Can anyone still access BBCiplayer?

[judyvin]

Up until yesterday I have been watching BBC iplayer and also live streaming but as of today I no longer can. I have tried several different VPN 's but they are all telling me that I am outside of the UK. Can anyone else still acess it and if so how?

[EnjoyingTheSun]

If you have expressvpn change location to East London just tried it and that works.

[Groucho]

Up until yesterday I have been watching BBC iplayer and also live streaming but as of today I no longer can. I have tried several different VPN 's but they are all telling me that I am outside of the UK. Can anyone else still acess it and if so how?

Sometimes I need to give my VPN a kick up the backside... I do this by connecting to Netherlands and back to UK. This seems to re-set where the BBC thinks I am...

I close down the browser too just in case that does not reload and uses cache... it can take a couple of minutes for the BBC websites to pick up the new UK connection I've found switching between the BBC News and BBC Sport makes it re-check viewer location and the iPlayer and TV options magically reappear in the bar along the top of the BBC websites..

However sometimes a heavier hand is needed and I also need to shutdown my Multimax and restart it all. if option one does not clear the problem.

[terry2366]

I have just downloaded "hidden " using Astrill sometimes I have problems but they work on it and get me back on. They do say it's getting more difficult to fool iplayer but so far so good.

[judyvin]

Groucho what VPN do you use?

[Briannu]

As I recently posted on here I use smartdnsproxy £39 for two years, very fast and Netflix and BBC I Player work every time When you set it up make sure you use the nearest server I use Israel and its great.

[Mr Chinnery]

Just for info,
You don’t need a VPN for Netflix or Amazon Prime Video unless you want to watch a programme that is only available in
in a particular country and not available in this part of the world.

[Groucho]

Groucho what VPN do you use?

https://www.smartdnsproxy.com/ as Kaspersky seems to be blocked.

[ozankoys]

Hello Judy
I am using Stream via it is £5 per month & so far working ok with BBC & ITV
Some of the programmes recorded stutter a bit though when watching which is annoying, I have deleted & recorded again if they have been too bad to watch.

[erol]

Hello Judy
I am using Stream via it is £5 per month & so far working ok with BBC & ITV
Some of the programmes recorded stutter a bit though when watching which is annoying, I have deleted & recorded again if they have been too bad to watch.

If by 'recorded' you mean downloaded, then the issue of them stuttering when played back is nothing to do with your internet connection or streamvia. It will be to do with the device on which you are playing them on. The whole point of downloading content is that once downloaded a copy of that content exists locally on the device you have downloaded it on. If when playing this locally stored copy of the content there are issues with play back, then those issues must be 'local'.

[Groucho]

Hello Judy
I am using Stream via it is £5 per month & so far working ok with BBC & ITV
Some of the programmes recorded stutter a bit though when watching which is annoying, I have deleted & recorded again if they have been too bad to watch.

If by 'recorded' you mean downloaded, then the issue of them stuttering when played back is nothing to do with your internet connection or streamvia. It will be to do with the device on which you are playing them on. The whole point of downloading content is that once downloaded a copy of that content exists locally on the device you have downloaded it on. If when playing this locally stored copy of the content there are issues with play back, then those issues must be 'local'.

Erol....

Normally I'd agree for files downloaded using bit torrents etc. but BBCiPlayer is not too clever... I don't think the download control software is 100% reliable... it does not make use of advanced file integrity checking techniques so some downloads over a jittery connection can be liable to stutter. The BBC are aware of the issue...

Why this thread has been relegated to this backwater is beyond me.... come on mods - you know it will cause insubordination in the ranks!

[erol]

Normally I'd agree for files downloaded using bit torrents etc. but BBCiPlayer is not too clever... I don't think the download control software is 100% reliable... it does not make use of advanced file integrity checking techniques so some downloads over a jittery connection can be liable to stutter.

The iplayer playing software may be responsible for stuttering when playing back downloaded content but the idea that bbc downloads are sent without any sort of acknowledgement of receipt of a packet or error correction seems unlikely to me. Such things are built in to the internet protocols. You would have to go out of your way to not use them. A downloaded file being corrupted is possible but it is rare even on bad connections. In any case to establish if it is down to corrupted download you would just have to play the file several times. If it is a corrupted download that causes the stuttering then it will always stutter in exactly the same place , every time you play the downloaded file - 100%. If it stutters in a different place when you retry it this means that the issue is not the downloaded file has been corrupted but that something local is going on, with the playback software or with load on the device that is trying to play the file. Which in my experience is much much more likely than a corrupted download if it is happening consistently.

