On demand no longer working on our Panasonic devices

Since the last Freeview update, (Dec 2018?) all our Panasonic devices (PVR and TV's) can no longer play Freeview content.
We can navigate to the shows, but the "loading" symbol is the only thing visible.
Our neighbors confirm they are having similar problems with a late model LG device.
I could be forgiven for thinking that this latest Freeview update is a backward step, and there should be some responsibility and urgency to restore the platform to a state that most New Zealanders can access.
Who else has this issue? How many other brands of device are affected?

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Permalink Reply by TeeJay on January 31, 2019 at 11:55

Same thing has happened in this household. We have Panasonic Vierra TVs.

Up until last weekend, we were watching shows OnDemand, without any problem at all. Now all we get is the loading symbol.

I'm certainly not going to buy new televisions, so I hope this problem gets sorted soon.

What's going on?

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Permalink Reply by TeeJay on January 31, 2019 at 12:00

TVNZ OnDemand gave me this link. They say it is a Freeview issue. You might want to check it out. https://www.freeviewnz.tv/support/contact-us/

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Permalink Reply by Ralph Hill on January 31, 2019 at 12:39

I Don't expect a quick fix for this- apparently over 1.2 million users are affected by the Freeview plus "upgrade" and it is across quite a few brand s and models.
A technician I had a conversation with (from a prominent brand) implied that there was likely to be "no long term appetite" to solve the issue by Freeview's directors as it means investing limited resources in making the platform backwards compatible to existing firmware rather than developing technologies needed for newer devices. As the promoting of these new devices is advertising revenue for Freeview owners TVNZ and Mediaworks, you can see the loop closing.
I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but don't be surprised if the long-term advice is to bite the bullet and purchase a new device. I hope I'm wrong.

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Permalink Reply by TeeJay on January 31, 2019 at 13:03

I have discovered that most of the programmes I am keen to watch (with the exception, so far, of `Manifest', is on Netflix.

There are tons of other good shows too - many which I've followed on DVD, from the local video shop, which have never been shown on NZ television. I'm going to have fun catching up with those!

Have never considered paying to view programmes before, because I get Lightbox, free, through being a Spark customer, but now you mention this, I think I will try the 30 day free trial, then sign up for the $15 a month option, on Netflix, which allows me full access to television shows and movies, screening on up to two devices. That will suit my needs, although there are cheaper and dearer plans to choose from.

https://www.lightbox.co.nz/tv

https://www.netflix.com/nz/

If Freeview can't be bothered fixing the On Demand problem, it is their loss, in the long-run. I'm not spending hundreds of dollars to upgrade the four televisions in this house, when, who knows, they may do this to us again!

Check out the many current shows, new shows, and movies that you can get via Lightbox and Netflix. Don't be dictated to, by Freeview. Shows, being screened on On Demand are only a drop in the ocean, compared to what these two sites are screening.

Thanks for sharing your information. Much appreciated. It helped me make a quick decision.

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Permalink Reply by Ralph Hill on January 31, 2019 at 16:18

Yes, Freeview on demand will be loosing a lot of potential viewers of "on demand" only programming to Netflix, Neon etc with this latest debacle. Even more so now it's only available on Smart TV's PVR's and boxes.
I'm sure Freeview's esteemed directors know what they're doing by allowing this continue on for so long....