ABC video player no longer supports Linux

[banjobacon]

ABC upgraded its Flash video player a while ago. Initially, users were given the option of using the new version (which doesn't work on Linux) or the old one (which did). Recently, this option has been removed. There's no old version to fall back on if your computer isn't compatible with the new player, which means Linux users can't view ABC shows online.

I decided to write a short email today explaining the situation, and asking that users be given the option of using the old player. I mentioned not wanting to pirate the shows, because I actually don't. I find the Flash player more convenient. I also figured mentioning piracy might catch their attention.

One item of feedback won't make much of a difference, though, so if anyone here cares about this, please send ABC an email. Feedback link can be found here: http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing

Even if you don't care about ABC shows like Lost, consider that things like this affect the success of Linux on the desktop. We can't expect people to convert to Linux if the sites they use won't work.

[PatrickMay16]

So this site won't work with Flash Player 9 for linux? Or are you still using Flash Player 7?

Just curious...

[banjobacon]

So this site won't work with Flash Player 9 for linux? Or are you still using Flash Player 7?

Just curious...

You could click the link I provided and see for yourself, if you have Flash 9.

I have Flash 9 installed. Their older player worked well with Flash 9. However, the new player has the following requirements:


Windows 2000/XP/Vista - Internet Explorer, Firefox
Mac - Firefox, Safari

Spoofing the user agent in Firefox leads to an error message saying that Flash 8 is required, even though Flash 9 is installed.

[Andrewie]

you should try spoofing with konqueror, I tend to get good results with that. I usually spoof safari, spoofing internet explorer creates more problems.

[Ralob]

Well...that completely sucks. not that I stream from ABC. but I know several people who do who also happen to use Ubuntu+firefox

[MethodOne]

The player works on Firefox in Wine, but the video skips frequently.

[FuturePilot]

I hate sites that support only the Windows version of Firefox. If you're going to support Firefox, support it on all platforms!:evil:

[hanzomon4]

ABC never worked for me.

EDIT:My bad I'm thinking abcnews.....

[banjobacon]

The player works on Firefox in Wine, but the video skips frequently.

I'm not really looking for a solution that involves jumping through hoops. I'm looking for ABC to support Linux, as it had in the past. It's one thing to never support Linux at all. I get that. This isn't the case, though. Their player used to run on Linux (or any other OS on which Flash would run), and have removed Linux support when they upgraded their player. This really makes no sense, because the player is Flash based, and should run on any operating system which have a compatible version of Flash.

[kamaboko]

Yep, this has been going on for a while. I used to watch Lost on-line using Ubuntu, but not anymore. Gonna switch to Vista for that now. What can ya say? It's a MS world.

[trak87]

Best thing to do is take your patronage elsewhere. Much of the news reads the same anyway no matter where one gets it.

[dhruva023]

i just send them my feedback,

i request them , that i am using linux. and i want to watch videos.

i think we all should do that.

[mrgnash]

You can't watch their rubbish shows outside the US anyway, so bleh.

[LookTJ]

Best thing to do is take your patronage elsewhere. Much of the news reads the same anyway no matter where one gets it.

News? The OP means is that we Linux users cannot watch abc shows(kyle xy, lost w/e....) unless we are on Windows or OSX.

[trak87]

Oh, okay, he wants to watch shows.

[zyphax]

So, annoying. I sent them a feedback comment about it.

In the meantime, is there someplace I can pay money to download some Lost from?

Liz

[jgrabham]

I got past the "you must live in the US to access this" to find that out. :[

[FuturePilot]

Well I sent them my feedback.

[izanbardprince]

http://reporter.mozilla.org/app/report/?report_id=RMO11856703298167&submit_reportID=Lookup+Report

I filed that just now.

[Debbie]

Try this:

http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/flashplayer9.html

It looks like an update to the Linux flash player was just released a few days ago.

[DarinB]

please explain how do i use the flash 9 player and watch abc??

[shmi85]

I also sent a complaint through ABC's feedback form and mentioned piracy. Hopefully it'll strike the fear of lost profits in them.

And I would also like a bit of help with installing Flash 9. I extracted the tarball and opened up a terminal and then i typed <i>sudo install flashplayer-installer</i>, entered my password, got an error and opened the help file. And now I'm slightly unclear.

<i>Usage: install [OPTION]... [-T] SOURCE DEST
or: install [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
or: install [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY SOURCE...
or: install [OPTION]... -d DIRECTORY...
In the first three forms, copy SOURCE to DEST or multiple SOURCE(s) to the existing DIRECTORY, while setting permission modes and owner/group.</i>

What exactly am I supposed to use for my source and DEST and directory? which usage form should I use? Could someone just comment and type out for me exactly what I need to type in the terminal to get flash 9 to install properly? :)

I don't really think it's going to make a difference in using the ABC player, but it seems like good practice in a different way to install things.

[DarinB]

what would be a comparable flash?

[southernman]

I don't run/use a blog, but this is one story I'd like to see blogged about... subsequently dug and /.'ed to perhaps turn the screws a bit.

I did give my feeback to them, and suggested the above would happen now that it had been reported on a popular GNU/Linux forum.

[Caharin]

Got it to work!
you need wine, and firefox for windows.
install windows version of firefox in wine, run it, then just go to abc's website.
it will give you an instruction site about installing the plugin, just click the link on the list and then click allow in the prefrences. It should install the player and it works just fine.
Pretty much the same procedure for getting shockwave to work.

