topic Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...." in Android TV

A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 17:28:53 GMT

BBC iPlayer, ITV hub, both say "feature not available while recording"

So..... if I happen to be recording a channel on the TV and try and use either BBC iPlayer or ITV hub streaming apps I get this error.

Why is this. ?

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 21:24:11 GMT

Guessing... the developers of said iplayer and hub have tried- too enthusiastically - to prevent you recording iplayer and itv hub programmes.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:09:08 GMT

Tbh...Not sure what you are trying to say.

Unless it is just sarcasm.

An official opinion would be good on the matter though.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:59:20 GMT

Gosh. I thought it was fairly plain.

Iplayer and ITV Hub do not allow you to save the programs you watch. (Well they do - but they are encrypted and only are watchable for 30 days in the case of iPlayer). Developers, (programmers in the common idiom), will have been told to prevent users recording iPlayer and hub programs directly from their device. It could well be that the mechanism they use, when iPlayer and Hub are running, prevents ALL recording generally.

<s>

Is that better for you?

</s>

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 11:46:19 GMT

That was a better explanation yes... No need to be condescending about it though, as your first answer was read as if I was actually trying to record iPlayer, which I am not.

Misunderstandings aside, the current way that this works is wrong. I have a clunky old Humax Freesat box, this doesn't have this issue. I can record a channel for later viewing and watch iPlayer or ITV hub

What I really want to know, is it a bug? Will it be fixed, or is it by design. Because as it stands the a80j as a TV is pretty meh.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

E61DRC — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:45:24 GMT

Given that a message comes up when you try to use iPlayer during a recording, I suspect that it is not regarded as a bug. The USB recording feature is so useless on Sony TVs (especially with series recordings) that I do not use it for recordings. My seven-year 22" Samsung TV (that cost a fraction of the price of the Sony A80J) records series reliably and I can use iPlayer while it is recording. Luckily, Samsung are going to start selling QD-OLED TVs this year so I will be giving Sony TVs a miss in the future.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 15:32:40 GMT

Was hoping that the error message was just a generic Pop up triggered by a bug, as it's the same message as you get if you try and record 2 channels simultaneously.

iPlayer is only a streaming app and according to Sony's own help pages you can record a channel and watch a streaming app at the same time.

I can watch bravia core while recording a channel, so what's the difference

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

CinnamonJalapeno — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:10:46 GMT

I thought the description of the problem was perfectly clear. I don't understand why someone felt the need to be so patronising, whilst also failing to understand the problem themselves.

Anyway, I have the same problem, which I mention in this thread: Simultaneous recordings on XR-55A80J. The thread was originally about only being able to record one channel on the twin-tuners, but then I also discovered the same problem as you, i.e. that Sony has prevented catch-up streaming apps from loading if a recording of live TV (via the FreeView/FreeSat tuner) is taking place.

I have had to buy a 2nd hand FreeSat instead, to get around the shortcomings.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

HannahEd01 — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 16:16:30 GMT

I agree with @ CinnamonJalapeno, you cannot watch these apps while recording to avoid recording them. It is not a bug, If you want an official statement, contact Sony.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 12:09:22 GMT

There are a few of solutions:-

Regard your TV as a display panel only and use something else as a tuner. So long as that 'something else' is not a Sky box you will be able to add a hard drive so you can record any channels you wish. Downside - it costs a few hundred quid. The upside is - you will be able to watch and record simultaneously on a number of tuners. The recordings have no time limit and you can build a catalogue of stuff to watch again and again - should you wish.
Keep your TV as is, and use software on a PC to download both ITV and BBC programs to play back to your TV later. Play back can mean casting, making your PC a samba-share or simply loading a USB and placing that in the TV. As mentioned elsewhere yt-dlp will download both mentioned broadcasters and more; get-iplayer will download BBC stuff. (The downside - you need to be computer literate - beyond just clicking buttons on an interface.)
Go to reddit.com/r/TVRemixed , and if you are lucky programmes you wish to watch will be there for download. Downside - limited availability
https://www.1337xx.to/user/RedBaron58/ this guy posts quite a lot of UK dramas which can be downloaded with a torrent client. (Qbittorrent or such-like). Downside - not everyone likes torrents - ISPs included.
Combine 1 & 2 and use home Network Attached Storage (NAS) together with Plex on your TV for a complete home cinema experience.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

