775 7-Oct-2015 14:42

Hey there. At this stage, there's no way to use any combination of what you've just listed to watch Lightbox. A quick fix (and a really good experience) would be to nab a Chromecast for $50-$60 from one of the major retailers and use the Lightbox app for iOS or Android to cast shows to your TV. Simple to set up, and really nice HD image quality if your network connection is up to task.

andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#1401795 7-Oct-2015 14:59

KieranfromLightbox: A quick fix (and a really good experience) would be to nab a Chromecast for $50-$60 from one of the major retailers and use the Lightbox app for iOS or Android to cast shows to your TV.

+1

I have a TV with a great picture but no "smart". I had some problems with the Chromecast when I first got it but they turned out to be symptoms of a flakey wireless signal from my router. Once that was resolved it took less than 5 minutes to plug in the Chromecast, set it up with my home wireless network, download the Lightbox app for Android and start watching.

rb99

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#1401816 7-Oct-2015 15:17

Thanks for the replies but having these 3 boxes already I doubt if I'll get a Chromecast as well, especially as the TV only has 2 HDMI inputs, so only the FireTV and Bluray player are actually connected at the moment.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

huckster

842 posts

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#1401851 7-Oct-2015 15:56

Would be cool if it were possible to side-load the Android app onto a Fire TV.....

:-p

andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#1401858 7-Oct-2015 16:12

Do you have any other HDMI inputs, e.g. on an AV receiver? I moved my Chromecast from the TV to my receiver on the weekend - works just as well and sounds better.

rb99

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#1401893 7-Oct-2015 16:45

Sideloading would be nice. Think I saw something about that but there was something about it being too difficult without a touch screen or something.

Do have a HDMI switch I was playing with, but when I plugged everything into that the FireTV didn't like it, would just switch sources by itself or the screen would go blank for a second or two every so often. Annoying. Does mean a Chromecast would do anything like that, just put me off a bit.

Still, haven't tried Lightbox out anywhere yet, so maybe I should just try it on the PC just for now.....

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

Boris50

20 posts

Geek

#1402402 8-Oct-2015 13:48

KieranfromLightbox: Hey there. At this stage, there's no way to use any combination of what you've just listed to watch Lightbox. A quick fix (and a really good experience) would be to nab a Chromecast for $50-$60 from one of the major retailers and use the Lightbox app for iOS or Android to cast shows to your TV. Simple to set up, and really nice HD image quality if your network connection is up to task.

I'm interested in your comment "really nice HD image quality". In the 5.1 sound thread that you frustratingly parked last month you advised that Lightbox currently only delivers SD via Apple/Android so only stereo sound is available. This comment was in July, has something changed?

Probably the biggest reason why I'm unlikely to pay for Lightbox once my free subscription expires is that I haven't worked out how to get 5.1. The lack of priority you appear to be giving this could be costing you a significant number of subscribers. Don't underestimate how many of us view TV predominantly through a home theatre system in DD 5.1, so easy to do through Netflix.

Apologies if you have made system improvements that now makes this easy. What are the options? A high spec PC capable of processing & outputting 5.1? I understand very few (if any) TV's will do this.

Cheers, B.

Equinox IT

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KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

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#1402434 8-Oct-2015 14:19

Boris50:
KieranfromLightbox: Hey there. At this stage, there's no way to use any combination of what you've just listed to watch Lightbox. A quick fix (and a really good experience) would be to nab a Chromecast for $50-$60 from one of the major retailers and use the Lightbox app for iOS or Android to cast shows to your TV. Simple to set up, and really nice HD image quality if your network connection is up to task.

I'm interested in your comment "really nice HD image quality". In the 5.1 sound thread that you frustratingly parked last month you advised that Lightbox currently only delivers SD via Apple/Android so only stereo sound is available. This comment was in July, has something changed?

Probably the biggest reason why I'm unlikely to pay for Lightbox once my free subscription expires is that I haven't worked out how to get 5.1. The lack of priority you appear to be giving this could be costing you a significant number of subscribers. Don't underestimate how many of us view TV predominantly through a home theatre system in DD 5.1, so easy to do through Netflix.

Apologies if you have made system improvements that now makes this easy. What are the options? A high spec PC capable of processing & outputting 5.1? I understand very few (if any) TV's will do this.

Cheers, B.

HD is available via Chromecast because it does not use the same content package as the iOS/Android on-device player. Chromecast retrieves the stream itself, the iOS/Android app simply tells it where to look.

The SD/Stereo-only comment is only a theory at this stage - until I can invest the time to validate and do some in-depth testing I can't say that for sure. I may not have made that clear at the time.

Honestly, the reason this isn't a top priority is that it isn't something we see a lot of feedback about. That's not to say that it's not important, it's just not as important as some of the other stuff we have to focus on right now.

Boris50

20 posts

Geek

#1402507 8-Oct-2015 15:45

Thanks for clarifying. Totally understand that issues must be prioritised based on feedback.

I guess it's no different with TVNZ On Demand or most other internet offerings. Netflix has the advantage of being a global brand and getting their app onto Bluray players for example which makes DD+ a breeze. Are there any media players that can load the Lightbox app and output DD?

I'll have another play with Chromecast.

Cheers, B.

KieranfromLightbox

93 posts

Master Geek

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#1402508 8-Oct-2015 15:50

Boris50: Thanks for clarifying. Totally understand that issues must be prioritised based on feedback.

I guess it's no different with TVNZ On Demand or most other internet offerings. Netflix has the advantage of being a global brand and getting their app onto Bluray players for example which makes DD+ a breeze. Are there any media players that can load the Lightbox app and output DD?

I'll have another play with Chromecast.

Cheers, B.

Chromecast direct into an AV receiver with 5.1 output support is something I'd like to experiment with when I get a chance. I'm not sure if Samsung Blu-Ray players with SmartHub capability support 5.1 output, but that could work (in theory!).

Kickass

292 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1402693 8-Oct-2015 20:58

Hi - it's a fact that lightbox does not stream 5.1 . I have tested multiple units - PS3, AirPlay via Apple TV , chromecast. It's 2 channel stereo out of all of these

Very disappointing as i have to switch to another service aka iTunes to watch mr robot to get my 5.1 fix

PeebZ

42 posts

Geek

#1403560 10-Oct-2015 16:38

huckster: Would be cool if it were possible to side-load the Android app onto a Fire TV.....

:-p

How did your side loading go?

huckster

842 posts

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#1403918 11-Oct-2015 16:54

PeebZ:
huckster: Would be cool if it were possible to side-load the Android app onto a Fire TV.....

:-p

How did your side loading go?

Easy peasy. Now if I could figure out how to press a button with a keyboard or the amazon remote rather than a finger.......