Remember, WINDOWS version of firefox, there is a link under the firefox2.0 banner for other languages or platforms.

-hope this helps.

[gerbalblaste]

I am not going to jump through hoops and use wine to access a site that (a) supports firefox and (b) requires flash 8 or higher when i have both.

[timcredible]

i filled out the feedback form, and after submitting it, the site came back and said it was too busy to accept the feedback. looks like abc.com has some real problems.

[nyioo7]

i did tht on my gutsy gibbon, and i got it running . but every 5 seconds video flashes not lag but flash. sounds too. do i need to configure wine somehow or wht's up w/ tht?

[nyioo7]

nvm i fixed it. just turned off vertex shader and pixel shader. didn't know which one 's causing but turned both of 'em. well i need it off to play pc games too so.... it works out. but yeh abc sux for hating linux

[Flying caveman]

They responded to me already. It seems like a rather generic response. I guess they though Flash wasn't good enough so now they have their own Flash-like player. I guess you could try running it it wine??? but I couldn't be bothered really. I do think its important to speak up though, Comcast did this a few years ago when they moved to Flash 8, with no option for flash7 I complained then too. At least now I can watch their crappy content if I want to.

Trying to think of a good response. :-k


Dear Viewer,

Thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback concerning the ABC Full Episodes Player. Our development team is continually working to improve the quality of your online viewing experience, and your feedback is an invaluable part of this process!

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the ABC Full Episodes Player, below are a few suggestions for resolving some of the more commonly experienced issues.

If you are having trouble downloading or installing the player, you may use the links below to download and install the player directly. Please select the link appropriate to your operating system and web browser.

PC - Firefox - http://mvnet.xlontech.net/qm/move/07074006/MoveMediaPlayer_win_mozilla_07074039.exe

PC - Internet Explorer - http://mvnet.xlontech.net/qm/move/07074006/MoveMediaPlayer_07074039.exe

MAC - Safari and Firefox - http://mvnet.xlontech.net/qm/move/07074006/qmpsetup_mac_mozilla_07074032.dmg

After the file has downloaded, double-click or run it to install the player. If you are having trouble upgrading the player software from a previous installation, uninstalling the software from your system and then reinstalling from the website should resolve the issue.

Please note the system requirements listed on the player FAQ page. The ABC Full Episodes Player does not support dialup connections or AOL Explorer. You must be able to download at broadband (Cable, DSL or T1+) speeds and use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox to view the content on this website. Additionally, the player supports only Internet Explorer 6+ and Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.0+ for Windows and Safari 1.3.2+ and Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.0+ for Mac OS X. Please view the webpage using one of these supported browsers and operating systems.

The ABC HD content has higher hardware and bandwidth requirements, in addition to the requirements listed for standard playback. These requirements are noted when you select the HD channel in the player interface.

If you experience playback problems with either video or audio, please try to change the player video settings to correct the problem by opening in your browser http://movenetworks.com/support/renderer.html

If you experience problems with slow or choppy video playback, please ensure that you meet or exceed the stated system requirements, including those pertaining to your internet connection speed. If you are unsure of your internet connection speed, please visit http://speedtest.net/ to perform a bandwidth test. Your connection must report that you are able to download at 300kbps or better to view the streaming content without problems. Additionally, disabling any anti-virus or internet security software which you may have running while viewing the website may afford you a more enjoyable playback experience, as this will free up more system resources for the best possible video playback.

We hope that this information is helpful in resolving any technical issues that you may be experiencing, and thank you again for your feedback!

Warm regards,

The ABC Full Episodes Player Team


**Please note: This email message was sent from an unmonitored address. Please do not reply to this message.**

[Flying caveman]

So I tried it in Virtual machine this morning and "Internet Exploder Encountered a problem" So then I tried with Firefox, it tells me I need Flash 8, So I install that. Then it tells me I need to install there plug-in So, I install that. But when I go to play the content I get an Error, When I right click on it it says its Flash 9?

So, as far as I'm concerned, their little plug-in is designed for the soul purpose of breaking compatibility with Linux. What I don't know is if they (ABC) are allowed to modify Adobe's code.

[bobterri]

Hey nyioo7. How did you turn off vertex shader and pixel shader?

[bobterri]

Anyone else?

[AldenIsZen]

Agreed, this is just crappy. I feel it is a move to try to control the video, and that is why they have their own version of flash. For whatever reason they didn't feel the need to make sure it works in Linux. If it wasn't for the fact I wanted to watch John Stossel's Ron Paul interviews I wouldn't bother booting Windows to go to their site. I will make sure to avoid them in the future.

[mohawk82]

I installed the new Adobe flash version 9.0.115.0-1 and ABC News video now plays on my box.

Mohawk82
3.06 GB P4
Duo Core

[rosegarden78]

I figured out how to get ABC.com streaming in Linux! :KS
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=679165

[trxgt05]

Even still it's a big run-around. Yes it works but it's not what we're looking for. We shouldn't have compensate just because we're not running either of the two most over-rated OS's. This really does make one want to turn to piracy.

[Tigershell]

IMO they can stop whinging about people downloading TV shows when they make their site available to everyone regardless of what OS or browser they use.

[dmizer]

This thread is a year old. Please let the dead rest in peace.