Solving playback issues

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AvsGunnar
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@SteveFa 

Not too sure how it would with your FA Player app, but users are still able to cast content to Roku devices using the "Roku Channel" protocol.  A few of the casting apps used both protocols (Roku Channel and Play on Roku) in their app development and some generally considered the Play on Roku to be a legacy protocol/fallback.  The Play on Roku had been increasingly disabled on non-US Roku devices before the 11.5 update.

Whether or not there is some larger explanation behind the ability to use the Play on Roku protocol, currently, it is what it is.  The casting apps I use either always used both protocols or updated their apps to use the working Roku Channel protocol.

You can try both "Web Video Caster" and "Castify"(aka Rokify) from the Play Store and see if either will fit your needs.

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@UserDude1 

The employee you mentioned has made some valuable contributions to the open source community and I still use some of his older developments on my systems.  I certainly won't criticize or chastise his decision to work for Roku and perform a requested operation.

From speaking with some app developers, would it be nice if Play on Roku still worked? Sure.  Is it necessary in order to cast? No.  There is a protocol that still works and these remaining apps still relying on Play on Roku need to incorporate the working Roku Channel method in order to use on the Roku. 

If this remaining protocol is removed/limited by Roku, then two options.  Either create/find a workaround, or do what we did before streaming devices.  Use a laptop and connect directly to a TV via HDMI cable and stream your content.  Too many have become reliant on the instant click of a button on their phones and using mobile apps and throw their hands up in the air and jump up and down when the "most convenient" method fails to deliver.

The above is in line with your recommended multi-device streaming approach.  Always nice to have a plan A, B, C.  With few exceptions, my laptop is far more functional and less limiting than any streaming device and their OS restrictions.  Streaming devices are a convenient method to access streaming content, but if companies make them too restrictive and feature limiting, this convenience is negated.  However, losing one casting protocol while still maintaining another is not yet a deal breaker.

Just my two cents.

 

Roku Community Streaming Expert
Just another Roku user... I am not a Roku employee.
Insignia RokuTV, Ultra 4660, Premiere+ 3921, Express 4k+ 3941, Streambar 9102

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SteveFa
Channel Surfer

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@AvsGunnar 

'users are still able to cast content to Roku devices using the "Roku Channel" protocol' - if there was some way for me as a user to control this I'd be perfectly happy to use whatever you told me.

'Too many have become reliant on the instant click of a button on their phones...' - I get this is entirely a 1st world problem but this argument begs the question, what do you think a roku stick is for if not for viewing convenience? Basically I should go back to watching live tv only and stop whining?

Feels like an intermediate option would have been to stop third party apps casting unless the user insists on it (through enabling the apparently now redundant setting perhaps) but if this is not possible whilst also getting the latest security certification, fair enough I guess.

Whoever's idea it was to move all the original thread to a different issue to try and obscure this as an active issue (and censor certain responses no doubt), thanks for nothing. I now can't refer this to fa player to see if they can understand/advise/fix.

AvsGunnar
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@SteveFa

"users are still able to cast content to Roku devices using the "Roku Channel" protocol' - if there was some way for me as a user to control this I'd be perfectly happy to use whatever you told me."

Currently, you may not be able to use the FA Player app, but you can try using the two casting apps I mentioned above that allow you to cast/stream web content.

For Android, they are located in the Google Play Store. You install the app(s) to your mobile device and a companion receiver channel gets installed on your Roku device. When you open the app on your mobile device, you navigate to the web page of your desired content. In your case you can navigate to https://faplayer.thefa.com/videos/womens-super-league?categories=&team=all# or https://faplayer.thefa.com/live/womens-super-league and once your video/feed loads you then cast them to your TV via the app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instantbits.cast.webvideo (Web Video Caster)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.castify (Castify)

Feel free to post back if you need more help with these. I believe both come with some tutorial videos on how to use and have both both free and paid versions. The WVC is my preferred method as there is almost nothing it cannot cast, but both work fine.

