Anyone using www.playon.tv?

Awesum said:
So its basically like downloading the movies/series and watching at your convenience?
I've been doing this for years with dsl, plex and a smart TV.
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*sigh* - You can be forgiven this one time I suppose. If your post count were higher - you would not be.
 
Mike Smit said:
My line is 6mpbs dude. Using OpenWeb Uncapped.
I did some experimenting yesterday. YouTube buffers too.
I hooked up CNN, CNET, Revision 3, etc... On Plex Channels and found EVERYTHING buffers. Yet downloads cruise at just over 600KB/s.
Looking at my firewall today. I may have a dodgy setting that is messing with video streaming.

What you say about PlayOn is encouraging. Thanks man. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I've got a 10mpbs line and my downloads are running at 1meg constantly. no issues whatsoever on HD stuff. I am going to explore Playing into depth. i really don't need PlayLater at this time though, might decide in getting it on a later stage.
 
Mike Smit said:
*sigh* - You can be forgiven this one time I suppose. If your post count were higher - you would not be.
Click to expand...
Maybe you misunderstanding me.
Is there a difference between downloading and watching later vs the Playon?
 
Awesum said:
Maybe you misunderstanding me.
Is there a difference between downloading and watching later vs the Playon?
Click to expand...

Aside from being more "legal", not really.

In addition to this, PlayOn gives me access to Carton Network, Nickelodeon, History Channel, Discovery Channel and some others. Not always easy to pickup these shows in Sickbeard. Throw in the direct streaming if your line can handle it, it opens up a LOT more options.

Please don't mention torrents. Not into hard labour anymore.
 
Mike Smit said:
Aside from being more "legal", not really.

In addition to this, PlayOn gives me access to Carton Network, Nickelodeon, History Channel, Discovery Channel and some others. Not always easy to pickup these shows in Sickbeard. Throw in the direct streaming if your line can handle it, it opens up a LOT more options.

Please don't mention torrents. Not into hard labour anymore.
Click to expand...

Part of me also wants to go "legal"

I still feel this is jumping though hoops but its definitely more legal than Torrents.
 
Mike Smit said:
Aside from being more "legal", not really.

In addition to this, PlayOn gives me access to Carton Network, Nickelodeon, History Channel, Discovery Channel and some others. Not always easy to pickup these shows in Sickbeard. Throw in the direct streaming if your line can handle it, it opens up a LOT more options.

Please don't mention torrents. Not into hard labour anymore.
Click to expand...

How does the PlayOn give you access to these channels? Doesnt netflix/Hulu allow this access?

I'm considering canceling my DSTV so I'm looking at options.
 
Awesum said:
How does the PlayOn give you access to these channels? Doesnt netflix/Hulu allow this access?

I'm considering canceling my DSTV so I'm looking at options.
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I don't know to be honest. I recall when playing with Netflix you could look up History channel content but it would not play due to a licensing issue. Or it was Hulu. Regardless, I could not watch it.

I cancelled my DSTV mid Dec 2012. Sickbeard, CouchPotato, SABnzbd and Plex have served my needs very well until now. I would prefer to go a legal route though. My wife is always on my case about karma. Sigh...

PlayOn and PlayLater appears it could bridge this gap for me. I have a household of 5 and if everyone wants to watch their own thing then direct streaming is going to fall on it's @55. Two of us are gamers too, so won't work well if peeps are streaming content and me and my boy are trying to jam online. Would prefer to "record" some content to keep the streaming reduced.
 
Mike Smit said:
My line is 6mpbs dude.
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Hi Mike, where in Edenvale are you? If you don't mind me asking. I'm in Edenglen and connecting to Eastleigh exchange. Few months ago my line was upgraded from 6 to 10mpbs. Had to call Telkom. But was done without problems in no time. Made huge difference in streaming live TV. Specially on the HD channels. I'm watching a lot of documentary channels as well. Maybe you should give them a try, if you have not yet of course. Hope you come right.
 
bavmorda said:
Hi Mike, where in Edenvale are you? If you don't mind me asking. I'm in Edenglen and connecting to Eastleigh exchange. Few months ago my line was upgraded from 6 to 10mpbs. Had to call Telkom. But was done without problems in no time. Made huge difference in streaming live TV. Specially on the HD channels. I'm watching a lot of documentary channels as well. Maybe you should give them a try, if you have not yet of course. Hope you come right.
Click to expand...