The BBC are aware of the issue...

If you have any source for this I would like to see it. I could not find anything searching myself.

Why this thread has been relegated to this backwater is beyond me.... come on mods - you know it will cause insubordination in the ranks!

I was the mod that moved the thread to this forum section because it is the right forum section for it to be in. Why people can not just post their questions in the relevant forum section is beyond me. Why they get upset when someone else has to spend their time and effort moving the thread for them to the correct section is also beyond me. I personally will no longer reply to threads that are clearly posted in the in correct section of the forum, until they are moved. So I moved it so that I could reply.

[ozankoys]

I would not be suprised if it is my laptop causing the problem it is the slowest machine I have ever had in over 30 years of using a computer. It is going to be chucked in the pool one day & is definitely 'not fit for use'
The other day it took 2 1/2 hours for the latest Windows 10 update before I could use it.

[erol]

I would not be suprised if it is my laptop causing the problem it is the slowest machine I have ever had in over 30 years of using a computer. It is going to be chucked in the pool one day & is definitely 'not fit for use'
The other day it took 2 1/2 hours for the latest Windows 10 update before I could use it.

One way to check on a windows machine would be as follows

press and hold down the cntrl key while keeping that pressed hold down the alt key and while keeping both held down press the del key (once)

then select 'task manger'

this should open a task manger window. different version of windows are slightly different but on the task manger window you are looking for a 'performance' tab or section. Within this you are looking for CPU usage which will show as a %.

Now you have sight of CPU usage try playing something you have downloaded from bbc iPlayer. If your cpu usage hits 100% whilst trying to play downloaded bbc content - then the issue is your machine is not 'powerful' enough to do this without stuttering.

[Groucho]

"I was the mod that moved the thread to this forum section because it is the right forum section for it to be in. Why people can not just post their questions in the relevant forum section is beyond me. Why they get upset when someone else has to spend their time and effort moving the thread for them to the correct section is also beyond me. I personally will no longer reply to threads that are clearly posted in the in correct section of the forum, until they are moved. So I moved it so that I could reply."

So why not the TV section?

[Groucho]

Normally I'd agree for files downloaded using bit torrents etc. but BBCiPlayer is not too clever... I don't think the download control software is 100% reliable... it does not make use of advanced file integrity checking techniques so some downloads over a jittery connection can be liable to stutter.

The iplayer playing software may be responsible for stuttering when playing back downloaded content but the idea that bbc downloads are sent without any sort of acknowledgement of receipt of a packet or error correction seems unlikely to me. Such things are built in to the internet protocols. You would have to go out of your way to not use them. A downloaded file being corrupted is possible but it is rare even on bad connections. In any case to establish if it is down to corrupted download you would just have to play the file several times. If it is a corrupted download that causes the stuttering then it will always stutter in exactly the same place , every time you play the downloaded file - 100%. If it stutters in a different place when you retry it this means that the issue is not the downloaded file has been corrupted but that something local is going on, with the playback software or with load on the device that is trying to play the file. Which in my experience is much much more likely than a corrupted download if it is happening consistently.

The BBC are aware of the issue...

If you have any source for this I would like to see it. I could not find anything searching myself.

Why this thread has been relegated to this backwater is beyond me.... come on mods - you know it will cause insubordination in the ranks!

I was the mod that moved the thread to this forum section because it is the right forum section for it to be in. Why people can not just post their questions in the relevant forum section is beyond me. Why they get upset when someone else has to spend their time and effort moving the thread for them to the correct section is also beyond me. I personally will no longer reply to threads that are clearly posted in the in correct section of the forum, until they are moved. So I moved it so that I could reply.

Sometime ago the BBC said they were aware of issues around file integrity and were addressing the issue on the forum... subsequently a new release of iPlayer seems for me at least, to have fixed the issue as we have had no repeats of the issue and there been no change in my set-up. To me it seemed as it was the BEEB'S files that were adversely affected ( I could play 23gb version of Avatar through my set-up) and re-download of the problematic BBC episode fixed the issue I think it's fair to assume the fault was with their system not mine.

[erol]

So why not the TV section?

It was a judgement call. I considered the issues were actually more about 'internet and computers' than about 'tv and satellite'. What is indisputable imo was the thread did not belong in general chat.

