STV Import: NetFlix for SageMC (v2.1) 28-Feb-09

[bclenney]

Originally Posted by brainbone

If you can't see your Instant Queue then you likely do have account settings issues. Check that you've correctly entered your "ID", as I've described here.

The instant queue is empty, but my the other queue(cant think of the name) shows the movies that I have put into queue for them to send to me. (sorry I didnt report that earlier, I forgot that it started working)

[bclenney]

Ok, to try and work through this I have brought everything up to the latest version. SageTV, SageMC, already had the latest version of the addon and the remote control test 9. I don't think it changed anything for me (as far as Netflix).

Here is the status of every menu (since I think I've been unclear in what works and doesnt work):

Browse DVD Titles: Does not work
Browse Watch Now Titles: Does not work
Browse New Titles>
New DVD titles this week : Works
New DVD titles this month: Works
New Blu-Ray titles: Works
New DVD by Genre : Does not work
New Non-new TV Watch Now: Works
New TV Watch Now: Works
New WAtch new by Genre: Does not work
Manage Queue: Works (as a listing)
Instant Queue: Even if I queue something it doesnt show up (I think everyone has that issue?)
Search Movie titles: No matter what I put in, I get nothing back
View Channels: I think everything works here
View downloaded videos: Not sure what is supposed to d/l here

Since I cant browse Watch Now titles or search, I see no way to get to a lot of movies that I know are available via Watch Now. (am I missing something?)

Thank you for your help so far!
Brian

[robogeek]

Where did you setup the NetFlix plugin, from the SageTV server, a PC client, or an extender? And where are you trying to use the plugin from, the server, pc client, or extender?

Long story short.... The step that I don't think is posted in the instructions in the first post that you may be missing is that you should setup and configure the plugin on the server first. Get it working on the server before trying to get it working on extenders. Then, once it's working server, you have to copy the netflix configuration lines from the SageTV server sage.properties file to each of the client .properties files in the SageTV\Clients directory.

Also, if you have multiple account profiles, you should configure the NetFlix plugin with your primary account profile or Watch Now and some other stuff may not work.

If you've done all of that, double check your ID (the P with long string of numbers) and be sure it's the ID from your primary account profile.

[bclenney]

Originally Posted by robogeek

Where did you setup the NetFlix plugin, from the SageTV server, a PC client, or an extender? And where are you trying to use the plugin from, the server, pc client, or extender?

Long story short.... The step that I don't think is posted in the instructions in the first post that you may be missing is that you should setup and configure the plugin on the server first. Get it working on the server before trying to get it working on extenders. Then, once it's working server, you have to copy the netflix configuration lines from the SageTV server sage.properties file to each of the client .properties files in the SageTV\Clients directory.

Also, if you have multiple account profiles, you should configure the NetFlix plugin with your primary account profile or Watch Now and some other stuff may not work.

If you've done all of that, double check your ID (the P with long string of numbers) and be sure it's the ID from your primary account profile.

In Netflix I only have 1 profile and I'm not using extenders or clients with SageTV. I believe the ID must be correct because of the fact that I can see what is in my queue to be mailed to me and I can play things in the View Channels Subchannels. I'll go ahead and check it again though.

I have found a workaround to be able to watch what I want via Watch Now. From my PC I put the movies in queue to be mailed to me. Then in SageTV I can see the movies in the Manage Queue screen. From there I can play them.

Thanks again

Brian

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by bclenney

In Netflix I only have 1 profile and I'm not using extenders or clients with SageTV. I believe the ID must be correct because of the fact that I can see what is in my queue to be mailed to me and I can play things in the View Channels Subchannels.

The ID is not required for these items, but is for the rest you can't access. Its a common error. I got it wrong the first time.

[bclenney]

Originally Posted by brainbone

The ID is not required for these items, but is for the rest you can't access. Its a common error. I got it wrong the first time.

I've manually checked it 5 or 6 times (just checked it again). Just to make SURE I wasnt mixing and o and a 0 (after I checked it this last time) I got into netflix on the computer and cut and paste the ID into the property files. Still cant browse

Browse DVD Titles: Does not work
Browse Watch Now Titles: Does not work

(or any of the other items already mentioned in the previous posts)

Dunno.. may just have to live with it this way until someone has another idea or log for me to check or a new version comes out. I very much appreciate the help given to this point.

[gplasky]

User name (email address) and password are case sensitive. You should be putting the ID, user name and password in thru the settings in the plugin. Any spaces left at the end of the cut and paste in the .properties file will mess it up.

Gerry

[bclenney]

Originally Posted by gplasky

User name (email address) and password are case sensitive. You should be putting the ID, user name and password in thru the settings in the plugin. Any spaces left at the end of the cut and paste in the .properties file will mess it up.

Gerry

Yeah, that's how I put everything in the first time. Since the topic of the ID came up a couple of times I manually copy and pasted it (just the ID) this last time (the username and password I entered via the interface). I also hit "end" to confirm no space had been hidden at the end of the string. I'm 99.99% sure nothing is wrong with the ID. Not sure of any way to confirm it any further.

[brainbone]

Originally Posted by bclenney

I'm 99.99% sure nothing is wrong with the ID. Not sure of any way to confirm it any further.

How many characters long is your ID?

