General : TV Anywhere Android App

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

The VM Player app only worked on 3G. If you were connected to WiFi (or on an iPad) then the content wasn't available. Out of the two, I'd much prefer it to be WiFi only rather than 3G only!

My own guess? Different technology

It's a completely different proposition to offer a range of pre-encoded programmes for 3G than it is to have a plaform stream live TV to both WiFi and 3G.

Perhaps you would prefer to watch programs via Wifi, but that does not help the bill payers who may want to try and watch something on a long car journey or if they are in a holiday cottage where there is no wifi, or the wifi is not working. Not all hotels have wifi or free wifi either. Why should people in these situations be denied the option? Also, I am led to believe that many areas still have poor broadband speeds and people may get a better viewing experience over 3G. (my knowledge of bb speeds compared to 3g speeds is non-existent, so I may be talking rubbish on that point.)

Be that as it may with the technology, it is something which I imagine could have been rectified in the time between the IOS version launching and the Android version launching. It is still a seriously poor oversight.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by harry_hitch

Why should people in these situations be denied the option?

I'm not saying they should, and I don't expect they will be long term.

However, as an experience, opting for WiFi first allows for higher quality streams and better resilience to performance issues.

Be that as it may with the technology, it is something which I imagine could have been rectified in the time between the IOS version launching and the Android version launching. It is still a seriously poor oversight.

But trying to add in 3G to the released iOS app and the unreleased Android one, whilst at the same time getting the Android app released, would be introducing un-necessary complication. It's more logical to do what VM have done - get the Android app released to the same level of functionality as iOS and then look to improve both together

---------- Post added at 00:08 ---------- Previous post was at 00:01 ----------

Also, can you imaging the complaints that would have happened if VM had managed to get 3G streaming working on iOS and not for the launch of the Android app (or vice versa)?

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by harry_hitch

The old app may not have streamed live TV, and it may have cost people more money if they exceeded a certain limit, but at least people had the option to use 3G.

You are doing a grand job in answering various peoples questions and gripes, but this still does not explain why VM did not add the option for 3G on this app. I do not know if you have the answer or not, but it is a seriously bad oversight from VM. If it could be used before, why not now?

I only use the app to record programs and as such the lack of 3G does not bother me, but it has clearly upset some people.

Its not a bad oversight at all. VM I am sure wanted to get streaming working properly via WiFi first and will enable 3G access in the future hopefully.

Its probably down to how much extra traffic it will add to the mobile networks.

[paultrademark]

Other apps manage it fine.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by paultrademark

Other apps manage it fine.

It took the BBC a year between launching their Android app before they enabled 3G streaming to it http://thenextweb.com/uk/2012/02/27/...eamed-over-3g/

[paultrademark]

Coming to VM in 2015 then..

[BenMcr]

Didn't say that, was just pointing out that just because other apps that have been out longer can do it, doesn't mean they did it immediately

[paultrademark]

Yeah but we all know VM timescales when it comes to things like this.
Can't believe they didnt plan support of 4.4 into this app, and if they had no intention of doing so then perhaps a statement saying this would have maybe given people with these devices to hold off upgrading to 4.4 as it was widely known it was being launched around now for Nexus etc.

[Acathla]

I dont know if i am being really idiotic but how do you watch anything with the app?

I can browse everything ok and i pick a channel (say BBC1) in the guide - currently a movie called The Stepford Wives in on. I only have options: Record, Upcoming and More.

Picking another channel (BBC Three) I get additional options including a 'Watch Now' button but it only lets me watch on TV.

I'm not currently connected to my TiVo so I'd guess I am in Away mode. And I am connected to WiFi.

What am I doing wrong

---------- Post added at 01:18 ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 ----------

It turns out I can actually select to watch Channel 5 (Super Casino) on my phone but it crashes when it tries to load the video.

Don't want to watch Super Casino anyway.

Long wait for this app and very very disappointed.

---------- Post added at 01:19 ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 ----------

As for the BBC issue - I've noticed its not on the available channel list )

---------- Post added at 01:22 ---------- Previous post was at 01:19 ----------

Deleted it - overall impression rubbish - doesn't do anything I expected it to do.

