[Updated] Help! BBC Flash content not working!

**Chris** · 12-06-2009, 09:10

news.bbc.co.uk/weather

Is this working properly for anyone? In both FF and Safari, I get a static picture of the current weather but none of the Flash controls to view forecasts, animate the map, etc etc ...

SnoopZ · 12-06-2009, 09:12

It's working fine for me in Firefox and IE8.

Kymmy · 12-06-2009, 09:16

Fully OK with XP/IE8

**Chris** · 12-06-2009, 09:37

This is getting stranger, there is no flash content anywhere on the BBC website for me ... I have just updated Flash player to see if that fixed it, but no joy. Anyone got any ideas of things I can try to fix this?

---------- Post added at 10:37 ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 ----------

Flash is working fine for me on Youtube. I just uninstalled and reinstalled Flash, but still not working for me anywhere on the BBC. This is in both Safari and Firefox on a Mac, and only on the BBC.

Any ideas? Anyone else got a Mac that can check this?

danielf · 12-06-2009, 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Any ideas? Anyone else got a Mac that can check this?

Working for me... OS 10.4.11, FF 3.0.10

**Chris** · 12-06-2009, 09:44

Hmmm ... could they be blocking Flash content for me based on my IP?

punky · 12-06-2009, 09:46

Try loading the flash video directly:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/weather/mp/..._presenter.swf

Do you see an error message and if you right-click on the page, it has the flash menu? Or does it just load a blank screen or something?

danielf · 12-06-2009, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Hmmm ... could they be blocking Flash content for me based on my IP?

Why????

Do you use an adblocker at all? The reason I ask is that I found the other day that adblock plus was blocking all listings on Yell, so I had to disable ABP for Yell. Might be worth a shot?

**Chris** · 12-06-2009, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by punky

Try loading the flash video directly:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/weather/mp/..._presenter.swf

Do you see an error message and if you right-click on the page, it has the flash menu? Or does it just load a blank screen or something?

Oo, hadn't thought of that approach. I get a page containing the attached image, which includes the error message "Due to a technical problem, we are unable to display the image at the moment. We will resolve this issue as soon as we can so please check back later".

There seems to be a spot of bother over on the BBC iPlayer labs messageboard over this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbiplayer/F...670908&skip=20 ... but it's not altogether clear whether all the posters have the same problem. Some of them are seeing empty spaces where there should be Flash content, but others are complaining about the iPlayer Desktop not working, which is based on Adobe Air.

I've tried to log in and post on the thread but the authentication server seems to be taking a hammering so I can't get in. Poor BBC, obviously having a rotten day. The most recent poster in the thread says this:

Quote:

Added by mjneal on Friday, 12th June 2009 permalink
I have had the same problem since about 19.00 yesterday. The programme page loads without the viewing screen and the task bar states " loaded but with errors". Come on BBC whats happening !!!!!.

The timing is about the same for me - that's when I first noticed the weather map falling back to a static image instead of loading the flash.

I still don't understand why this would affect some users and not others though.

punky · 12-06-2009, 10:04

What you are seeing there IS Flash. If you alt-click it you will see the Flash menu.

So the flash is loading, but just not correctly. You are seeing the error because the flash is depending on the page its viewed in (I get that error to)

So I don't think its a Flash error, I think its something to do with where te flash is connecting to for its data maybe.

**Chris** · 12-06-2009, 10:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

Why????

I don't know! I'm speculating! I was wondering if it might have been incorrectly categorised as an overseas IP and therefore not eligible for video content, but thinking about it, I should be seeing messages telling me if that's the case.

Quote:

Do you use an adblocker at all? The reason I ask is that I found the other day that adblock plus was blocking all listings on Yell, so I had to disable ABP for Yell. Might be worth a shot?

I do use ABP in Firefox but it is always disabled for all BBC sites. Plus, I can't get any BBC Flash content in Safari either, which doesn't have any extensions or modifications in it at all.

The fact that it is *only* the BBC, and it is failing for *all* browsers on my system, leads me to believe that somehow, the BBC servers don't like something about my system configuration and are refusing to serve it the Flash. Me, and a whole pile of other people currently posting on the iPlayer Messageboard. I'd be one of them if the darned thing would let me log in!

---------- Post added at 11:41 ---------- Previous post was at 11:08 ----------

... and suddenly it's all working again ...

Derek · 12-06-2009, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

... and suddenly it's all working again ...

PEBKAC ?

Seriously though I've been having some strange things happening on the BBC sites when using my Mac. The PC is fine but since Tuesday every so often the Mac throws a tantrum.