Tablet won't play TV Ondemand

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Rickles

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#260164 13-Nov-2019 22:51

Friend has new tablet … Chinese brand (MediaTek running Android 8.1), but appears to be certified for Google apps.

Using browser went to TVOne Ondemand and selected show to watch, and eventually the web site with shows etc appears. Select a show and get message to either 'watch in app' or 'get app'.

Installed TVOne app from Google Play, and used that. Selected show but screen goes blank …. control bar (stop/start/running time) appears at bottom of screen.

ODDLY, selecting a 'Live' channel displays and plays the streams perfectly.

Any thoughts please? Are their other apps that could bring in TVOndemand and ThreeNow (e.g. Matt Huismann)?

robjg63

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#2353061 14-Nov-2019 08:34

Assuming you are using the chrome browser, can you go to TVNZ on demand, login and find your way to something you want to watch.
When it pops up with the message about the app, press the vertical "..." menu button in the top right of the browser and check the "Desktop site" box. Does it let you carry on and play in the browser?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Oblivian

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#2353066 14-Nov-2019 08:47

That's a sign of a built in ad-blocker (pi-hole will do this too), or DRM failure. (or geo block)

First thing they normally do on hitting play is start an advert stream as a secondary before handing back.

And yes to the latter. But it needs to be of an OS/ver that supports widevine.

Rickles

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#2353069 14-Nov-2019 09:07

@robjg63 … thanks, forgot about the 'desktop site' option. It works to a degree in that the Sign In option pops up, but that is met with 'cannot connect to server' response.

I've also seen literally hundreds of reviews/comments on the TVOne app site (Google Play) all expressing much the same difficulties that I am seeing, so obviously not alone in this 😂.

@Oblivian … thanks, as above regarding lots of complaints using both browser and app. I have Kodi on a IBox connected to TV with Huisman's Add-on, and it works a treat … not sure if Kodi will install on this tablet though.

Oblivian

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#2353076 14-Nov-2019 09:14

Whats the core android OS version. Im guessing Marshmallow - My old Smmy 10.1 stopped working after the latest update simply because they decided to no longer support it. Another good reason not to have auto app update enabled. Although it pesters you to update it. And poof. No longer a valid install device (the pictures on the store use to show tablets galore). All related to DRM and push-ads support added to later editions that aren't backward compatible

Alternate. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.semperpax.spmc16&hl=en (same coder was absorbed into Kodi team to work on android ports)

Rickles

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#2353078 14-Nov-2019 09:25

Not sure about Android core versions, just says "8.1" … so presumed Oreo?

Will SPMC accept Kodi Add-ons?

Rickles

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#2353486 14-Nov-2019 17:23

UPDATE: Installed SPMC together with Huisman's TV Add-on repository. Loaded TVNZ and Three no problem, but neither will play, presumably due to no Widevine capability.

Tried testing for Widevine and installing it, but it just balked.

Anyone had experience with SPMC? Being essentially a clone of Kodi I'd have hoped that it would include Widevine support (which Kodi Leia does) 😊

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Oblivian

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#2353488 14-Nov-2019 17:43

Bugger, I was hoping he had updated it cause I think the last one might only be Helix/14 which doesn't support it

robjg63

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#2353499 14-Nov-2019 18:34

Rickles:
UPDATE: Installed SPMC together with Huisman's TV Add-on repository. Loaded TVNZ and Three no problem, but neither will play, presumably due to no Widevine capability.

Tried testing for Widevine and installing it, but it just balked.

Anyone had experience with SPMC? Being essentially a clone of Kodi I'd have hoped that it would include Widevine support (which Kodi Leia does) 😊

So you saw this?
Matt's post headed
"
ARGH! KODI ADD-ONS HAVE STOPPED PLAYING CONTENT" ?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Rickles

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#2353506 14-Nov-2019 18:59

@robjg63 … yep, read that, and my Add-ons automatically updated for my TV box … TVOne/Ondemand and TV3/ThreeNow all work fine.

Just the tablet that causes probs.

Rickles

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#2353743 15-Nov-2019 09:31

Installed latest Chrome, which purports to support all DRM factors … changed Settings to "allow" protected content, but whilst it gets a little further on, it still fails to play video (TVOndemand) and pops up a message asking for "DRM Plug-in to be enabled".

Plug-in is the old name for Extensions, but cannot locate any DRM style extensions to actually add in …. seems half the world is having similar problems regardless of brand and price of tablet 🤪 whilst this is sorted (apparently Netflix users are screaming over their tablets and phones now failing to work).

Such is technology.