Naspers recently launched ShowMax, a Netflix-like subscription video on demand service priced at\u00a0R99 per month.<\/p>\n
In addition to a free tier which offers limited access to the TV shows on the platform, ShowMax also has a 7-day free trial of its premium service.<\/p>\n
ShowMax said it couldn\u2019t disclose any numbers, but did say that the\u00a0number of trial users who\u00a0have converted to subscribers has exceeded their expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like people are enjoying the service,\u201d said ShowMax.<\/p>\n
While many may be enjoying ShowMax,\u00a0some users have complained about issues they are\u00a0experiencing with the service.<\/p>\n
We forwarded the\u00a0complaints to ShowMax, and this is what they had to say:<\/p>\n
\nUsers\u00a0are complaining about sound sync problems. Is this something ShowMax is aware of?<\/h3>\n
We\u2019ve picked up a transient issue impacting some subscribers. We\u2019ve been busy on a number of fixes, including re-encoding some of the content – this will be fully resolved shortly.<\/p>\n
Users\u00a0running a DNS unblocking service (e.g. UnoTelly) are reporting they have to switch regions to download ShowMax apps. Are you considering making the app available in the US regions of app stores?<\/h3>\n
The ShowMax app is available in the US app stores (Apple and Android). The smart TV apps are only available from the SA stores.<\/p>\n
Using UnoTelly will confuse CDN routing – it would cause people to be served from Europe. We are looking at ways around this.<\/p>\n
Some users are reporting throughput issues, saying they are getting low-quality video streams on ShowMax, while Netflix is performing fine. What is the cause, and will it be addressed?<\/h3>\n
We\u2019ve had a small number of reports of this happening – we\u2019re urgently investigating. We\u2019re working through a number of possibilities and are hopeful that we\u2019ll have it resolved shortly.<\/p>\n
Users with jailbroken iOS devices reported that the app is not working. Is this intentional?<\/h3>\n
This is a digital rights management issue – our agreements restrict our ability to stream content to jailbroken or rooted devices.<\/p>\n
Why isn\u2019t there an app for Roku, Apple TV, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and other media devices?<\/h3>\n
We wanted to launch with a core set of apps that would suit the needs of the largest group of users we could fit into our development timeline.<\/p>\n
Support for other platforms is being investigated and we plan to roll out to more platforms according to subscriber demand.<\/p>\n
We are currently working on offering Airplay support to Apple TV from other Apple devices.<\/p>\n
Why are you using Flash?<\/h3>\n
While we are able to use an HTML5 player on Chrome, our digital rights management software requires that we use Flash in other browsers.<\/p>\n
Our licensing agreements with content providers require that we use digital rights management.<\/p>\n
Having said that, we\u2019re doing some cool stuff with Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH) and the Common Encryption Scheme (CENC).<\/p>\n
Why not offer videos in 1080p?<\/h3>\n
Due to the bandwidth challenges in South Africa, we decided to launch with support for video streams of up to 720p.<\/p>\n
We do plan to offer 1080p streaming in future for content available in full HD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Poor video quality and DNS unblocking services<\/h3>\n
On the issue of some users getting poor video quality, our experience with UnoTelly seems to be in line with ShowMax\u2019s warning that the region unblocking tool confuses its\u00a0CDN routing.<\/p>\n
With the help of a Netflix and UnoTelly user, MyBroadband was able to test the effects of the unblocking service on ShowMax.<\/p>\n
We found that when UnoTelly was enabled, ShowMax content appears to stream from Germany at very slow speeds.<\/p>\n
Disabling UnoTelly seems to result in video streaming from South African servers, and dramatically improves the quality of the stream.<\/p>\n
More video on demand news<\/h3>\n
Vidi video on demand TV app launched in South Africa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Free ADSL data with Vidi video on demand streaming<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
ShowMax vs Netflix vs FrontRow vs Vidi \u2013 content and price comparison<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
How much South Africans want to pay for Netflix<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n