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"Too many have become reliant on the instant click of a button on their phones...' - I get this is entirely a 1st world problem but this argument begs the question, what do you think a roku stick is for if not for viewing convenience? Basically I should go back to watching live tv only and stop whining?"

Not at all. Through the years of Roku development, I was often frustrated by the decisions they made, especially when I lost a feature or function I had grown to rely on. However, I learned pretty quickly that the easiest, most proactive course was to find/search for a workaround or other known working method. With streaming, you need to learn to adapt. The end-goal is to be able to access the content you want. Does it matter if it comes from app/method (A) or app/method (B)?

From viewing my own media server files, to casting online content, to seeing the Search Results how I want to see them, I have had to find different methods through/due to the various Roku OS updates. What I was trying to explain is that you will have far less a headache and frustration if you remain flexible to alternative methods in accessing your content. If Roku decides to take away a feature of their OS, we as users will either have to use another competing streaming device that still allows that feature, or find another method/app/workaround that still allows a feature to be used with our Roku devices.

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Feel free to post back if still running into issues. The above limitation (regarding Play on Roku) only affects devices (at least as of now) that have updated to 11.5. Roku devices on previous OS that have not updated, or are incapable of updating to 11.5 should remain unaffected.

Roku Community Streaming Expert
Just another Roku user... I am not a Roku employee.
Insignia RokuTV, Ultra 4660, Premiere+ 3921, Express 4k+ 3941, Streambar 9102

_Xena_
Streaming Star

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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I found an alternative. Thank you. I was needing it for a movie app I use. I don't have cable, so streaming is my only option. Cable is just to expensive. Thank you for your help.

Beyond
Reel Rookie

Re: [OS 11.5] Roku 11.5 broke Play on Roku video playback

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@marcus72, Tubio is now updated and it's compatible with Roku software version 11.5.

You need to download custom channel on your Roku from:
#https://channelstore.roku.com/details/47ff09d5c7e0a0c91e651a988ddd0538/tubio

bluecobold
Channel Surfer

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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'Too many have become reliant on the instant click of a button on their phones...' - I get this is entirely a 1st world problem but this argument begs the question, what do you think a roku stick is for if not for viewing convenience? Basically I should go back to watching live tv only and stop whining?

Totally my thoughts. I want to be able to stream videos from my Mac/browser to Roku. And while I can mirror it to a 2nd screen via Roku, it's just not the same as simply using stuff like RokuCast or the Play on Roku API. Removing free software from being usable with Roku devalues the whole thing.

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AvsGunnar
Community Streaming Expert

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@bluecobold 

RokuCast has been updated to use the working Roku Channel casting protocol.  

They are however using Web Video Caster's older receiver API (hopefully with their knowledge), but it does seem to be working.

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Web Video Caster (https://channelstore.roku.com/details/dd37e6d096d3197a9578787890118e33/web-video-caster-receiver) has a free version (occasional ad here and there on the mobile side of the app), but is definitely worth the $3 or $4 one-time purchase (removes ads and provides additional features) that helps them keep developing, in my opinion.

 

Roku Community Streaming Expert
Just another Roku user... I am not a Roku employee.
Insignia RokuTV, Ultra 4660, Premiere+ 3921, Express 4k+ 3941, Streambar 9102

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bluecobold
Channel Surfer

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@AvsGunnar 


RokuCast has been updated to use the working Roku Channel casting protocol.  

I meant the Chrome Plugin, not the app. Sorry for confusion.

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casolorz
Roku Guru

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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We actually have a PC app as well but it is on a very early alpha release https://www.reddit.com/r/WVC/comments/sy296y/we_are_looking_for_testers_for_web_video_caster/

It is not a Chrome extension though but it works on PC/Mac/Linux. 

bluecobold
Channel Surfer

Re: Cast Issue - Play on Roku

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@casolorz 

Good to know. Still, by far not the same thing. Sadly.

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