BT Sport is on the list of channels but it only gives the option of play on TV.

[jamiefrost]

The app allows you to control your TiVo but the TiVo has to be connected to the same network as your phone.

I find it easier and quicker to search or manage my my recordings via the app then the TiVo.

There is a list of channels that you can watch on your device 65 non premium channels I think at the moment. The BBC channels are not there as the BBC want you to use their own app iPlayer.

J

[steveh]

Originally Posted by Acathla

I dont know if i am being really idiotic but how do you watch anything with the app?

You have to a) have a phone / tablet that is supported for streaming and b) choose a channel that has the streaming icon next to it in the guide.

Other bits...

- Selecting a show or movie from Browse which is on Netflix causes the app to crash for me.

- Scrolling down the Comedy Movies section caused the app to crash as I neared the bottom. It's also unclear why movies are listed A-Z, then another bunch A-Z, then another A-Z...

- The way it puts in a default icon or channel logo in listings and then updates it with the right one a short time later gives rather distracting flickering. For example on the guide, while scrolling when channels become visible the text name of the channel appears first then quickly overlays the logo then when you stop scrolling for all the channels that have just become visible in the scroll it replaces the logos with text and then puts the logos back over them again.

- I kind of expected there would be a consistency between browsing VOD between the TiVo and app. In particular there doesn't seem to be a way to see what new shows are available.

- Back button handling is inconsistent. OK / cancel type alerts can't be dismissed this way. The Watch Now and More pop-ups can only be dismissed using the back button, though their styling suggests that touching outside the pop-up would clear them like in other apps. I also once drilled down to one page (I think in the Browse section) and then an error happened and it wouldn't let me go back up after. Expecting to get back to the guide if you press back in another section and then be given the option to exit if you press again seems more natural to me too.

- While watching Netflix the Info page shows whatever the first tuner happened to be left on at the time.

- Entering a search the keyboard is extremely laggy, like the same thread is being used for that and results. Sometimes results show then go away again then show once more for no apparent reason. If they haven't changed then there's no reason to clear them from the screen first.

- Icons for movie genres are black on white, but elsewhere everything is always white on red so they look out of place.

- Having the logon screen appear every time it is started while it automatically logs on rather than having a different load screen is a bit icky.

Hopefully it will get a bit more polished later...

[Joedm45]

Has anyone else managed to get the app working on a device that's not on the VM list?

It doesn't seem like an exclusive list as it is working on my cheap £70 tablet. Before anyone asks, not rooted or sideloaded, just good old fashioned search and install from Google Play

[jamiefrost]

Originally Posted by Joedm45

Has anyone else managed to get the app working on a device that's not on the VM list?

It doesn't seem like an exclusive list as it is working on my cheap £70 tablet. Before anyone asks, not rooted or sideloaded, just good old fashioned search and install from Google Play

Has to be side loaded as a minimum as Google play won't allow install if the device is not on the supported list.

No need to root.

The phone version is on my nexus 7 (4.4) at the moment.

J

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

I'm not saying they should, and I don't expect they will be long term.

However, as an experience, opting for WiFi first allows for higher quality streams and better resilience to performance issues.

But trying to add in 3G to the released iOS app and the unreleased Android one, whilst at the same time getting the Android app released, would be introducing un-necessary complication. It's more logical to do what VM have done - get the Android app released to the same level of functionality as iOS and then look to improve both together

---------- Post added at 00:08 ---------- Previous post was at 00:01 ----------

Also, can you imaging the complaints that would have happened if VM had managed to get 3G streaming working on iOS and not for the launch of the Android app (or vice versa)?

If VM added streaming to ios first, I doubt it would have made much difference. It is not as if there was a short period of time between platform launches. The same number of android users would have complained because, at the time, they still would not have had the app available on Android anyway. VM had plenty of time to test and add 3G via ios first. They could then have worked towards making the android app the same. Imagine the praise VM would have got for launching a TV "anywhere" app with 3G streaming allowed.

[cpomd]

Reference Jamiefrost Could you please tell me where to download the apk so I can attempt to sideload? I have a nexus 7 (2012)