TalkTalk/Tiscali iPlayer issues Blu-ray

[PeterJ101]

I've a BDP S570 and a EX732 and iplayer has worked ok until last few days. Its great when it works! But over the last few days it now runs out of memory loading the home page and goes into a loop of re-trying until I press HOME to break out of it. Very frustrating. I've been scanning the message boards and lots of folks have been having problems but not seen any mention of this one. Is there a fix or is it just another BBC problem?

Message was edited by: Catmambo

Message was edited by: Catmambo

[PeterJ101]

I think all the suggestions are potentially helpful. The posts over the last few days have been particularly so. A range of workarounds, albeit temporary, is useful I agree. But what I mean is I don't think these are the permanent underlying root cause fixes we really need. I'm fed up switching things on and off and resetting things. They don't last. And they are no good to the non technical amongst us - they just want to watch tv!

I think the fix will come from Sony, maybe wrong but nothing else really makes sense.

There's something we haven't worked out yet. Its started to keep me awake at night. Keep the posts coming, someone's going to hit upon THE FIX!

[paulgrecothompson]

Sony should not be let off the hook for this - more about that in a minute - but after reading Plakra's post, I think we can make life a lot less stressful in the meantime.  He says it's all about which IP address you get from Tiscali - sounds plausible, as I once CAUSED the problem by resetting for a different reason, and probably got one of the dodgy addresses.  Now if it's simply a case of changing the IP till we get a "good" one, my original process can be trimmed down significantly.  As Plakra says, you just go to the Thomson Gateway homepage and turn your internet on and off (I can give step-by-step for that if there's a demand), MUCH quicker than resetting your router.  He says, in the meantime simply switch your bluray off, so it picks up the new IP when  you switch back on.. MUCH quicker than factory resetting it.  This is now becoming a fairly quick process and not such a hassle even if you have to do it a few times.

Next is the issue of how often we have to do this.  Now, my mum turns her router off all the time when she's not using the computer.  Would that give her a new IP, anyone technical?  If so, turning it off all the time would be playing Russian roulette a bit.  I leave mine on constantly for wifi access, so my IP should in any case stay constant and the problem should not reoccur too often.  I imagine the only time it would, would be when the Tiscali server goes down for a time, and then comes back on, giving a new IP (and even then, you may be lucky and get a "good" one).

So in theory, we can reduce the instances by keeping our IP constant - other than when Tiscali crashes which can't be helped - and reduce the hassle of the temp fix massively.

Now Sony has to talk to Tiscali and work out why some of their IPs are not accepting Sony's Iplayer requests properly.  Apparently Tiscali has replicated the problem and are "on it" but as Tiscali customers, we all know to take that with a pinch of salt if their customer service is anything to go by.  Sony needs to keep chasing it up too.  And I suggest that, if this problem is not solved permanently within a reasonable time frame (the end of the month?) with an official response from Sony, we all follow the example of another member here, and one-star pan the machine on Amazon and anywhere else we can.  Collectively, we all do this if the problem is still there, even if personally we haven't experienced it ourselves in a while.

If we can't get Sony to care about the diabolical problems of a few, we'll remind them that these days, the few can hinder quite a lot of sales.

[pawylie29]

I agree with PeterJ101 's post on 10th Feb. EVERYTHING else works here, router, PC, wii all using the same ISP....just the useless Sony S570 doesn't work and hasn't since I got it before Christmas (I have only got iPlayer working once).  It is sold with this functionality and plastered all over the box and I am beginning to think I have been mis-sold my box by Sony. It wont be long before it goes back and I go for another make..

[Catmambo]

Hi Pawylie

Just to avoid confusion in case you missed the earlier post, the intermittant problem is caused by the way in which the BBC is presently mapping services as it seems to have a few issues with some ISP's including TalkTalk. As the device works on many other ISP's without issue, this is not an issue with the device, nor the bulk of the services on the device, simply the way in which the BBC servers handle content requests via some ISP's.

