iView no longer working

As i said previously, since it’s a new issue … it may take a while to resolve  (probably not until next year)

you can still watch iView on your PC or Laptop   (sure, not as comfy as sitting on the couch)     

http://iview.abc.net.au/

Please find attached my questions to WD email support and their answers in regard to ABCiView.

What I got from the replies was basically it is all up in the air and an agreement has to be made between WD and ABC before the service is provided again, if ever.

Question 1. Please confirm if you are to keep ABC iview (this was one of the major reasons for my purchase and would amount to more that 50% of my usage)

Answer 1. - As noted on the release posted on ABC’s site, the WD TV Live Streaming Unit is not one of the devices that their service will continue to support at this point in time. Thus, though WD’s device used to connect to the service, ABC’s service no longer supports WD’s device. If a fruitful update/agreement to support the device is achieved in the near future, the device will continue to keep ABC iView as one of the supported services.

Question 2. Please confirm when a firmware update will be available to fix the viewing issue on ABC iview.

Answer 2:- At this point in time there is no firmware update scheduled to be released to fix the fact that the ABC iView no longer supports the WD TV live Streaming device. If a fruitful update/agreement to support the device is achieved in the near future, the device will continue to keep ABC iView as one of the supported services and this will be made available through a firmware update at such point in time.

Question 3. Please advise as to why there is no mention (that i can find) on your website that ABC iview can no longer be accessed by WD TV Live Streaming Media Players.

Answer 3: - The reason there is no mention of the WD TV Live Streaming unit not supporting ABC iView cannot be found on WD’s web site, is because the unit does support the service; however, the service has changed and discontinued support for the device in the time being. This is why the ABC iView page describes the supported devices and the WD site lists the supported services.

Question 4. Please advise as to why there is no mention (that I can find) on your website of the potential of ABC iview no longer being supported by all WD TV players.

Answer 4: - At this point there is no mention of the issue at hand on WD’s site given that it has not yet been updated. This is so, due to the fact that the issue has come about due to an Internet-based vulnerability that triggered ABC to change its means of delivery of the signal; since this was not a planned situation from WD’s behalf, it is unfortunately not one that WD could have prepared for. Given that the situation has arisen beyond the control of WD, I believe an update to the web site will be made soon to describe the situation and possible resolutions shortly.

Question 5. Please advise why you are still advisertising ABC iview as a selling point for your WD TV Live Streaming Players when at this stage it can not be used to view programs and WD has no current time line for offering a firmware update to access these programs, and are currently questioning whether or not to keep the ABC iview service.

Answer 5 - The service in question, ABC iView is one of multiple services originally supported by the device. Given that this change from the service no longer supporting the WD device has come about since November 1st 2014, it is not possible to immediately recall publicity (physical or virtual) or packaging that lists the service as supported. In reality, the service is supported but given the change endured by the service, it no longer supports the device named WD TV Live Streaming Media Player. Please note that this service’s support is not advertised as a major selling point but is a listed feature of the device which as such, is bound to change or cease should the feature provider (ABC) choose or have to change or cease its availability.

Question 6. As accessing ABC iview was a major factor in my purchase will I be refunded some of my purchase price if WD decides to drop the service.

Answer 6 - A full refund is made available by most retailers within a certain period of the device purchase. Through the manufacturer’s direct sale channel in this case WD Online Store, a 30-day return policy is made available. If you recently purchased the device from either venue, both options can be considered. If the unit has been deemed as faulty to a major level, not fit for purpose, not of acceptable quality, dead on arrival or not meeting its expressed warranties, a refund can be requested from the manufacturer after all available resolutions have been exhausted. WD as the manufacturer of the device provides you with a like-for-like replacement while under warranty but unfortunately, a partial refund or monetary reduction / compensation due to an unforeseen, uncontrollable and third-party-caused change on a feature does not have valid or positive precedent set.

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For sale: 2 not terribly old WD Live media players. Previously much loved, now somewhat less so. Does anybody have suggestions for a good, inexpensive media player that supports a wide range of media formats and has a working iView app?

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We have passed along this information to support.

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Thanks for sharing this. Unless they fix it pretty soon it’ll be two more additions to the tech graveyard with the end of my relationship with WD. Iview is the only reason I ever bought one of these, let alone two.

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Thank you for letting us know that the ABC iView service is no longer working.  WD and ABC are actively working to resolve this issue.  Unfortunately, there is currently no ETA for the fix. 

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Yeah?.. well give the OP (me) some [Deleted] kudos then for pointing it out and show some real support for your product like we have shown WD.

Explain to me why other products have no probs, surely a simple edit of the current FW is all that’s needed. There are other issues with this firmware that have been obvious long before this one.

I’m currently looking at other streaming products that allow open source firmware so that when the manufacturer has better things to do, I at least may keep it operational.:angry:

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For anybody else tracking this thread, an ABC mod has posted we can expect a firmware fix “in December”

http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=98&m=35797&ps=50&dm=2

I can understand some of the sentiment and dissapointment being expressed with WD in this thread.