I am in Harmelia. Around the corner from you basically.
What number did you call to get it upgraded? You got my hopes up here :)
 
I think it was 10210. Not sure anymore which option i had to choose. But with Telkom is more important what is the IQ of the muppet that you are talking to, then anything else. Hope you can come right. My phone starts 011-452...
 
I'm interested in playon. I just have one question does you PC have to be on to use it for example on your phone?
For example I can watch netflix on my phone now natively now if I want to watch ABC through playon which is just streaming but my phone is on a different wifi network than my pc will it still stream? What if my PC is not on i don't get it?

I can watch netflix now without my pc why would I need my pc to stream something from the internet?
 
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Vegeta said:
I'm interested in playon. I just have one question does you PC have to be on to use it for example on your phone?
For example I can watch netflix on my phone now natively now if I want to watch ABC through playon which is just streaming but my phone is on a different wifi network than my pc will it still stream? What if my PC is not on i don't get it?

I can watch netflix now without my pc why would I need my pc to stream something from the internet?
Click to expand...

Testing on my phone required my PC to be on. It is like the PC is the master and serves clients around the network.
In your case - not kewl. In mine - it is though. I want access to the recorded content AND PlayOn on my PC also acts as a DLNA device, so I pretty much have access to PlayOn content regardless of the device I am using - as long as DLNA certified.

Have to admit that I have not played much with it yet. I intend to this weekend. Plex Media Server still my primary tool for getting content around the house.
 
Doing some testing finally...
I gave up on this fit a while because of buffering issues but have mostly resolves that now (firewall and QoS config).

I setup PlayOn on my media server today. This server is a quad core Xeon 3.2Ghz, 8GB RAM and 13TB Storage. It is my download server and Plex Server - and today also my PlayOn server.
Punched the Netflix and Hulu details in then headed off to my XBox.

Using the system video player I browsed to the PlayOn server, then Hulu and then the latest episode of 30 Rock. Viola. It played - and good quality too. I watch on a 120" 720p screen so bad quality is easily visible. I am more than happy with the Hulu stream.

Next was to test Netflix. I selected a movie, it took about 40 seconds to get going, but it played. Bonus. Good quality again here.

The reason I like it this way is no clients to install anywhere. Online gaming is also a mess around using UnoTelly on the Xbox which rules out Netflix and Hulu clients on the console.
Doing it via PlayOn means one machine using UnoTelly and the rest normal.
This also means my Sammy 46" with no app store and my LG 42" with no international access should work too via DLNA. Will test this.

Next up is to test the Play Later stuff. Time for Black Ops 2 now though so will put Play Later through its paces later. Also need to test the Roku 2.

Watch this space.
 
Just ran to the bedroom to try the LG 42" quick. Forget the model but is a newish Cinema 3D screen.
I could navigate both Hulu and Netflix but actual play failed. Looks like a device compatibility issue with PlayOn which I will check out tomorrow.

Now I really am going to jam Bo ;)
 
I came across Playon in a Raspberry Pi Raspbmc tutorial. It also integrates with XMBC so you can watch Hulu, Netflix etc through XBMC. Looks pretty cool.
 
Did some googling and found LG has a dodgy implementation of the DLNA protocol. It works best with streams that have a definitive beginning and end which PlayOn cannot provide with a Hulu or Netflix stream. PlayOn are working with LG to try resolve this but struggling to get info out of LG.
So I either wait for the fix or I trade my LG for a Samsung. Going to test my Sammy in the lounge just now then will make this call. Sammy is officially supported by PlayOn though so it should be fine.

Alternatively, I can hook up my Roku 2 to the LG in the bedroom when the Roku 3 arrives next week.

Decisions decisions...
 
Sammy TV works great via PlayOn and DLNA. Sitting and watching Last Man Standing on free Hulu right now.

We have another winner.

So far Sammy TV, Xbox and Roku 2 are up to the task.

I put a WDTV Live in my wife's home office so that next on the test list. I don't have any doubt it will be fine as it is also officially supported by PlayOn.
 
Is this thread helpful to anyone? I feel like I am talking to myself here and wondering if I should bother to continue reporting back?
 
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