Sony BDP-S380 & BBC iPlayer

[kacout]

I recently purchased this item and did a network update to ensure I had the lastest firmware, however BBC iPlayer does not appear on the list of Network video items. I noticed that some people had been having the same issue on the BDP-S370 so I tried one of there suggestions (reseting network information), however it still did not work. Any suggestions?

[Trigger16]

Echoing the same problem as many on here,

HD broadcasts play for 10 to 15 secs, then return to the programme information screen. As with others, if I skip ahead the rest of the program plays fine. SD playback is also fine. Also have the problem with the 5 on demand service, program plays for around a minute and then jumps to the next program.

I am on an orange broadband with a steady 9MB connection in Cornwall. Iplayer HD works fine on laptops etc.

If this was an issue with the ISP, router etc surely skipping ahead would make no difference? Is this problem being looked into?

[neiwatso5]

Same problem here, Virgin Media 50mb broadband, Iplayer works fine on desktop and laptops but not on S380, obviously not a network issue! Unable to play any HD content on iplayer, and unable to get any programs on demand 5 to play. I have not tried the ff rew fudge as that is completely unacceptable.

Would Sony please take note and address this issue.

[Jodmyster]

I've got this issue and believe it only started since installing firmware M06.R.0319 although not certain of this. Does anyone else know if they had this issue with the previous firmware?

[murphy197]

Exactly the same problem.  BBC HD drops back to the menu screen after 20-30 secs, Demand 5 jumps to the next add and the 2nd part of the programme or the next programme and even Lovefilm drops back to the menu screen after 30 or so secs sometimes.

It only happens on some films on Lovefilm but if it happens once with a film it us usually repeatable with the same film again and again.

It really makes the S380 unusable with 5 on demand and is really annoying with Lovefilm and less so with BBC iplayer HD (as you know it's about to happen so can fast forward.)

I've only had this player for about 1 month now but it's updated twice - on installation and again recently - and I think it may have got worse with 5 on demand as this worked sometimes before the update iirc.

I just registered to show Sony this is widespread.

My ISP is Sky and my connection is always 4Mbps + and I'm located in NE Scotland.

If it was a regional problem with BBC HD this doesn't explain 5 On Demand or Lovefilm problems.

Message was edited by: murphy197

Message was edited by: murphy197

[baleine]

Jodmyster wrote:
I've got this issue and believe it only started since installing firmware M06.R.0319 although not certain of this. Does anyone else know if they had this issue with the previous firmware?

Yes - as I said in my post above, BBC HD definitely worked OK when I first bough the player in March, and only stopped working after the Firmware upgrade to the current version. I'm not sure for definite what version it was when I first bought the player.

[buildloch]

I too am experiencing similar problems to those highlighted by previous posters. BBC iPlayer is not too bad since I have never experienced any problems although I'm not sure if I have tried to play an HD programme.

My main problem is Demand 5 where every single programme I have tried to play has failed after about 1 minute's worth of streaming. It was much less than this, but since I implemented the Virgin Media fix, the streaming lasts about 15 times longer before it restarts.

What I am surprised about is that no-one has mentioned the use of Sony's wireless adapter UWA-BR100 which I use on my Blu-Ray player - could this be a contributory factor in the problems being experienced? Before I purchased this adapter, I tried a Linksys adapter from Cisco which the DVD player refused to recognise.

I am obviously on Virgin Media cable broadband rated at 20 Mbps using a Linksys E2000 router and Sony's wireless UWA-BR100 adapter. I live in Central Scotland.

As for other posters, all streams work faultlessly on my Windows XP PC using the same ISP.

On the Demand 5 front, the bit rate appears to be much lower than for other stream sources.

Surely by this time, Sony must realise there is a problem with the firmware and/or their wireless adapter.

Looking forward to a fix in the near future.

[buildloch]

Had my Virgin Media broadband service upgraded today to 50 Mbps using Virgin's Superhub. This has made no difference whatsoever to my ability to access Demand 5 for more than 30 secs and I can now confirm that BBC iPlayer HD access is also unusable, downloads failing after 30 secs or longer.

Also tried proxy server 'webcache.blueyonder.co.uk/8080' instead of 'webcache.virginmedia.com/8080' since I have a blueyonder.co.uk email address, but this made no difference either.

Sony is burying their head in the sand when they say "there are no problems with Blu-Ray players" since there definitely is widespread evidence of them not performing to spec.

Should we be complaining to Trading Standards since Sony is (knowingly) marketing a product which is not fit for purpose and purchasers should be entitled to some form of compensation for being misled by Sony.

As other posters have mentioned, it is up to Sony to resolve the problems between BBC iPlayer (HD), Demand 5 and the various ISPs located throughout the UK. Consumers should expect no less! 

[cjm106]

Catmambo,

If you want to send an engineer to my house I'll replicate this problem on iplayer and lovefilm for them as many times as they like?

I've tested my s380 on a 150Mb line as well as my own 20Mb line (Virgin) both of which fail on the same film  (Lovefilm) or after 15-20 seconds on (iPlayer HD).  If I were the only person complaining then I might accept that my unit is faulty but given the number of complaints there's clearly an issue with the S380's ability to playback certain codecs (anyone GOP a problem?).  Please fix this issue either by a software upgrade or by recalling all units and replacing them with a model that works i.e. a s370 which from what I understands is miles better anyway.

cjm106

[Martlar]

The person at Sony I phoned today seemed to not know of this clearly widespread issue.  I explained the situation and they said to reset my connections/check my firmware etc...  She didn't seem to understand/listen to what I was saying.  She was unfamliar with the issue.  Surely a note should be attached to it when she looks up the BDP-S380 as this is a known issue. Afterall Catmambo knows this is not a few isolated cases now.

I explained that the issue had been described by many people in detail here at this forum.  The Sony employee did not seem interested in viewing this page or acknowledging it despite my best efforts to direct her to it.  She did say that in order for the product to be replaced, it needed to go into repair three times.  I reiterated that the issue is not with my player, but the model/firmware and I would like it replaced with something which works. She recommended that I should buy a new player.

Next time I call I would like to be able to refer to someone at Sony who is familiar with the issue, so my time can be more affective and my 4 pence (and additional mobile rate) per agonising minute will not be wasted. Unfortunately, I didn't catch her name for my records.  Catmambo, what's your name/employee number?

[Martlar]

Catmambo,

I was browsing the site earlier and read the forum posts for the BDP-S370 player and the issues people were having with BBC iPlayer. It occured to me that you posted responses quite frequently in that thread, however in this thread - regarding the issues of the BDP-S380 you have not posted a reply for 18 days. Since this issue was raised in May, your first plan of action has been to deny that there is a problem with the player itself, even though several people on this forum has raised the same issue over and over again, even contributed with detailed information to help assertain the problem.

You have been online several times during these days posting under other forum questions, however it seems that this thread is not one of your priorities and is being neglected.

The fact that you have not replied to anything for 18 days is disappointing as you previously posted on the forum that engineers are looking into this issue, and if they are actually looking into this issue, why are you not providing us with any updates?