BBC Iplayer "No longer available on this device" on FreeView box

Post by Chris Green
Has anyone else got this problem? We can no longer get BBC iPlayer on
our Humax FreeView box, t just gives a message something like "This is
not currently available on this device, please try later".
I've done the obvious checks like the internet connection and have
retuned the Humax.
Is there anything else to try?

I had the same problem (a few years ago) with a Sony Blu-Ray player
which had supported Amazon Prime, but no longer.

Sony had decided not to support the application any more and that was
that. Today, the unit is of any use only for playing CDs, DVDs and
Blu-Ray discs.

Java Jive

2024-01-04 17:04:15 UTC

Yes, a PC. In response to your post, I've just set my daily download
going a little earlier than usual as a test to see if anything has
changed, and seemingly nothing has - it appears to be downloading fine
as normal.

This suggests:

Either your Humax has a connectivity problem and is unable to access the
internet;

Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

--
Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Davey

2024-01-04 17:22:29 UTC

On Thu, 4 Jan 2024 17:04:15 +0000

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a
way that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been
actually discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC
end.

This. Older Humaxes ceased to play iPlayer some time ago, after one
of the BBC's 'upgrades'.

One solution is to keep your existing Humax, but to also buy a modern
one as well, that is set up for all the streaming services.

--
Davey.

Chris Green

2024-01-04 17:40:31 UTC

Post by Davey
On Thu, 4 Jan 2024 17:04:15 +0000

This. Older Humaxes ceased to play iPlayer some time ago, after one
of the BBC's 'upgrades'.

How old is 'older'?

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green

2024-01-04 17:39:15 UTC

What do you use on the PC to read iPlayer? Just a browser?

Post by Java Jive
Either your Humax has a connectivity problem and is unable to access the
internet;

I don't think it's this, I have checked connections and the Humux
thinks it can see the internet and I can ping it from other systems on
my LAN.

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

Possible, but I would have thought a lot of people would be screaming
loudly about this if it was true, it's bog-standard FreeView box and
I'm sure there's many of them in use (millions even) still.

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green

2024-01-04 17:53:46 UTC

Chris Green <***@isbd.net> wrote:
[snip]

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

Possible, but I would have thought a lot of people would be screaming
loudly about this if it was true, it's bog-standard FreeView box and
I'm sure there's many of them in use (millions even) still.

But you're right! See;-

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/bbc-iplayer-discontinued-humax-freeview-box/

... as from November last year (shows how much we use iPlayer!).

The box in question is an HDR-2000T.

--
Chris Green
·

David Wade

2024-01-06 12:46:10 UTC

Post by Chris Green
[snip]

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

Possible, but I would have thought a lot of people would be screaming
loudly about this if it was true, it's bog-standard FreeView box and
I'm sure there's many of them in use (millions even) still.

But you're right! See;-
https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/bbc-iplayer-discontinued-humax-freeview-box/
... as from November last year (shows how much we use iPlayer!).
The box in question is an HDR-2000T.

I have a BT badged DTR-T2110 which still seems to work fine and has
SCART out. It just seems to have updated the ITV app to ITV-X so I
expect it will last a little longer.

Apparently its the same box as the DTR-T2100 just different packaging,
aboyt £135 on e-bay.

Dave

Java Jive

2024-01-04 19:49:19 UTC

What do you use on the PC to read iPlayer? Just a browser?

You can view iPlayer content in a browser. You have to be signed into
the BBC site to be able to do so.

You used to be able, and possibly still can, install bespoke BBC iPlayer
software on a Windows PC - ISTR there was something of a fuss because
Linux OSs were not supported - but I found this didn't work very well
because:

- It didn't let you set where the downloads should be stored, which is
a problem for people like me who, having a great deal of experience in
supporting PC environments, know that it is usually a good idea to keep
your data separate from your OS, as this is a more flexible arrangement
for backing up and restoring both your data and your OS. However,
iPlayer always stored the stuff in your user profile, so the only way of
getting it to store the downloads on a separate data partition would
have been to move your entire profile there, which actually is not the
best way of doing it for other reasons too obscure to go into here.
Hence I kept finding iPlayer bringing my PC to its knees as it filled up
the system partition with downloads which I really wanted to have been
stored on the data partition.

