DStv streaming limit breaks useful app feature
DStv’s new concurrent stream limit has inadvertently broken a useful feature on its mobile app — wireless screen casting.
Several users have reported the app is mistakenly detecting casting instances as two different streams playing at once.
Casting allows users to mirror their mobile screen on another display — such as a TV or computer monitor — connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Certain mobile apps — like DStv’s — come with a casting feature built-in, allowing users to watch videos on a larger screen.
This feature is essential for the functioning of devices like older Chromecasts, Anycast, or Volcano Allcast sticks, which do not come with standalone streaming apps.
MyBroadband found that attempting to cast DStv Catch Up content using Apple AirPlay from an iPhone to a MacBook would present an error on the phone showing that more than one stream was running.
On the MacBook, the casted image would only show the blue buffering circle in an infinite loop.
MyBroadband forum members also said they could not stream live TV from an iPad and Android device to a Chromecast.
The image below shows an example of the error returned on mobile devices used for casting.
DStv operator MultiChoice confirmed to MyBroadband that it was aware of “challenges with some subscribers” casting to their TVs through Chromecast and AirPlay since the streaming change came into effect.
“We are working on the issues presented and will provide an update to subscribers in due course,” the broadcaster stated.
MultiChoice reduced the concurrent stream limit to one on 22 March 2022, stating that it aimed to curb piracy and illegal streams.
It implemented the change across its decoder-based and streaming-only packages.
The change was met with widespread backlash online. Numerous customers complained that members of the same household would not be able to stream different shows and movies as they previously could.
The change also introduced a technical issue on certain Hisense and Samsung TVs, with users complaining they were shown the error despite only trying to watch DStv on one screen.
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