Can no longer stream a lot of videos online (most likely related to Spark?)

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Can no longer stream a lot of videos online (most likely related to Spark?)

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88 posts

Master Geek
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#1183877 27-Nov-2014 10:33

It's still not working for me and I have contacted Spark 6 times about it now, who just keep passing me off to other people and never calling me back etc. Does anyone have anymore suggestions about what I can do to get them to solve it?

Talkiet

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#1183884 27-Nov-2014 10:45

I'm kinda hesitant to get involved with what looks like an issue constrained to only a few niche video streaming sites on the other side of the world, but I accept that it must be very frustrating.

Can you give a more detailed description of the issues, including explicit urls to videos affected (Not 'just got to his page and click on any link' - an actual url to a video that won't play for you)

If you could also try playing videos from Vimeo, Dailymotion, Youtube (obviously), Metacafe, http://open-video.org/ https://archive.org/details/amiga_2 and confirm if they all seem to work or if they give the same symptoms, please include a URL to the videos that fail to play.

I absolutely accept the logic that if the streams work on another ISP but not Spark, then there's probably something funny, but without better descriptions of the fault we can't narrow it down.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

moulinette

88 posts

Master Geek
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#1183943 27-Nov-2014 11:32

Talkiet: I'm kinda hesitant to get involved with what looks like an issue constrained to only a few niche video streaming sites on the other side of the world, but I accept that it must be very frustrating.

Can you give a more detailed description of the issues, including explicit urls to videos affected (Not 'just got to his page and click on any link' - an actual url to a video that won't play for you)

If you could also try playing videos from Vimeo, Dailymotion, Youtube (obviously), Metacafe, http://open-video.org/ https://archive.org/details/amiga_2 and confirm if they all seem to work or if they give the same symptoms, please include a URL to the videos that fail to play.

I absolutely accept the logic that if the streams work on another ISP but not Spark, then there's probably something funny, but without better descriptions of the fault we can't narrow it down.

Cheers - N

Hi,

Vimeo, Dailymotion, Youtube, Metacafe work. The open-video.org link doesn't work.

These links (or any others on the site) don't work, for example these links I could find from some of the sites I am having issues with. The first 2 say video file not found, and the other 2 never load:

http://vodlocker.com/tsptlfebmzm0
http://www.vidbull.com/2siy4m1d86z9
http://www.movshare.net/video/276b4200430c0
http://www.novamov.com/video/15aeb71b0651a

Thank you!

Talkiet

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#1183953 27-Nov-2014 11:46

Sorry, I stuffed up the open-video.org link - but that site actually seems to offer downloads, not streaming.

I tried a couple of the links you included and after I was assaulted by the popups and various misleading buttons designed purely to get advertising clicks they both worked for me on the Spark LAN. I'll try them again tonight on my Spark VDL connection...

Can you confirm though (Sorry if these answers are in the thread already)

- Have you tried using a different PC / laptop / tablet?
- Do you have the DNS servers autoassigned as default?
- Do you have any VPN or DNS manipulation software installed or used?
- Have you tried multiple browsers? (Chrome, Firefox and IE?)
- Do you have any ad blocking software installed? Are you _SURE_ about that? (I have some and it usually works so well I forget about it but it DOES break some video sites that want to display approximately one meeeelion ads on top of the video)
- Do you have any examples that don't work which are on more mainstream sites that dont have S*&^loads of popups and ads over the video?

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

moulinette

88 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#1184035 27-Nov-2014 13:35

Talkiet: Sorry, I stuffed up the open-video.org link - but that site actually seems to offer downloads, not streaming.

I tried a couple of the links you included and after I was assaulted by the popups and various misleading buttons designed purely to get advertising clicks they both worked for me on the Spark LAN. I'll try them again tonight on my Spark VDL connection...

Can you confirm though (Sorry if these answers are in the thread already)

- Have you tried using a different PC / laptop / tablet?
- Do you have the DNS servers autoassigned as default?
- Do you have any VPN or DNS manipulation software installed or used?
- Have you tried multiple browsers? (Chrome, Firefox and IE?)
- Do you have any ad blocking software installed? Are you _SURE_ about that? (I have some and it usually works so well I forget about it but it DOES break some video sites that want to display approximately one meeeelion ads on top of the video)
- Do you have any examples that don't work which are on more mainstream sites that dont have S*&^loads of popups and ads over the video?

Cheers - N

- Yes, I have tried all the computers in my house (3 computers) and 1 at work.
- Yes, I have the DNS servers auto assigned, but I tried changing them to googles as well and it didn't work.
- Yes, I have tried using a VPN (paid and a free one) and it makes the last 2 links I gave you work, but the first 2 still don't work. But when using a different ISP, the first 2 work as well.
- Yes, I have adblock installed, but when I use an incognito window I don't have it installed and it still doesn't work.
- No, just those examples but they were working fine up until 2 weeks ago (even with adblock). I mean, they aren't really obscure sites, they are some of the most common video hosting ones out there these days...