[jsonnabend]

I've recently upgraded my HTPC video card to go high def. That's finally working, but now Netfilx watch now stutters repeatedly. Play-halt-play-halt every third second or so.

I'm not using Silverlight. I am using the most recent version of Netflix for SageMC.

Anyone with any ideas how to start debugging this?

- Jeff

[bclenney]

Originally Posted by brainbone

How many characters long is your ID?

36 characters, started with a P

[bclenney]

When I go through the netflix configuration page there is an option that says something like "Genre browse filter". When I select it, it has two options "enable all" and "close". When I click "enable all", nothing happens... is this normal?

[bclenney]

What about the non-branded route?

Originally Posted by brainbone

Ok.

So, using the "Netflix Branded" API (what Vista Media Center (VMC) Uses for accessing Netflix) through a standard Netflix Developer Account is not an option. Netflix will only allow this for applications it approves as "Netflix Branded", and will only approve applications that target 50,000+ users in the first few months of release.

I've been able to use the hosted Netflix player VMC uses in Firefox and Internet Explorer by using Fiddler to inject some javascript into the www.netflix.com/WiPlayer, allowing me to control the silverlight player directly through javascript (no more mouse emulation), and put the player in a much more sane full screen mode (simply load IE in kiosk mode and the player is full screen - no stretching, masking, etc.). Unfortunately, Fiddler isn't a good permanent solution since it noticeably slows the connection down. Greasemonkey isn't an option, since its modifications are after the DOM has loaded. My modification needs to happen before the browser begins to render the content.

Anyone have any idea on how to tamper with the HTML delivered to IE, without using fiddler?

EDIT:
Yet another option may be to just access the DRMed stream directly using the PlayReady PC Runtime to display it, cutting Silverlight out of the picture altogether, but I'm a little concerned about the amount of time I would need to invest, only to be stung by the Netflix legal department (The content would still be DRMed, so I don't think I would be violating the DMCA, just the Netflix EULA). (This document details much of the Netflix Watch Now communication)

[robogeek]

Originally Posted by bclenney

When I go through the netflix configuration page there is an option that says something like "Genre browse filter". When I select it, it has two options "enable all" and "close". When I click "enable all", nothing happens... is this normal?

You know I just used the netflix plugin a few days ago to browse watch now titles and watched a movie without issues. I just checked mine now and it appears to be broken as you have been describing. It appears the 'Genre browse filter' isn't getting the list from the netflix site and that is why Browse DVD Titles and Browse Watch Now Titles and some other functions no longer work. Maybe it's a temporary issue with the netflix site, but it's more likely that we probably need an update to the netflix plugin to get this working again.

[tahoetim]

Guys,
when i posted earlier that this has been an issue for pages and pages of this thread i was inferring that it's broken and that it's not being addressed.

this plugin died and i asked it to be taken off the list of available plugins to save everyone time and frustration but the admins don't seem to be watching this thread.

I am not bashing Morgan. I am simply dealing in reality.

I appreciate the programmers here but I respect the wasted time of the users more.

[robogeek]

While I can understand the frustration, I don't think everyone appreciates or shares that sentiment. Everything but the queue management was working until just recently (last several days) for me. I can still add 'Watch Now' movies to the instant queue through the web browser and play them back on my extender using the NetFlix plugin. I'd rather have that than nothing at all, and I'm sure others would as well. It just needs to be made clear somewhere what does and what doesn't work.

[gplasky]

As I can understand the frustration. As it stands right now it is still working for me today except for queue management. And I get the null for plot summary. But I can still use the web to add movies and Watch Now. And that's how it works for most other systems also. The entire download forum is already posted for use at your own risk. I think Netflix is changing some things on their end too. Hopefully another plugin can come along or this one can be fixed where needed. But Watch now still works and that is mostly what I wanted it for. And to check on my queue.

Gerry

[alfi33]

Originally Posted by robogeek

While I can understand the frustration, I don't think everyone appreciates or shares that sentiment. Everything but the queue management was working until just recently (last several days) for me. I can still add 'Watch Now' movies to the instant queue through the web browser and play them back on my extender using the NetFlix plugin. I'd rather have that than nothing at all, and I'm sure others would as well. It just needs to be made clear somewhere what does and what doesn't work.

Yep, I agree. I've never used the Queue Management feature so I can't speak to that. However, I do use the Watch Now feature regularly with the Custom Viewer on my client without any problem at all.

[Brent]

I don't share in that sentiment though I do understand the frustration.

Just know that a plugin like this one tends to be one of a cat & mouse game where the developer has to often update the code to keep up with the Netflix site. This requires considerable time which Morgan doesn't have at the moment understandably.

Probably the best thing to do would be a disclaimer at the top of the thread saying the known things that are and aren't working at a given time so new & existing users know what they're getting into. We have to be very careful here though. You don't want to discourage a user-developer who devotes their free time on a project from creating/updating a plugin. And I think coming across as too ungrateful would have the opposite effect from what we want. I know you didn't intend it that way, but thought I'd throw that out there.

All of that said, I don't use the Netflix plugin as it is because it doesn't easily work with extenders (don't like the hack all that much) and because I'm in hopes of a better solution. I hope other devs will look at this as a challenge worth taking instead of something else.

[bclenney]

I hope I haven't come across as angry or ungrateful, because I'm thrilled to be able to watch Netflix at all. I hope one day it'll be a fully functional addon again, of course, but this is really cool