It is presently being investigated by the BBC and TalkTalk and so presumably updates will be made on server side, thus no amount of router resetting will actually resolve this. This isn't a solution that can be driven from Sony side I'm afraid.

Thanks

[pawylie29]

Hi Catmambo,

Thanks for the quick reply.  I will give Sony the benefit of the doubt for now while you answer the points below, and I hope you reply as rapidly to this post as you did to my last.

Here is my problem with your explanation.

No-one has ever explained to me why the Nintendi Wii I have, using the same router, same ISP ALWAYS detects the correct Iplayer site. I am still using that to great effect......

You appear to to be putting the blame onto Tiscali and the BBC, as you claim 'the intermittant problem is caused by the way in which the BBC is presently mapping services as it seems to have a few issues with some ISP's including TalkTalk' have I understood you correctly? 

To me that there is absolutely no issue whatseever with the BBC mapping services via Tiscali, as it works perfectly with the Nintendo Wii.  There is only a consistent, not intermittent problem with the Sony Bluray, Tiscali, iplayer combination.

To summarise...once again, the wii uses the Tiscali ISP using any IP address that the router maps to, and then maps onto the correct BBC Iplayer site...and it works every single time. The Sony Bluray maps onto the same IP as the Wii, using the same router etc, but connects to the PC version of the Iplayer site. To me that indicates the problem is with the Bkuray connectiong to the wrong site I hope you can see why I have the conclusions that I have.

Any enlightenemient to teh contray will greatly received. Does anylone else having problems have any comments on this.

Paul

[Catmambo]

Hi Paul

Indeed this is an known issue that has been replicated by Tiscali and the BBC rather than any kind of speculative diagnosis. Wii likely uses a different browser to the Blu-ray and thus the way the BBC are mapping the service is different which would explain why Wii doesn't experience the problem. However the majority of other ISP's have no issue with the browser being used on the Blu-ray.

Thanks

[PeterJ101]

Paul - I'm inclined to agree with you. Other manufacturers don't seem to have this problem so why can't Sony change their interface to work around the ISP/BBC quirks if indeed there are any like the others seem to do? It only seems to be Sony boxes that are struggling with this issue to my knowledge?

[pawylie29]

Exactly.....even Catmambo said that the wii probably uses a brower that works, so in effect that is an indirect admission that the sony interface is ineffective at connecting To my mind, they are getting Tiscali and the BBC to rectify their inherent problems. Why sony can't change the software which we can then download I don't know, Isuppse it is cheaper to pass the blame onto others?? As far as I can tell the iplayer works with every other type of box.....just sony have problems....so you can make up your own mind as to where the fault lies.

I am going to put a review on Amazon that says if you have Tiscali as you ISP, forget iplayer on these boxes..it is only fair to prospective purchasers to let them know

[paulgrecothompson]

Catmambo, your argument IS really weak.  To say you can't come up with a browser that works with our ISP - in the same way that the PC browser or the Wii browser works with our ISP - is patently nonesense. The existence of those browsers is surely proof that it can be done.. if there is something innate about the Sony Bluray which dictates that problem-free browser software avoiding BBC/Tiscali "mapping issues" (like the Wii software does) cannot be produced, what is it?

You need to working on a fix / update for this, working in conjunction with BBC and Tiscali.  Because YOU can solve this and YOU have the most to lose in terms of reputation.  If you said you didn't know HOW to solve this from your end, we would at least appreciate the honesty.  To say there is nothing you can do is INSULTING.  Absolutely awful, blame-culture attitude.  It's not our fault so it's not our problem.  It doesn't matter whose fault it is and it IS your problem.

[drb001]

The main reason I bought the S570, like many of you no doubt, is for the iPlayer. It obviously doesn't work very well which is disappointing to say the least. As you say, it is for Sony to make it work in the way other manufacturers have managed to do. In the meantime I suggest people vote with their "feet" and 1* it on the likes of Amazon. I have just submited my first ever review!