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Is PlayOn more trouble than it's worth?

Chubbs

November 20, 2017 15:47

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A few years back, I paid for a lifetime subscription to PlayOn TV. At the time, it seemed like a terrific idea and for awhile it actually worked. Since that time, Amazon and Netflix have gotten wise to PlayOn's business model and are assuming that every PlayOn user is trying to steal content and redistribute it illegally - at least that is what various forum contributors have shared. 

As background, my primary reasons for using PlayOn are to move content to my NAS to watch when I have time (like after something has been removed from Netflix) or to transfer to my phone to watch on my very frequent flights across the US.

PlayOn is no longer consistently usable consumer software. It's now much more a hobbyist platform that requires constant tweaking and futzing outside the program and numerous support emails (sorry, no phone or chat) to make work. If it was free, I could see that being part of the equation, but if I pay for software that claims to provide specific functionality and consistently fails to deliver said functions, it should be free. 

What functionality am I talking about, you may ask?

1. Seamless log-in AND recording to premium content sites like Amazon and Netflix. Over the past year, there have been consistent issues with recording after having verified credentials in setup. Right now, for example, setup affirms that my credentials are correct for both and in each case I cannot record from either. Instead I get a message saying either my username or password is incorrect.

2. Lack of HD or UHD content. Think $3K HDR TV's and 720p content. Ugh

3. Stereo sound only. Really? Do you guys at PlayOn really think that people that have invested in an awesome Dolby Atmos system want to watch some crappy sub-DVD quality video with stereo sound? 

4. Clumsy, non-functional channel setup. Even National Geographic and FX don't work right after verifying credentials via PlayOn's browser. Extremely frustrating.

I suspect the problems come down to DRM and content protection battles between software developers like PlayOn and the content providers. Content providers are constantly trying to block programs like PlayOn and PlayOn is constantly trying to slap on patches to combat the blocking attempts. The result, PlayOn subscribers get an extremely inconsistent, frustrating, off-putting experience that drives them to alternatives or to just give up entirely. 

Is PlayOn worth purchasing? No, not until it can provide software that works ALL THE TIME as advertised.

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41 comments

• 3
  
  Johnny D May 21, 2018 13:44

  As of today, as you stated, it is a hit or miss. I would assume that Amazon has cracked down stronger with their authorization protocols to stop 3rd party programs access their streams. Now it is prompting me for more information but no where in my Amazon account comes up a message requesting more information. So it was fun while it lasted. I am now down to Netflix and Hulu that are still working for me and that I am interested in. I hope Playon Support can find a way around the road blocks for this program.  At least I got Spaceballs!

  
  
  
  

• 2
  
  Johnny D March 09, 2018 10:48

  I just started using PlayOn lifetime. I find it very worth it. Yes, I know both Netflix and Amazon both use offline download viewing features but some shows are just not available. I mainly use it with my Hulu subscription and I love it. Best part is that I can add media files and access them when not on my home network when traveling. Yes, I do have Plex also which does almost the same thing but it will not show ALL my media on my home NAS. So in short, it is working just fine but you DO need a good computer in-order to record at higher qualities. I have tried an older computer and it just did not cut it so I change to a better system and have had no issues now. The background recording is just fantastic! Set your shows and off it goes! Bravo! Yes the listings inside of PlayOn for example, Amazon are not very easy to use since Amazon shows folders as Pages 1-13 instead of the actual shows name but you just search for what you want to setup and you find it directly. 

• 2
  
  Johnny D May 09, 2018 14:43

  I just tested with this version of Playon Windows 10 app into Amazon.com and it is recording for me. What error message are you getting?

  

   

  

• 2
  
  Chubbs May 21, 2018 00:04

  Johnny,

   

  Cool, it works for you. It has worked for me too, in the past. The problem is that it will stop working and you will spend hours, days, weeks trying to get it working again. 

  Amazon, HBO, Netflix, etc don't want PlayOn to work. It penetrates their walled gardens. It's probably so dinky that it is no threat to their business model, but that doesn't matter, it's still a perceived threat. 

