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No sound from BBC Radio Listen Again with RealPlayer

  • 14-07-2009 3:59pm
    #1
    Fogmatic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭


    As recommended by the BBC for non-UK locations (its iPlayer being UK only), I've just got & installed the current free Real Player (SP Beta ver.1.0), largely to hear BBC radio programmes I've missed. I set RealPlayer as the default for all filetypes it can handle.

    When I click on a BBC 'Listen Again' programme, an iPlayer window opens, which is frozen; no 'in progress' whirly thing or any other movement, and none of the buttons in the window will press. There's no sound. I've tried waiting up to 10 minutes, but the window still won't close/exit.

    No problem with the same station's 'listen live' facility; the same iplayer window opens, but it's alive, and I hear the streamed audio as clearly as through a hi-fi (although for some reason the iPlayer window says 'This content doesn't seem to be working; try again later', when it patently is working!). Anyway, it looks like it's no problem at the BBC site that the iPlayer window appears though using RealPlayer.

    The frozen Listen Again iPlayer window says 'For best results enable JavaScript', but it was already enabled (& updated). I tried the 'Lower bandwidth version' option, but no difference (my download speed is only .77mbps at the moment, but when I last visited BBC online it was with about 12kbps dialup, and Listen Again worked fine, using the then RealPlayer version (it was only the live streaming that had the odd brief stutter).

    BBC Help also suggests updating audio software; I might as well try that (but unlikely to be the problem, as live audio streaming works?) I was only recently able to set up this computer (when broadband became available here!), but have tested its sound with various sources and found no problem.

    I have Vista Home Premium SP1, and its firewall is the only one I'm using so far. Real Player can connect fine to the internet, but I checked the firewall's exceptions anyway, and they include Real Player (I hadn't added it, but read somewhere that Real Player adds itself).
    My only other security software as yet is AVG Free 8.5.374. Obviously nothing is blocking the live radio streaming,

    Somewhere in the troubleshooting effort I read of the known issues documented in RealPlayer's Release Notes. Anyone know where I can find the Release Notes, to see what the issues are? (the only text documents in my RealPlayer folder seem to be licence stuff, and I've searched in vain on the web for the release notes).

    I use Firefox (3.0.11) normally, but have tried the Listen Again with Internet Explorer (8) and there's no difference.

    Maybe I'm missing something obvious? (Yes, I did have the speakers on, and the volume up!).
    I'd be grateful for any ideas (I really wanted to hear that Radio 2 programme about Billie Holliday, and its week on the site ends tonight!).


Comments

  • #2
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Just tried iplayer and it cranked into life first time. I'm using FF 3.011 with Vista 32 behind a firewall.


  • #3
    Fogmatic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Fogmatic


    My Vista's also 32, Mike (forgot to say).
    Must be my settings I guess - I'll just make sure I've checked them all, and keep looking on the web for clues. I can't figure out why I can stream live BBC radio ok, but not download an archived programme!

    Did you mean you have iplayer installed? (I thought that was only possible in the UK).

    I'll have to continue trying (and check back here) tomorrow.


  • #4
    h2s
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 287 ✭✭h2s


    iplayer for Radio will work fine over here. It can be a bit tempermental. I use it all the time on both Vista and XP.

    One thing I found that helped was in Realplayer under preference and network transports to click the box for manual config, it seemed to work when I had difficulty in the past.

    Also you could select the option for the lower bandwidth setting on the bottom of iplayer, this too can help on occasion


  • #5
    Fogmatic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,003 ✭✭✭Fogmatic


    Well, I had been missing something obvious, which was trying other programmes in the listen-again list (troubleshooting sessions have that effect on me sometimes!). Nearly all the programmes I tried worked for me (including the following week's Billie Holliday one on Radio 2), so things must be basically ok. I also tried live radio from various different sites, which works fine. Maybe it's just down to glitches at the BBC or in the internet.

    But I'll try your tip, h2s - thanks!


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