Talkiet

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#1184042 27-Nov-2014 13:46

Hmmm. Have you tried multiple browsers with adblock NOT INSTALLED? (I ddi read the parts where you mentioned using incognito and the fact the sites worked a couple of weeks ago with adblock)... I'm not saying it's something on your end - I am trying to eliminate more potential contributors.

The fact you didn't see a complete fix in behaviour with a VPN is strange and for the sites where it didn't resolve the issue indicates that the problem is not in the ISP network (Assuming your VPN endpoint wasn't in AS4771 - Sparks retail network)... What VPNs did you use and were they using client software that tries to be smart and separate web and other traffic - or were they simple L2TP / OpenVPN type approaches than tunnel all traffic from the PC?

Using a VPN also bypasses you from the network elements that I would have thought had the biggest chance of contributing to the issue so that's confusing too.

Based on your apparent knowledge and setup, I'd be surprised if you use IE at all in everyday use... Would you be able to try the sites in IE (making sure you have no adblockers installed there?)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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moulinette

88 posts

Master Geek
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#1184070 27-Nov-2014 14:03

Talkiet: Hmmm. Have you tried multiple browsers with adblock NOT INSTALLED? (I ddi read the parts where you mentioned using incognito and the fact the sites worked a couple of weeks ago with adblock)... I'm not saying it's something on your end - I am trying to eliminate more potential contributors.

The fact you didn't see a complete fix in behaviour with a VPN is strange and for the sites where it didn't resolve the issue indicates that the problem is not in the ISP network (Assuming your VPN endpoint wasn't in AS4771 - Sparks retail network)... What VPNs did you use and were they using client software that tries to be smart and separate web and other traffic - or were they simple L2TP / OpenVPN type approaches than tunnel all traffic from the PC?

Using a VPN also bypasses you from the network elements that I would have thought had the biggest chance of contributing to the issue so that's confusing too.

Based on your apparent knowledge and setup, I'd be surprised if you use IE at all in everyday use... Would you be able to try the sites in IE (making sure you have no adblockers installed there?)

Cheers - N

I don't have adblock installed in firefox and safari and I tried in that too and it doesn't work.

The VPN's I have tried is Hola Unblocker (Google Chrome extension), but then I have 2 payed ones as well... "Unblock-Us" and "Private Internet Access". Unblock-Us works by changing the DNS and then Private Internet Access uses an application to connect, then you just pick a country from the dropdown in the app. Yes, I am confused as well why they still don't work using a VPN, when it fixes the issue with some of them.

I only have access to Mac computers, so I can't check it in Internet Explorer sorry. But when the issue first arose, I tried downloading some other browsers like Opera, and it didn't work.

Thanks so much for trying to help, I really appreciate it.

EDIT: I just asked my friend at work to check the vodlocker link on his PC using Internet Explorer and it said video file not found for him too.

freitasm

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#1184074 27-Nov-2014 14:05

Neither Unblock-US or Hola are VPNs. They don't create "tunnel".

Get a VPN trial and test it.

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moulinette

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Master Geek
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#1184084 27-Nov-2014 14:08

freitasm: Neither Unblock-US or Hola are VPNs. They don't create "tunnel".

Get a VPN trial and test it.

Isn't this one a VPN though? https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/ I pay for this and they still don't work using this.

freitasm

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#1184091 27-Nov-2014 14:15

If you are using it as a VPN and still not working then the problem is not with Spark.

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moulinette

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Master Geek
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#1184094 27-Nov-2014 14:21

freitasm: If you are using it as a VPN and still not working then the problem is not with Spark.

How so, when I can load them when I don't use Spark Fibre?

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freitasm

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#1184111 27-Nov-2014 14:39

I thought you said you couldn't load them when using the VPN as well?

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moulinette

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Master Geek
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#1184116 27-Nov-2014 14:42

freitasm: I thought you said you couldn't load them when using the VPN as well?

Some of the links load once I use the VPN I have, and some don't (i.e. the first 2 links I posted a few replies up). But if I tether the data from my phone (Vodafone internet) and use that then all of the links suddenly work, which is why I am confused about what the problem is :/

I really do think the issue is with Spark, because if I take my laptop around to my friend's who doesn't use Spark, then all the links load too.

freitasm

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#1184201 27-Nov-2014 15:43

Have you tried using someone else's connection on Spark? If it works then it could be something in your router configuration.

Others here reported working, so you should really test with someone else's Spark connection then.

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moulinette

88 posts

Master Geek
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#1184224 27-Nov-2014 15:53

freitasm: Have you tried using someone else's connection on Spark? If it works then it could be something in your router configuration.

Others here reported working, so you should really test with someone else's Spark connection then.

Yeah, I have tried it at my workplace (Fibre) and have the same issue, and they have a different router to me.

The links work for my aunt though when I asked her to check a few days ago, but she has Spark VDSL, not Fibre, so maybe that makes a difference?

This is so confusing :( Everything was working just fine up until a few weeks ago and it's so frustrating not being able to work out how to fix it. Thanks for trying to help though.

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