  I love the concept of PlayOn. I pay to subscribe to streaming services so I should be able to record that stream for use at my convenience, but the concept and reality are obliterated by the lack of execution. Either PlayOn's strategy is to drive everyone to record in the cloud at a per-recording fee (strangely THEY don't have the same issues we plebeians have) or they just suck at their business. I think it's the former. 

  I hope PlayOn continues to perform for you. Kudos on getting it to work.

• 2
  
  Kevin Rifenburg September 29, 2018 19:14

  I have read this thread and I guess I don't agree with most of you.  I find that there is times that Playon doesn't work.  But there is more times that it does.  Keep in mind that the content providers don't want you to have digital copies of their content, so anything you can use to get some of it then you should shut up and be happy.  2 years ago I used to pay $160.00 per month to DirecTV to have the DVR that I could only watch the recorded shows on my internal network.

  The first problems that I had with Playon were skips and glitches.  I found that the shows were recorded with the skips and glitches on my laptop.  After I purchased a dedicated PC for $150.00 that has an i5 processor and added a $99.00 4 TB hard drive and connected that to my router via wired gigabyte ethernet then my problems went away and I have great recordings  The wireless connection on my laptop was too glitchy for recording.  My TVs have wireless Roku devices and play the videos excellently.  I have recorded from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and some others.  

  Are they HD or full sound?  I don't know and can't tell a difference.  If you are into your shows that much, then you should just buy a Tivo then enjoy your full experience life and spend as much money each month that your would drop for the lifetime fee for playon.  If you average out the lifetime subscription of Playon for a year, then that is less than $6.00 per month.  Now average it for 2 years.  If you think you can beat that anywhere else, then you are just kidding yourself.  In one month you can download enough movies from Netflix to pay for your lifetime subscription and have them for as long as your computer hardware lasts.

  I can put the movies and shows on an external hard drive and then use a WD TV Live device with that drive and watch the shows in my camper that doesn't have internet or WiFi.  I also can put the movies on an Android tablet and keep the kids busy for hours while driving on a trip.  

  So I guess it just depends on what you think or expect from Playon.  I have it setup on Windows 10 Pro and my wife can browse channels and setup a queue.  There is times that it fails recordings, but usually a few days later it records them or there is a Playon update and then it works.  I don't have to teach my wife Linux or something else.  It is easy and simple.  Roku has a Playon channel and it works great for playback.  Commercial skip is awesome.

  Just wanting anyone who reads this to know it isn't all doom and gloom.  It sounds like there is a few people who want to compare apples and oranges and complain that they are different.

   

• 2
  
  Joshua Strayhorn October 02, 2018 15:03

  Sometimes PlayOn doesn't work but most of the time it does. I am not for sure what you guys are expecting from PlayOn. Are you trying to get the best picture quality or the best sound out of a recording? I think some one you are trying to rip true bluray quality. I record only tv shows and movies that is tough to find. I have them saved to a folder that is then read by my Plex.  I think I read somebody say they are looking for 5.1 audio. Browsers can not push out 5.1 audio. I also  think I read somebody say the video is buffering when recorded. Thats not PlayOn issue. Its a good chance the video will be buffering when you play it from Netflix or any other service. Maybe you should check your internet connection. Another thing, PlayOn is a ripper software. I think people are expecting it to get the raw file. You are not going to get that quality. PlayOn is great for what you get for. 

• 1
  
  David S. November 20, 2017 16:33

  I understand your frustration but much of that is beyond the control of PlayOn's developers.

  As to surround sound, video services don't offer it via web browsers (I suspect for both technical reasons and because most people don't get 5.1 or 7.1 speaker systems for their computers). More details: https://support.playon.tv/hc/en-us/community/posts/222516988-Add-1080p-and-Surround-Sound-Dolby-Digital-5-1-Support

  Many users may not have PCs fast enough to record 1080p, let alone 2160p. And mine, which is reasonably fast (Core-i5 2500k and 24GB of RAM) but lacks a graphics card compatible with hardware acceleration, would probably only be able to handle transcoding 1080p if I closed most other apps. However, I wish they would enable 1080p recording for those with PCs that can handle it.