- No matter how crap your internet connection, it would attempt to
download an entire queue simultaneously at once, thus ensuring that all
would fail. This meant you couldn't set a whole load of stuff to
download overnight, and then watch them next day, but rather instead
would have to set a single download going at a time, wait for that to
finish, set up the next one, etc, etc - a maddeningly inconvenient
obstacle course of a work around for problem so easily avoidable that
never should have existed in the first place.

- It used to delete stuff after 30 days even if you hadn't had time to
watch it because you'd been away on holiday, etc.

- The downloads were encrypted, which caused me some problems I can't
remember details about now, but IIRC were something to do with a PC
going down and needing a new HD, but I couldn't find a way of copy the
iPlayer part of my User Profile across to the new disk in such a way
that it recognised the old downloads, which I had to junk without having
the chance to watch them.

So I installed GetIPlayer, and now have been using it for a decade or
nearly so, relatively hassle free except for the need to update it
periodically:

https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer

--
Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

Chris Green

2024-01-04 20:49:11 UTC

Java Jive <***@evij.com.invalid> wrote:
[snip]

Post by Java Jive
So I installed GetIPlayer, and now have been using it for a decade or
nearly so, relatively hassle free except for the need to update it
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer

That looks rather useful, I prefer doing everything from the command
line so it would suit me OK. Thank you.

--
Chris Green
·

JNugent

2024-01-05 11:46:42 UTC

What do you use on the PC to read iPlayer? Just a browser?

Post by Java Jive
Either your Humax has a connectivity problem and is unable to access the
internet;

I don't think it's this, I have checked connections and the Humux
thinks it can see the internet and I can ping it from other systems on
my LAN.

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

Possible, but I would have thought a lot of people would be screaming
loudly about this if it was true, it's bog-standard FreeView box and
I'm sure there's many of them in use (millions even) still.

A recurring theme over the last few years has been the continuing
withdrawal from the market of any means of creating a hard copy (eg,
DVD-R) of material received over anything other than Freeview.

Does your Humax box have a standard analogue-out (in the form of SCART
or the red/white/yellow RCA jacks)? If so, that would seem to be part of
what is gradually being phased out for reception of streamed material.

Jeff Layman

2024-01-05 13:36:11 UTC

Post by JNugent

What do you use on the PC to read iPlayer? Just a browser?

Post by Java Jive
Either your Humax has a connectivity problem and is unable to access the
internet;

I don't think it's this, I have checked connections and the Humux
thinks it can see the internet and I can ping it from other systems on
my LAN.

Post by Java Jive
Or your Humax is using outdated software that accesses iPlayer in a way
that was deprecated some time ago, but has only just been actually
discontinued in terms of having its plug pulled at the BBC end.

Possible, but I would have thought a lot of people would be screaming
loudly about this if it was true, it's bog-standard FreeView box and
I'm sure there's many of them in use (millions even) still.

A recurring theme over the last few years has been the continuing
withdrawal from the market of any means of creating a hard copy (eg,
DVD-R) of material received over anything other than Freeview.

This reply in a longish thread early last year explains it pretty clearly:
<https://www.avforums.com/threads/uk-record-all4.2446744/#post-31106555>
(The whole thread is worth reading)

Here's a much more recent thread:
<https://www.avforums.com/threads/how-to-record-freeview-channels-that-require-a-data-connection.2476783/>
I doubt the Manhattan T4 will help do what you want - if it ever arrives!

--
Jeff

2024-01-05 17:03:56 UTC

Post by JNugent
A recurring theme over the last few years has been the continuing
withdrawal from the market of any means of creating a hard copy (eg,
DVD-R) of material received over anything other than Freeview.

My rather nerdy setup can still record SD and HD on both Freeview and
satellite. I only record MP2 or H264 TS files to hard disc, but I could
burn to DVD if I wanted.

But my setup is home-grown: DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 USB tuners connected to
Raspberry P running TVHeadend software.

I like being able to have my own recordings, not only to be able to keep
them, but also to be able to edit out adverts using VideoRedo and to
play them at any speed in VLC - documentaries are often understandable
at up to 1.6x normal speed and drama often to 1.3x. Watching a programme
in less than real time can be useful!

Vir Campestris

2024-01-04 21:28:17 UTC

Buy a streaming stick with iPlayer support.

<https://groceries.asda.com/product/media-boxes-dvd-players/roku-express-streaming-player/1000188501954>

is the first one I found. Thirty pounds.

Andy

Sid

2024-01-05 14:50:56 UTC

I used to get this message on a browser when DRM was switched off.

Brian Gaff

2024-01-12 12:52:51 UTC