E61DRC — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 13:47:02 GMT

More utter nonsense from a Sony apologist! My 8 year old Samsung TVs can record a broadcast program to USB while I watch a streaming app such as iPlayer as can my Humax Aura, which like my Sony TV uses Android. Series recording also works reliably on the Samsung TVs (and the Humax Aura). If Sony TVs are inferior to Samsung TVs then I cannot wait until Samsung start selling OLED and QD-OLED TVs.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 09:26:21 GMT

@angelacr

None of those are solutions ...... none

Point 1. Buying extra equipment to achieve what the TV should be able to do, is nothing but a copout work around.

The rest are certainly not very convenient and boardering on unethical.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:03:59 GMT

@M1ck-65Well you chuntering on with 'shoulds' and 'oughts' is going to change diddley-squat!

The suits have it sewn up - just as they did in the days of DVD players which would not play DVDs bought outside ones geographic region.

The BBC need to sell programmes to other countries; thus they limit access to viewing, via their platform, to geographic UK and prevent prevent recording.

That is the way it is.

If you want to get round it you use one of the methods I've given you. If it is too hard, as I suspect it is for you, you'll, of course, make noises about it being 'unethical' to save face; it isn't. What is unethical is suits doing deals that limit my access to data that has been freely transmitted for the universe to intercept at some future time.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:37:37 GMT

@angelacr

Why so condescending?

It seems that you do not understand that I am NOT trying to record iPlayer.

I simply want to be able to record a channel from the TV's tuner and watch iPlayer at the same time. Just like you can on other devices, just like is described in Sony's own help pages

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 10:53:26 GMT

@M1ck-65Ignoring your rudeness....

Understand this: iPlayer, when in use stops the system from recording. It does this to protect iPlayer programmes from being recorded.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:04:07 GMT

@angelacr 🙂

Then, one, why is it possible on most other devices, and two, says it's an option to do so in Sony's own help pages

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:30:13 GMT

@M1ck-65

Likely that those systems pre-date current iPlayer licensing agreements. Go around the mountain 'cause you'll never move it!

And your link makes no mention of iPlayer.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:35:53 GMT

@angelacr

You said earlier, as one of your solutions was to buy another box.

So if I was to buy one of the new Freesat 4k boxes, (only just released) you are saying that I may still have this problem due to licensing agreements.

And there's still the point, of Sony's own help pages saying that it's possible. Or is that out of date too.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

angelacr — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:21:31 GMT

@M1ck-65

Sony's pages that you referenced make no mention of iPlayer. You are reading things that do not exist.

If you buy another box that has a recording facility you can record on that box any Freesat programme you like. You can watch iPlayer via your TV, at the same time, should you wish. The two systems are independent.

I have a Dreambox DM920 UHD bought from hm-sat.de running an openATV 7.0 image. My dish collects from 28.4E and 19.2 E so I can see Free To Air European programmes too. (Useful when F1 was FTA in Austria -sadly no longer). There are no licensing restrictions or clunky programme guides you get on 'freesat boxes' from the likes of Currys. The downside is non-mainstream boxes need setting up.

Re: A80J... BBC iPlayer "feature not available while...."

M1ck-65 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:16:10 GMT

@angelacr

Sony's pages reference

"Allowing you to record one channel while watching another or still enjoy content from other inputs such as Blu-ray Discs, online streaming services"

Are you saying that iPlayer is not an online streaming service. Of course it is.