• 1
  
  Chris Gerhard December 05, 2017 21:59

  PlayOn is absolutely worth the trouble for me.  Yes, there are certainly many instances of PlayOn working great today and not at all tomorrow because of a change made by a given service.  Right now, DirecTV Now isn't working for me but it did work great for several months.  I don't recall the last issue I have had with either Netflix or Amazon Instant Video, both have worked flawlessly when I have used them for many months now.  HBO Go is working fine now using DirecTV Now login credentials as are various other streaming services I have access to as a result of my DirecTV Now subscription.  Without PlayOn, I would have no DVR at all for my DirecTV Now subscription so even though not having it work with DirecTV Now is a big issue for me, it still has value, skipping commercials works well with many services.

  Overall, it has been well worth the purchase price after using it for 6 years for me.

• 1
  
  lynn July 01, 2018 22:53

  I decided to get off DirecTV and go 100% to streaming, and PlayOn appeared to be the best solution to achieve that goal, so I signed up for as lifetime membership. So here I am 2 months later after upgrading to a newer and much more powerful computer and an expensive PlayOn compatible graphics card and subscribing to a good source of streaming content. Success to date? Some success, but mostly disappointment. PlayOn cannot record the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel which comprises 25% of what we watch. Plus, they have some issue with the ION TV channel which is about 15% of what we watch. So, despite my making a substantial investment and working multiple issues with PlayOn support, about 40% of our desired content cannot be recorded via PlayOn. Both of these channel issues have been turned in to PlayOn's support team, and after several queries to them that have all been ignored, it's obvious that PlayOn does not know how to resolve their problems with these two channels.

  Bottom line: although PlayOn works well when it works, it is never going to be a reliable media platform for streaming content. Perhaps it is as Michael said in the previous comment, maybe PlayOn is nearing the end of its useful life.

• 1
  
  Gerhard, Chris July 17, 2018 22:53

  There sure is a lot of complaining about PlayOn.  After using it about 8 years now, I still find it very useful.  Amazon Prime was down for a while but seems to be working fine now.  I also use HBO Go, Netflix, Max Go and a few other services with PlayOn.  It is interesting that despite all of the whining about PlayOn, nobody ever suggests a better DVR for streaming services with local storage, I think the reason is there isn't one but if people whining about PlayOn know of one, go ahead and mention it.

  As far as the no DD 5.1 audio, no streaming service accessed by browser offers it.  Emulating Roku or Fire TV or other streaming box to be able to access 5.1, that is total nonsense and not even legal if possible.  It is however easy for someone to say it would be easy to do.

• 1
  
  lynn August 26, 2018 04:01

  I have to agree with Tom Whiting as my experience has been basically the same. PlayOn is a nice concept, but it would take a small army of developers to keep up with what the streaming companies are throwing at it. I don't know how many developers they have, but based upon my experience from running development teams for a whole lot of years I'd estimate they have about 25% of what they need to make PlayOn successful. They cost me about $1000 in upgrading computer equipment, time wasted, and a life time membership. Wish I never had heard of PlayOn.

• 1
  
  Tom Whiting August 26, 2018 19:22

  Bill and Skip are the only two I've received replies from myself

• 1
  
  David S. September 30, 2018 02:53

  Kevin, well said!

  Lynn, are you aware that there are 3rd-party utilities for copying/moving recordings from a Tablo? I use TabloRipper for this. Check out the TabloTV Community (Forums) for more information.

• 0
  
  Sam Greco January 14, 2018 16:36

  Well, I have been using PlayOn since they started the lifetime thing.  BUT, it has been at least 6 months since I have been able to record anything that I bought it for.  Slowly, things have stopped working and/or disappeared.  So I am to the point now where there is litterally nothing that I want, that I can record.

  TNT, TBS, Amazon.  None are currently working.  TNT and TBS have been completely removed.

  So I am to the point that uninstalling it seems the right thing to do.

  I realize that this isn't the fault of MediaMall/PlayOn, but the content providers.  But if someone asked me if it was worth it today, I would have to say no.

• 0
  
  Pellmd March 13, 2018 12:36

  Playon appears to be gradually removing channel access. CW is no longer available.  Latest ABC episodes can't be played or recorded because Playon can't get past the new "Verify to Watch" feature on ABC.

  Xfinity shows can't be recorded or played and Playon can't seem to get past the signing before timing out.

  Also, Playon updates often break features that were working.

