Forest Player Issues?

[Randy Bumgardener]

Heya all. has anyone had any issues trying to register for Forest Player? I've been trying to pay and the DDBank link thingy won't load up??? Any suggestions?

 

[alfordred]

I suggest you get used to the hours of misery and frustration you will have using Forest Player.

 

[OxfordshireRed]

I'm still waiting for the promised HD quality videos....the footage of Wolves v Reds looks like it was shot on a 1960's 8mm cine camera by an alcoholic awaiting his first drink of the day......

 

[Captain Sinister]

They are usually quite good at taking the money; less so at delivering the service.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

A lot of people are having issues with FP tonight. Suggest if you live in Notts then time to get the wireless out.

 

[Gingers Across the Midfield]

Dreadful tonight.

Working okay for the start of the second half though

 

[Gingers Across the Midfield]

I say that but its f**ked again.. JYNXED IT

 

[Gloucester_Red]

I have just sent an email to the providers of the player service. This is what I have said

"I must admit after the promise at the start of the season as HD quality videos and coverage of all Forest games I am gobsmacked at the standard and lack of quality of the service that you are providing and I say providing very very loosely. On match days I am constantly getting the 405 error if I try to log in any time close to kick off a problem that I don't have if I get in early. I then find my self having to go to a club site that doesn't have a lot of fans logging in there and then changing the match. The problems don't end there the audio commentary is constantly cutting out and I have to select the game again and wait for the commentary to re connect. The audio commentary is at least 30 seconds to a minute behind the text commentary. Finally the HD video content........ well I am still waiting. I really do not feel that you have provided a 'service' to me and a number of my fellow Forest fans. I would suggest as a minimum gesture of goodwill from yourselves you should refund at least half of the seasons subscription because I assure you there will be a lot of fans who will not be subscribing to this 'service' next season. I await you response before deciding on my next course of action."

I will let you know what response if any I get

 

[FBS]

I am in an email conversation with "Guru" about the quality tonight. Everything he has told me to do I have done but still the same problem. He (?) then gave me a big email about why it might not be working properly and blamed it on either my pc or ISP. Both are perfectly fine and FP has worked well on these for several years.
I've replied back with an I depth email saying my pc, ISP and download speeds are all top quality, and also that everything they say is slightly incorrect.
I've asked for a direct name and email address
We wait to see what they come back with.

 

[alfordred]

I'm ashamed to say I lost the plot with my email and gave them both barrels still this is my reply:
Hi Rick,

Thank you for your email.

We apologise for the problems you are experiencing listening to the commentary.

There are a few things that you can try to get access to the commentary.

Can you please ensure that you are correctly logged onto the site? Your name should be in the top left corner after ‘Hi there’. To ensure that you are not logged in to an old account, please go to the ‘My account’ section and ensure that your subscription is in date.

Please ensure that the commentary that you would like to listen to is selected in the ‘Live Matches’ section of the site. The commentary can take up to a minute to come through so please wait for one minute before trying again.

If this is not successful, please clear your cache by following the below link and then try listening to the commentary. Again, please give it a minute to come through.

http://www.performgroup.com/articles/20080514/website-does-not-appear-to-be-updated_2245066_1312288

If the commentary is still not coming through, it may be worth trying a different web browser. Below are three different options:

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ - Firefox
https://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/chrome/browser/ - google chrome
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie/home - Internet Explorer

Thank you for your co-operation and if further assistance is required, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards
Guru
Customer Services

I can't see me renewing next year.

 

[peterollingin]

I know this must get boring for non-Player subscribers but here's my two-penneth:


"ONCE AGAIN I had a night of great frustration listening to Nottingham Forest last night...was it because we capitulated to an inferior team in Ipswich Town? NO it was because Forest Player, which I happily pay a fiver-per-month for was, once again, 'perform'ing extremely poorly.
I don't mind the odd glitch - that's the internet - but I'd suggest at least a third of the broadcast was silence - nothing to fill my ears but the background mutterings of Eastenders. Unacceptable.

I live in Devon so getting to Forest games isn't a viable option so I look forward to and evening following my boys. Alas your two-bob, shoddy system fails to deliver time after time.

I wonder if I went into a restaurant, ordered a Full English, paid my fiver and then received just a plate of cold beans whether the owner would be happy with this? Do you think he might offer me a refund? Well, how about you try this? I get 33% service so please refund me 66% of my subscription?

Before you reply with technical suggstions I've tried 'Player' on Chrome, IE9 and Firefox, I have 4mb broadband, my cache is clear and my laptop is pretty good. I'm also logged in correctly.