[erol]

Sometime ago the BBC said they were aware of issues around file integrity and were addressing the issue on the forum... subsequently a new release of iPlayer seems for me at least, to have fixed the issue as we have had no repeats of the issue and there been no change in my set-up. To me it seemed as it was the BEEB'S files that were adversely affected ( I could play 23gb version of Avatar through my set-up) and re-download of the problematic BBC episode fixed the issue I think it's fair to assume the fault was with their system not mine.

As I recall there were issues following an upgrade around end of march this year to the bbc iplayer download system that resulted in downloaded content not playing at all and showing a black screen and symptoms like that. Nor can I find anything if I google "bbc iplayer download file integrity".

For me the point here is not are you right or am I right. The point is trying to help ozankoys. If the problem is 'local' , as I believe is most probable from the limited information I have, then they really need to establish this in some kind of definitive way , if they want to be able to address the problem. Worrying about the internet connection , or the dns redirect service and the like will only be wasted effort, if in fact the issue is 'local'.

[Groucho]

So why not the TV section?

It was a judgement call. I considered the issues were actually more about 'internet and computers' than about 'tv and satellite'. What is indisputable imo was the thread did not belong in general chat.

Yeah well that's where we must disagree... It's a TV issue and because it;s an issue affecting many members simultaneously being moved to this backwater could easily lead to multiple threads on the same issue.... a bit like saying you can only talk about this in the lounge bar not the public bar...

Oh and BTW.....

There is no logical reason for the majority of separate sections to exist... if you answer that people should use the 'active topics' filter it's all a waste of computing time.... If you don't understand I'd be pleased to talk you through the nonsense of separating out data only to recommend users adding it all back together on the fly....

[erol]

Yeah well that's where we must disagree... It's a TV issue and because it;s an issue affecting many members simultaneously being moved to this backwater could easily lead to multiple threads on the same issue.... a bit like saying you can only talk about this in the lounge bar not the public bar...

Oh and BTW.....

There is no logical reason for the majority of separate sections to exist... if you answer that people should use the 'active topics' filter it's all a waste of computing time.... If you don't understand I'd be pleased to talk you through the nonsense of separating out data only to recommend users adding it all back together on the fly....

My personal view is that there is no single definitive 'right' way to organise a forum like this one. There are pro and cons to all approaches. If this were my forum no doubt I would make different choices about such things. What I do recognise however is that this is Soner's forum and that he has made a decision as to how he wants his forum to be organised and that people who choose to use his forum should show some basic respect for his decision on his forum. If you think it should be organised differently then for me the right way to address that is to start a thread or discussion with Soner, argue your case and accept that even then he may disagree with you as to how he should organise his forum. What I do not think you (not you personally - anyone) should do is just wilfully ignore his wishes and treat them with contempt on the basis that you know better than him how he should organise his forum. In any case I do not think the majority of those who post in 'general chat'. knowing that they should post in a section, do so because they are 'rebelling' against the decision made by Soner about how his forum should be organised. I think they just think they will get a better response if they, whilst using Soner's forum, treat Soner's wishes with contempt and do not give a toss that someone somewhere will have to waste their time moving their post after the fact. Which is exactly why I now personally will not reply to posts in general chat that I think clearly belong elsewhere.

[Groucho]

Well that's your toys thrown well and truly out of the pram!

[erol]

Well that's your toys thrown well and truly out of the pram!

I am struggling to understand what you mean by that to be frank ? If you mean me choosing to not reply to posts that I think are clearly posted in the wrong forum section is 'throwing my toys out of the pram', then I have to respectfully say I disagree. For me this decision is an entirely logical response. I do indeed believe people should, if they choose to use Soner's forum, show some basic respect for how he has decided he wants the forum organised. Experience has proven to me that asking people politely to respect Soner's decision on this just does not work. Given that it seems clear that (some) people who post on here will and do place their own perceived self interest above any respect for Soner's wishes, I then ask myself is there anything I can do that might encourage people to respect Soner's decision when they use his forum that is based on their 'self interest'. The answer is, do not reply to threads that have clearly been posted in the wrong section in contempt of Soner's wishes. This of course may not work either but I already know just asking people politely does not work, so I am giving it a try. If that is 'throwing my toys out of the pram' to you then so be it. For me it is not such at all.