  Thankfully, I have another product, GETFLV, that can record shows that PLayon can't but it doesn't have the nice subscription capability of Playon.

  It's too bad Playon doesn't attempt stream capture as well as screen capture.

• 0
  
  Harry Angel May 09, 2018 06:52

  it's definitely not worth it ; Subscribed for over a year as an Amazon subscriber but Amazon is never available - offline again now for a few weeks it seems - waste of time.

• 0
  
  lynn July 17, 2018 01:24

  After finally accepting that PlayOn is more of a techie's tool than a finished product, I moved on to looking for a better solution since I'll be dropping DirecTV at the end of this month (July, 2018). I tried Spectrum's streaming product, and it was less than acceptable. Next, I looked at AT&T's new $20/month offering, and it is just too skinny. Finally did a trial on DirecTV NOW and found I rather like it. It's $35/month, going to $40/month next month. Their Cloud DVR actually works quite well, almost as good as their hardware DVR. But, there is one channel; that my wife really wants that DirecTV NOW doesn't offer. So, I'm installing an antenna in the attic and will connect it to a Tablo 4-tunner DVR. It works over the network and streams through a ROKU to deliver content where HDMI is required, or over the network (wired or wireless) if HDMI connection is not required (up to 6 different streams at once). So, between all the local channels, DirecTV NOW and Netflix, I'll have all the streamed content I can watch and then a whole bunch more. 

  Just FYI - once I get the Tablo going, the only reason I will keep DirecTV NOW is to get the Hallmark channels. If they were to become available separately, I'd drop DirecTV NOW in a heartbeat.

  Now, all that being said, I plan on keeping my PlayOn active for at least then ext year just to see if they ever get it close to a production grade product.

• 0
  
  Michael July 17, 2018 15:02

  @Lynn

   

  Have you looked into Sling TV? It can be used with an antenna via Roku or whatever you use for streaming.

  For those a little tech savvy, OBS Studio by Open Broadcaster Software may be worth looking into. Like PlayOn does, it allows you to record live streaming, and the best part it is free. It requires a little more work to record, and also requires you to be around to start stop the recording, but you can't beat free.

• 0
  
  lynn July 17, 2018 17:07

  I looked at SlingTV early on, and to get the Hallmark channels and their Cloud DVR it'll be $35/month. Given that DirecTV NOW was the same price, I opted to go with DirecTV NOW. However, with the upcoming price increase for DirecTV NOW to $40/month, I may want to reconsider. Thanks for the suggestion.

• 0
  
  Michael July 18, 2018 00:01

  PlayOn isn't a DVR - there is no set it and forget it like a true DVR. It can not be setup to record a certain program on a certain channel at a certain time. It's a stream capture application, or a "streaming video recorder" as PlayOn calls it. They call it a DVR for legal purposes. Essentially it's screen capture for dummies (no offense meant).

  I also already mentioned one. OBS Studio. An app like OBS is too cumbrous for many people. PlayOn just makes stream capture easier. It works because Amazon Prime, HBO, Netflix and other services provide streaming via browser. It's why PlayOn is always playing catch up with the channels. If the streaming services all stopped offering browser access, PlayOn would fold like a cheap suit.

   The same could be had using OBS and Plex, which by the way allows OTA recording.

• 0
  
  Pellmd July 18, 2018 01:17

  I sometimes use GETFLV for channels which is a video stream capture rather than video screen capture.

  It's creates much more seamless .FLV recordings but it often does not capture subtitles and does not have a subscription feature.  So, I use it as a backup when I can't get Playon to record a show.

• 0
  
  Michael July 18, 2018 16:29

  GETFLV is one I forgot about. It's actually easier than OBS.

• 0
  
  Tom Whiting August 26, 2018 00:15

  Is PlayOn more trouble than it's worth? In a nutshell: yes

  My own experience (YMMV):
  I purchased lifetime around the end of July. Immediately, I noticed some issues with buffering, every channel , every video repeatedly would cause about 15-30 seconds of audio / video sync failure and then pick back up . Didn't matter what provider (Amazon, Hulu, netflix, vudu), they all did the same thing.

  Opened up a ticket, got ridiculous, uninformed, incompetent responses from support (send us logs, blah blah blah). This should have been the first clue that this software , and associated support was just ridiculous. Software (buffering) issues aren't going to be solved by logs, they'll be solved by looking at your own software and seeing what's going on.