I'd really appreciate some honest, helpful feedback. What are 'Perform' going to do about this widespread issue?

Find Regards
Pete

 

[Col]

I'm so glad I don't pay for this, the times I've tried it this year have been shocking so haven't bothered since.

 

[FBS]

After the absolutely annoying situation that happened on Tuesday night with Forest Player, it seems like most of us complained. Throughout Tuesday Night I continued to reply to all the emails they would send, constantly explaining it's not my PC or Internet but their system. On Tuesday Night they would accept it was their fault, yet the following day I received an email explainging they were aware of the issue and were working on fixing it. So them trying to blame my PC or internet on Tuesday night was completely incorrect (as I knew it was).
Below is the full email exchange I had with them (I like how he recommends unplugging my internet for it to work)

From:
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:25 AM
To: customerservices
Subject: FLi player site: Audio/Video issues

site player.nffc.com
to customerservices@performgroup.com

from
subject FLi player site: Audio/Video issues
message To whom it may concern, I continue to have problems using my player to listen to live matches. I normally log in via my own clubs player (Nottingham Forest), however over the past 4 weeks it has hardly ever worked and when it did it stopped and started so much that it was constantly behind the play by about ten minutes or more. Two weeks ago I logged in via another clubs player and then chose to change the comment match back to my own club. This worked for that game, but the past two games (Saturday and tonight) my player doesn't work no matter what club I log in as, it starts for about 2 minutes and then drops dead. Then returns for a minute and then drops again I have tried it in three different browsers (IE, Firefox and Chrome) but these issues continually persist. As I live out of the area for local radio I rely on my club player to be able to listen to the live matches, and also see the highlights etc throughout the week. I continue to pay my yearly subscription and I have been a subscriber for several years now, but this season has been the first time I have ever witnessed it be so bad. I am disappointed by the service I am receiving, instead of it getting better with the upgrades it seems to have gone backwards. Please can you look into this of a matter of importance, as it is not just myself that experiences these problems. Being a member of a football forum many other members also report these problems at live match times as well. I look forward to hearing from you shortly Regards
other params:
sender.name :
________________________________________
From: customerservices@performgroup.com
To:
Subject: RE: FLi player site: Audio/Video issues
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:09:15 +0000
Hi,

Thank you for your email.

It is possible that your computer is looking at old pages stored in the cache, or that a cookie has been corrupted.

The site you are using is supported across all platforms - please access the following page for assistance on how to complete this for your browser:http://www.performgroup.com/articles/20080514/website-does-not-appear-to-be-updated_2245066_1312288

Should your symptoms continue please do not hesitate to contact us again.


For a video tutorial on how to clear cache, please find the following links.


For Google Chrome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKVQDiYJLx8&feature=g-crec-u

For IE 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Z3FnDhhhE

For Firefox: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAglen29DWQ

For Opera : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncEG-JRCbAo

Best regards
Guru
Customer Services



Please take the time to complete the short survey located below

http://communicatoremail.com/IN/F/A4z4oQfVi4o4U299ZuVbuM/

From:
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:52 AM
To: customerservices; customerservices
Subject: RE: FLi player site: Audio/Video issues

Hi,

I have done everything that you list below, but still the problems persist. I do not feel these problems are being caused by my PC.

The commentary is still constantly stopping, and then I have to restart it by click on another commentary before clicking back.

These problems need to be looked at more in-depth by yourselves, as I do not feel I am getting value for money from your service

I hope to hear from you soon

________________________________________
From: customerservices
Sent: 27/11/2012 20:44
To:
Subject: RE: FLi player site: Audio/Video issues
Hi ,

Thank you for your email.

The quality of the stream largely depends on the connection speed you receive from your Internet Service Provider. We provide the stream at two speeds (600kbps and 1Mbps). Please choose the options that matches your connection. You will need a connection speed of never less than 800kbps to view the slowest stream properly.

Please remember that broadband connections are shared by location. This is known as the Contention Ratio. If many people in your area have the same Internet Service Provider then you will be sharing the connection with them. For this reason it may be better to view clips at a lower quality (speed) than normal to reduce the buffering breaks.

Although ISPs advertise various speeds for their broadband service, these are maximum speeds and are not always achieved. The routing chosen by your ISP to reach our servers can also have an effect on the stream. The more hubs that the stream passes though, the more likely is there to be a degradation of the video displayed. It may improve the situation if you disconnect from the internet complete

You can test your current speed here http://www.speedtest.net/

To save bandwidth, turn off any other browser windows that are open and close other applications that use the internet. Close as many other applications as possible to save RAM.