[Groucho]

You keep using the word contempt - I don't believe posting matters of general interest such as access to BBC programmes in the general section so that people can be aware of the issues can or should be characterised as contempt by you or anybody else in fact I find your righteous indignation to be nothing more than capricious...

It's got nothing to do with lack of respect for Soner so please don't be so high and mighty about it.

You moved this thread - to the wrong section in my opinion and you took umbrage at my questioning it.

Get off your high horse for heaven's sake why don't you or this forum will start to lose its mojo..

[erol]

You keep using the word contempt - I don't believe posting matters of general interest such as access to BBC programmes in the general section so that people can be aware of the issues can or should be characterised as contempt by you or anybody else in fact I find your righteous indignation to be nothing more than capricious...

All I am hearing / seeing are your arguments for why the forum should not have sections or as many sections as it does and why you or anyone else should just post and be able to post whatever they want in the general section without any regard or consideration for the fact that Soner has created sections like "TV & SATELLITES" (Need advice on setting up your TV or Satellite in North Cyprus? Find out everything you need to know from experienced Kibkomers.) and "INTERNET & COMPUTERS" (Want to know how to receive English Channels via the Internet in North Cyprus? Need to repair or buy a laptop?). Dictionary definition of contempt - disregard for something that should be considered.

I would suggest that the 'general section', as Soner has designed the forum, is not designed for any post that the poster themselves consider to be of 'general interest'. Rather it is for anything that does not belong in one of the other specific sections. As I have already said I do not believe there is any absolute right ore wrong in having sections or how many. However there is a 'pro' to having sections (along with 'cons'). One of them would be a scenario where I have been away for a few weeks. I want to check if there has been any changes re things like vpn use with bbc. So I go to the computers and internet section and the tv section and scroll trhough the recent posts in these sections. Or I go to the general section and scroll through pages and pages of posts to try and pick out if anything has been said in last 3 wseeks about vpn use and bbc iplayer. I do not think having sections is right or wrong. I do think Soner has clearly decided to date to have sections on the forum he created, set up, paid and pays for and maintains and that we all choose to use and benefit from and I think some regard and consideration should be given to this fact.

It's got nothing to do with lack of respect for Soner so please don't be so high and mighty about it.

Clearly we disagree on this point. If me daring to say I disagree and explaining why means you see me as 'high and mighty', then so be it. You telling me I am being 'high and mighty' will not stop me from saying I disagree and explaining why as clearly as I can.

You moved this thread - to the wrong section in my opinion and you took umbrage at my questioning it.

I took no umbrage at you questioning why the thread was moved. I explained why I moved it when you questioned why it was moved. As far as any umbrage was expressed it was expressed at those who post in the wrong sections and those who post in the wrong section who then complain when their posts are moved, not at you for questioning why it was moved. It is still far from clear to me what section you consider to be the correct one either. TV and Satellite or General ? I can see why it might fit in TV and SAT rather than Computer and internet but for me the argument that general was and is the right place for it is I am afraid contemptuous of the fact that Soner has created these other sections.

Get off your high horse for heaven's sake why don't you or this forum will start to lose its mojo..

It would be very easy to see this as you saying 'stop disagreeing with me or the forum will disintegrate'. If this is not what you are saying then I am not sure what it is you are saying here to be honest.

[Chriswright03]

Getting away from the petty bickering and back to the subject. I have just spent ages getting Expressvpn to work and set it to East London and yet BBCi player still will not work. It would appear that maybe some are having better luck with it than others.

[Chriswright03]

Just an update to the above. Reason I spent ages yesterday trying to get this to work was that I could not log on to the ExpressVPN site through the Fire TV box as it required Javascript to be activated In the end we managed to log on via a mobile phone and get it to work that way. However no matter what the settings BBCi player would not work.

So today I have been back on to customer support via their on line chat and a very patient man ran through it all with me but nothing we did would get BBCi to work. In the end it was suggested I put the software on the laptop rather than through the Fire TV box as they do have problems with Firesticks and TV's. Once I did that it worked and I can watch BBCi player through the laptop. So all I need now is a HDMI cable to connect the two and off we go.

It would seem that Amazon Firesticks and TV4K are troublesome and I would suggest that anyone thinking of getting an Android box look at alternatives first.

[Groucho]

As I recently posted on here I use smartdnsproxy £39 for two years, very fast and Netflix and BBC I Player work every time When you set it up make sure you use the nearest server I use Israel and its great.

I have PM'd you.