My disappointment started the day I bought my WD Player and WD did not honour their cashback promotion on my purchase. There was no success in pursuing my claim which was totally ignored.

Now we are pretty close to the end of December and still have no Iview service resolution or firmware update where other companies like LG resolved their conflicts with the change in service within weeks.

This lack of action can loose customers and future sales. Marketing training tells me it only takes about 10% of the effort to keep a customer as it does to win them over in the first place.

Still waiting…

Well, my comment will probably be frowned on here but I’ve made the switch to a Pi due to lack of action. The wd will be used by another family member that could care less about iview or any other catch up tv that it doesn’t support.

Whats a Pi?

abbreviation for “Raspberry Pi”  $35 Computer  (which can do many things, including running XBMC + Video Add Ons)

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Is there any further news on  the FW update that we were due to recieve in December to correct the lack of ABC iView problem?

not at this time … but hopefully soon

remember, it was an ABC Iview Moderator that quoted a December update …

that doesn’t take into account anything else WD may be working on to resolve / add , before the next update

That said, the WDTV Media Player (2014) update fixed ABC Iview (and MP4 playback) … but there are still some things that need resolving / testing in my opinion

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The decision to provide Iview service by WD appears to have a sales basis.

My main reason for the purchase was Iview compatability. As a shift worker the loss of this service has been inconvenient.

While I believe there will be resolution provided sometime, the commitment shown does not appear to match that of some of WD’s competitors, people will drift away and purchase other devices. I am looking at upgrading my TV now to a smart model which also offers SBS on demand and other Australian services .- Now if they were to add some additional Australian services when they repair the Iview issues then that would go some way to appeasing my current disappointment in the WD brand.

Sydney Australia, 6 June 2012 - Western Digital®, a world leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV media player family, today announced the addition of the popular ABC iview service to its current models of WD TV® Live™ and WD TV® Live Hub™ products. Committed to providing the greatest variety of entertainment for its customers, WD responded to customer feedback calling for iview compatibility. The highly requested service joins an already impressive range of premium content offerings including YouTube™, Spotify™, DailyMotion, Vimeo®, PlayJam, Picasa Web Albums™, TuneIn Radio and MLB.TV®, as well as the recently announced AOL HD™ and Red Bull TV™ service.

“WD continuously listens to its customers, and is always looking for ways to add the entertainment options they want,” said Craig Davis, Director Sales & Marketing, Retail Division, Western Digital Asia Pacific & Japan region.  “With today’s addition of the ABC iview service, a free internet content service offering full-screen video on-demand, the WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub players provide ever increasing entertainment options to the Australian market.”

http://www.arnnet.com.au/mediareleases/14309/wd-brings-abc-iview-to-wd-tv-live-and-wd-tv-live/

Pleased to announce that I receieved an email from WD support today.

“All issues with the ABC iView have been resolved from their end and our media players should work fine with this service without requiring any updates. If you are still experiencing issues with the iView service, please reset your unit back to factory settings by holding the reset button underneath the unit for 5 seconds with a paperclip or pin, the unit will reboot within 2-3 minutes and the service should be accessible afterwards.”

Haven’t been able to verify the result but Thankyou WD Support (in advance).

that will be interesting since the 2014 WDTV Media Player … iView was fixed with a Firmware Update (which i have tested and verified is working)

so, now they are saying iView is *fixed* for the WDTV Live Streaming without the need for a Firmware Update ?

Interesting … please test and post your findings

Have tried and still not working!

It’s working fine on the 2014 WDTV Media Player

Sounds like “support” were refering to that Device and not the WDTV Live Streaming

Does anyone with any pull monitor these forums, or is this just a place for users to gripe about the lack of support offered by WD?

Can we expect any word, officially or unofficially, that WD will be offering a fix for this iView problem?

“Passing on the information to support” is a rather lacklustre attempt at pushing your company for a resolution.

It seems we live in an age of buck passing and zero accountability. WD blames iView (correct, it is their ‘fault’ because of the SSL vulnerability change, but you have a responsibilty to fix your end to keep it compatible with the service that you used to lure buyers to your product. It was mutually beneficial at sales time, now you should support your product.)

In the end, I think it’s rather poor that this has gone on for so long. It would be (I believe, without having intimate knowledge of the firmware code) rather simple to code a fix for this.

This hasn’t put me off WD for good, it’s still an excellent media player, even if I did roll back the firmware due to the UI slowing down greatly, however it seems a very poor time for WD to be dropping the ball on support. There are myriad new generation media players that really starting to lift their game and offer serious competition to WD live steaming, and when it comes time for an upgrade in a year or so, I hope WD has taken a good look at these forums for feedback.

Can I suggest engaging a little more on the forums would be a great start?

Zero communication won’t help customer loyalty any more than bad firmware will.

Final question: When can we expect a fix?