
Why can I not download content from BBC iPlayer?
I have the latest BBC iPlayer and Adobe Air installed, and am using 64 bit Windows 7 and Firefox Nightly (installed only yesterday)
Whenever I try to download content from the BBCi site, I'm prompted to download the desktop player again - and again, and again, and again ... And yet IE 64 bit works without a hitch, which is a real pain as I would rather not go anywhere near IE.
Is this something I've done wrong, or some kind of conspiracy ? I can find no answers to this problem anywhere.
Chosen solution
have tested on another machine. worked fine with flash Plugin version 11.5.502.146. After upgrading flash it stopped working immediately (asking to install iPlayer again and again). Seems that at least cause of this problem is pinpointed.
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Goto Firefox Menu/Orange Button > Tools/Options > Options > Application
- Change the video action type to BBC iPlayer
I followed your instructions this far, but which do I change?
Surely that list in the screenshot should be much larger than it is, but that is all I can see.
I will try your fix on both Firefox and Waterfox though.
I notice that Adobe Air v3.6 is now released, I will try to update that also.
Waterfox shows the same as the above screenshot.
Firefox (x86) v18.02 works as it should with BBC iPlayer. The solution for now is obvious to me - use Firefox.
I will continue to try using BBC iPlayer with both Waterfox and Nightly on a regular basis though. For now however, I shall use Firefox (x86).
This problem seems to be with 64-bit browsers, and certainly not Windows OS.
Many thanks to iamjayakumar for at least making me think to take a step backwards.
Modified
What version of flash player are you using? Unfortunately I can experience the same issue with both FF 18.0.2 as well as with the FF 19 candidate. Recently I have only upgraded flash player to 11.6.602.168 and maybe this is where problem is.
According to Programs and Features in Contol Panel:
Adobe AIR version 3.6.0.5970 (This updated only this morning)
Adobe Flash Player 11 ActiveX version 11.6.602.168
Adobe Flash Player 11 Plugin version 11.5.502.146
BBC iPlayer Desktop version 3.2.15
Mozilla Firefox 18.0.2 (x86 en-GB)
All the above are installed and BBC iPlayer is now downloading and showing content as it should. I WILL ADD THAT i HAVE NOT CHANGED ANYTHING WITHIN WINDOWS 7 ITSELF
All other Waterfox, and Nightly installations have since been uninstalled just to ensure they cannot influence/interfere with Firefox.
Hope that helps you with your problem.
Gerry
Modified
It seems that only difference is that I am using the latest Adobe Flash Player 11 Plugin version 11.6.602.168 when you are using the previous one.
Which makes me think I won't be upgrading the plugin. :)
Modified
Bugger, given that downgrading flash is a pain I will wait for update from either FF or Adobe and stick to IE for BBC iPlayer:(
I just had a thought though - the last time I installed the BBCi desktop player I did it through Internet Explorer 64-bit in the main Administrator account in Windows. I haven't changed anything else since then except installing Firefox from scratch and uninstalling all other browsers (including Google Chrome.) Adobe AIR updated itself.
Chosen Solution
have tested on another machine. worked fine with flash Plugin version 11.5.502.146. After upgrading flash it stopped working immediately (asking to install iPlayer again and again). Seems that at least cause of this problem is pinpointed.
Very interesting. :) I certainly will not be updating the plugin in that case. Thanks for the heads up.
Update:
Since 17/2/13, everything is still working. I even got told off for downloading too much. :)
Have you updated your flash plugin to the latest one? (11.6.602.171) I am interested if it works for you as I am still having issues.
I am also having the same problem with FF19 though Iplayer works fine with IE.
iamjayakumars said
"Goto Firefox Menu/Orange Button > Tools/Options > Options > Application
• Change the video action type to BBC iPlayer "
I have looked in "Application" but cannot see how to change the video action, there does not appear be anything with that title. I must be missing something. Could you please explain a little clearer please?
@dariuszb0 The only thing updated has been Firefox. However, I haven't tried to use iPlayer since then, and haven't rebooted my desktop computer. Just trying that now, as something appears to be wrong somewhere ...
Well, it's fecked again. Uninstalling everything (Firefox, BBC iPlayer Desktop, Flash Player and Flash Player plugin), downloading old versions and starting again. THIS TIME UPDATES CAN BUGGER OFF
Will post later to let you know how it went.
ANNOYED - NO, FECKING ANGRY !!!
Adobe AIR version 3.6.0.5970
Adobe Flash Player 11 Plugin version 11.5.502.146
BBC iPlayer Desktop version 3.2.15
Mozilla Firefox 18.0.2 (x86 en-GB)
With the above installed it's all working again. Don't let any of it update without ensuring it works beforehand is my tip
Firefox will still not trigger BBC iPlayer to download programmes, even though I am running the latest everything on my Windows 7 32-bit system. It just offers to install the iPlayer and then won't actually even do that. I am using: Air 3.6.0.5970, Flash 11.6.602.180, Firefox Beta 20.0b6, and the long-current version of BBC iPlayer, 3.2.15.
Internet Explorer 9/10 however does the job fine.
I have to say I am sick to death of working through fora, trying to find solutions to this apparently trivial but actually important problem so that I can use Firefox all the time. I refuse to waste time rolling back versions of Flash, Air, Firefox and operating system updates to find a combination that works. I've reported the problem as a bug, pointing out that it affects thousands of UK users: this is a problem for the Firefox development team, not me. It wouldn't take them much study of the Javascript/HTML on the BBC pages to work out why the triggering isn't happening and fix it.
But it won't happen, because most of the development team is American, has never heard of BBC iPlayer, and couldn't give a damn about the problem even if they had, since they can't access iPlayer over there.
So the solution is to use Microsoft's good old Internet Explorer 9/10 instead, then everything works as it should. (Actually IE is not bad, pretty fast, simple no-frills interface, easy to use, doesn't crash... Actually I could quite get used to this...).
Verb. sap., Mozilla!
I have the same problem without the symptom of the demand for a reinstall.
I have reinstalled Firefox 21 and the latest Adobe Air, to no avail. Nothing turns up in iPlayer desktop.
When I went to Internet Explorer there was no problem at all.
I did cull my temporary files just prior to this discovery but doubt that this would be a problem.
Progress - of a sort. I tried the solution given to another iPlayer problem on this forum, and turned off Tools | Options | Advanced | General| Use hardware acceleration when available. Then it worked - I could download the Formula 1 highlights. Then it stopped working again. IE still works OK. All updates current, Firefox 23.0 beta. Presumably this is some kind of Flash problem.
but does not help with the fact that i cannot download the BBCIplayer.