If your speed is sufficient and you are still experiencing interrupted playback you can test your broadband line by going towww.pingtest.net

Best regards,
Guru
Customer Services

From:
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 2:56 AM
To: customerservices
Subject: RE: FLi player site: Audio/Video issues

I have tested all of the below you mention, and all results come back with good results. There is no reason my ISP or PC would experience problems, and previously I have not experienced problems. But over the past month or so the player has got progressively worse.

I do not believe there would be a problem due to the amount of people using the same ISP as these companies are experienced to deal with these and add extra products to ensure no drop or very little drop in connectivity.

You mention about looking to change my stream speed, however there is no option in player to do this. It is on one constant speed, and has always worked previously for this. As I said, I've never changed any settings as it previously worked perfectly fine for a long time. Only this season has it got gradually worse throughout using it.

You also talk about the hubs it passes through then that could affect the degradation of the video and say to disconnect from the internet. But as you are aware, player does use a video format. Its a constant static tool bar that has no pictures and only buttons to alter some options. Also if I was to disconnect from the internet how would I listen to the live commentary? That is one of the main points of subscribing to player yet that would not work if no internet connection.

Please could you give me a direct email address or phone number to make a complaint about this service. I would request not to be given a standard email address, but rather somebody's direct email at the company as I am not happy with the service provided.

I look forward to your reply

Hi ,

Thank you for your email.
We do not have a phone service but please feel free to contact us via email.

We are aware of this issue you have raised, We are in touch with the relevant team and can assure you to fix this issue at earliest.
We appreciate your patience in the meantime.
Best regards,
Valen
Customer Services

 

[PynchonForest]

This is just f***ing poor service. And it's indicative of many corporations, who hide their shortcomings behind polite banter.

 

[nffclsr]

I love how they raised the price this year because you can now pause the audio stream (which requires a buffer, and probably the cause of the 30 second - 1 minute delay behind the text commentary).

The service is very poor, but I found keeping adobe flash up to date seems to help a lot.

 

[FBS]

I notice they have put back in place the old system for audio use. Just has stop and start on it.

 

[forzagaribaldi]

Service was flawless for me today. Maybe so many of us wrote to complain they actually did some bugfixing. Fingers crossed.

 

[valspoodle]

The email replies above indicate that they have standard response emails which they just ping off to cover the general area of the customer complaint.

I was going to purchase Forest Player now I have a faster broadband connection, but with continued complaints from many posters, I don't think I'll bother.

 

[The_City_Is_Ours]

I used to use Player for the extended highlights of away games, seeing as we get nothing in the way of coverage on the Football League show, but haven't bothered watching any this season as the quality is f***ing terrible. What ever video quality they claim to offer is just a lie and providing a low/medium/high quality option is pointless when they all look exactly the same and cannot be played in full screen.

As for the content : U-21 and U-18 games would interest me if they were filmed in better quality and by somebody who had previous experience of operating a camera. The rest is all just filler and should be available on the official site for free

 

[goatboy]

Looks like people are coming to realise what an insult his service is. They don't give a f*** about us, they've got a monopoly. Writing to them won't change anything.Writing to the club and asking them to find an alternate provider or providers is the only solution.

No one company should have the sole ability to provide this streaming, where's their motivation to give a good service? It's as offensive an example of cynical captive market milking as I've ever seen. I keep being told the club are locked into a contract with other clubs for this service. f*** the club too, then. Their responsibility to ensure they don't pitch in with a bunch of con-artists who f*** the fans over. Their responsibility to ensure we are treated with respect and their responsibility to ensure those of us far afield can remain engaged with the club somehow without feeling like we're being bent over a table and *buffering*

Tn years ago the main website had a play button on it and you got perfect commentary over bloody dial up, paid for by your TV licence. Until we get something of that value and reliability, shame on the club, the providers and all the other clubs. And shame on any mug who spends money on it again after this season. It was bad enough last year.

 

[OxfordshireRed]

so, having previously had zero issues with FP before, today I get the dreaded 405 message and try as I may, no way can I get logged in. Now I feel dirty as I have gone in via the Sheep Player.....a fecking joke is what the providers are!!!

 

[Tutts]

I think it's nice that Soccer Saturday tell me when Forest have scored so that I can listen out for it on Forest PLayer about 30 seconds later.

 

[Fisher]

I think it's nice that Soccer Saturday tell me when Forest have scored so that I can listen out for it on Forest PLayer about 30 seconds later.

I like how the flashing red goal icon goes off minutes before Fray goes mental. Lets me celebrate for longer.

 

[Irishforestfan]

Yep. Can't get the commentary to work at all...they really need to sort this out!!