  Finally, after sending logs, I waited... And waited.... And waited.... And waited... No response . I just created a new ticket and told them to refund. I mean, after 2 weeks of no response, it was obvious that these clowns really, seriously had no clue what they were doing... At least on my PC. 

  Deciding to try cloud, maybe that'd help the issue, fix it up, I added some $$ there. Their software, their hardware, their network. If the issue kept up, well, it was obvious the problem was on their end.

  Much to my (lack of) surprise, the cloud recordings had close to the same issue. About 30 seconds of buffering with extremely low quality graphics. Worthless, just worthless.  Once again, ticket opened up, aaaand, once again, weeks went by with ZERO support.

   

  Playon claims to be able to do things that it just flat out cannot do. When called on to fix problems, they blame others, every single time... Whether it's "your pc configuration" or "the provider's adjusting quality based on speed" (seriously???)... They cannot provide quality, or timely support, and simply just refuse to do their jobs properly, in any way, shape or form.

   

  Is Playon worth the hassle? Absolutely not. the company needs to be torn down and rebuilt, from the ground up, with a focus on SUPPORT and doing what it should have been doing all along.

• 0
  
  Michael August 26, 2018 18:52

  Sometimes I wonder if PlayOn is a one man show, because I don't think I have ever had anyone but "Bill" answer my support tickets.

• 0
  
  lynn August 26, 2018 18:57

  I suspect you are right. The original package was likely done by a decent size team, but when they realized how much work would be required to make it successful, all but one or two moved on, IMHO.

• 0
  
  Michael August 26, 2018 19:41

  @lynn

  It would explain the lack of support for other channels.

   

  @Tom

  Don't think I've had any experience with Skip.

   

  Coupled with the ability to record Live TV, Plex would be a beast if this functionality was added to their Plex Live TV DVR. It's the only thing I use to watch any of the programs I record with PlayOn.

• 0
  
  Tom Whiting August 26, 2018 22:41

  I got started with Plex way before I found PlayOn, and have had zero issues with Plex since.

  Unfortunately, Plex doesn't pull videos from sources like Vudu or Amazon, and I really want to get everything into Plex, as I'm working to host my library locally, given the garbage that these other sites have pulled, with disappearing videos and the like.

  Sadly, looks like there is really no real alternative to PlayOn for that :(

• 0
  
  lynn August 27, 2018 04:01

  Plex is a GREAT media server, I use it as well. Never had any problems with it. Frankly, I've given up on ever finding a decent streaming recorder that doesn't incur a significant monthly fee, be it local or cloud based storage. So, my compromise was to install a 60 mile antenna in the attic and connect it to a four tuner Tablo device. It records all local channels (including the networks) just as you would want, and then streams them through just about all the popular streaming devices (wired or wireless). That covers all the local/network channels, and then I use Sling, Netflix and Amazon Prime for everything else. I bring all of them through Roku's, I have one for each of the five TVs in the house  100% streaming, and it works quite well. No more DirecTV, no cable, no Dish, etc. BTW, I tried Spectrum's streaming service as well as DirecTV NOW, both were quite disappointing. Maybe in a year or two they will be competitive with Sling, etc, but not yet.

• 0
  
  Michael August 27, 2018 18:50

  @Tom

  Plex has channels from A to V. Just not that A or that V.

  I've not looked, but the Unsupported App Store (UAS) has a mess of channels. It's available in the WebTools Plugin bundle.

   

  @lynn

  I've been using OTA with Hulu & Netflix since I cut the cord in 2014. Haven't looked back. Tried Spectrum's streaming service. It sucked. Been thinking of doing a DirectTV Now & Sling TV trial. Also thought about either getting one of those AirTV's to use with SlingTV, or another USB OTA adapter and get the Plex Lifetime license so I can use Plex LIve TV. So many choices.

• 0
  
  Tom Whiting August 27, 2018 19:28

  I’ve yet to find anyth8ng with Plex that handles amazon or Vudu.  I’d have been there if I did :( 

  right now, I have probably about 20 tb of Plex data  and more on the way.  I just want to get it all migrated in