Stream Issues

[Dunlop73]

Having been initially delighted with Sky Stream I am becoming increasingly frustrated. Nearly every day I have to do a reboot before any TV channels will work. The HDMI issue hasn't been resolved and most times when I press the home button my TV changes to another input. Now the box refuses to recognise that I have a UHD to and won't go beyond 1080P.

Are these software glitches that will be sorted out or do I have a bad puck?

Any hello will be appreciated.

Jon

[Anonymous]

Hi sadly there are glitches that are being slowly worked through.

If you can hardwire the puck via ethernet cable as this will eliminate some problems, even if your other WiFi equipment works fine the pucks preference is hard wired.

Don't forget to turn off WiFi setting in the menu and once all wired up a factory reset would not hurt and start again.

It's a test and see unfortunately.

[Dunlop73]

Thanks for replying. It is connected by an Ethernet cable to the router. I'll try a factory reset later and see if that helps. 

[Dunlop73]

I've tried a factory reset - a bit of a pain as I had to spend ages logging in to all of the apps again. 
I can now select UHD successfully and the hdmi problem seems to be solved. However Apple TV+ doesn't work and now my remote control keeps disconnecting itself. 

I am just about ready to send the thing back. Very disappointing that it is so flaky. 

[SlenderRobert]

@Dunlop73 

Sadly consistency is one of Stream's biggest problems.

It works well for some people & badly for others. 
It's become so frustrating in our house that it now lies dormant & unused for days on end. We get all our TV much more reliably from other sources now. 

[Dunlop73]

Well after 24 hours of working pretty well (except Apple TV+ which won't open) the HDMI issue has started again (home button changes the input on the TV) and the live channels had a black screen again this morning.

A phone call to customer services I think

[Dunlop73]

Credit where credit is due. I phoned at 5.15 and the call was answered immediately. They're sending me a new box. I'm slightly sceptical it will help but I'll give it a chance. 

[Mandark]

@SlenderRobert 

Yeah. There's a few people on here paying for Sky Stream but half ignoring the puck because they don't trust it to deliver a reliable service what with the disconnections, the ad looping and general misbehaviour. I watched The Pacific on demand just fine but was unable to get through the first episode of Band of Brothers because of so many problems. So inconsistent.

I don't get why things are so smooth with the Now app on my TV yet so problematic with a custom digital box. I'd settle for lower res and less features for a reliable streaming service.

Just glad I didn't opt for Glass because your main TV set malfunctioning is a lot harder to set aside!

[SlenderRobert]

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@Mandark wrote:

@SlenderRobert 

Yeah. There's a few people on here paying for Sky Stream but half ignoring the puck because they don't trust it to deliver a reliable service what with the disconnections, the ad looping and general misbehaviour. I watched The Pacific on demand just fine but was unable to get through the first episode of Band of Brothers because of so many problems. So inconsistent.

I don't get why things are so smooth with the Now app on my TV yet so problematic with a custom digital box. I'd settle for lower res and less features for a reliable streaming service.

Just glad I didn't opt for Glass because your main TV set malfunctioning is a lot harder to set aside!

---

It feels to me like it's something to do with the server-based platform that Comcast have chosen to host all the third party apps on. The whole Entertainment OS seems to rely on this server too, judging by what happened the other day when the whole thing collapsed. 

Every other streaming device I own, including both TVs I use, host the apps locally (like the NOW app on your TV.) This seems to provide a more stable experience than Stream. 

The only thing Stream does well for me (once it's successfully turned on, which is sometimes a struggle for it too) is live TV and Sky on demand content, as long as it's selected at a measured pace. Any form of multiple button presses in quick succession just sends it in to a tizz. 

[Mandark]

@SlenderRobert 

Sounds plausible. My puck turns on fine. Live TV is generally fine but can sometimes disconnect. Sky on demand is my big problem and is very hit and miss. I've had to abandon trying to watch many drama box sets and documentaries on demand. Third party apps are generally fine but subject to occasional disconnections. For this reason, I tend to use the third party apps on my TV as they're problem free. 

[Jporch316]

@SlenderRobert 

I use  my glass tv as my main tv and in the last few months I've had barely any issues (apart from the annoying brightness bug on prime app) and the CW rail which I don't really use

I don't use my 2 pucks much at all - but I have to say the glass unit is pretty reliable at the moment 

[SlenderRobert]

@Mandark 

Yeah, consistency is its biggest problem. It functions perfectly for some, yet is irritatingly glitchy for others with no rhyme or reason as to why. 
I've given up on it really. I still pay a reduced subscription for a basic service as it's not much more than a full price Netflix Premium sub and it's technically a business expense in our household. 
I'll continue to pay for its quirks for a bit longer out of curiosity, purely to see how/if it improves. 

[SlenderRobert]

@Jporch316 

Glad to hear there are a few satisfied customers! I'd never have a Glass in our house. Ghastly things. 
Interesting you don't use the pucks. Do you still pay for whole home? 

[Jporch316]

@SlenderRobert 

One is in my daughters room and one in my bedroom 

my daughter complains now and then about not being able to keep track of the shows she's watching but I think she mostly uses it for Netflix 

I mostly use the other puck for YouTube guitar stuff and it does the trick !!

[SlenderRobert]

@Jporch316 

YouTube does seem to work slightly more reliably than the other apps on Stream. At least it did the last time I tried it! My puck hasn't been on for several days...