Help watch tv?

[carme4]

I feel like such an idiot, but I've never watched tv on my Note 2. With that being said, I was flying on Southwest Airlines last night and you could watch live tv via a free connection from the Dish Network. My husband was able to watch from both his Ipad and Iphone. I got to the point where you picked the show, hit, watch live tv, and it spent the entire time trying to load. Never did get to watch. What am I missing? Do I need to download an app in order to watch tv or what? HELP!!

 

[mikedt]

I've watched plenty of TV on my phone, but that's on WiFi at home or in a restaurant. Watching live TV on an aeroplane? When did that happen, and on your own devices? I can't even connect to the internet on a flight. One reason why I'm not exactly a fan of putting my stuff in "the cloud".

I did see WiFi internet on Cross Country trains when I was in the UK a few months ago, very slow though and unsuitable for streaming video. And they did state, unsuitable for Youtube etc. But probably ok for stuff like email or Facebook.

Sorry can't help you, but that is something new to me. TBH I'd love to see internet on aeroplanes. Especially long-haul, like London to Malaysia or Hong Kong.

 

[lcneed]

This is Southwest right? The problem is that it supports all iOS device but not all android devices. I think for android, it requires you have to have Abobe Flash installed and Note II (and most newer Android phones) does not have it pre-installed. You maybe able to watch it if you side load Flash on your phone, but I am not sure.

 

[mikedt]

This is Southwest right? The problem is that it supports all iOS device but not all android devices. I think for android, it requires you have to have Abobe Flash installed and Note II (and most newer Android phones) does not have it pre-installed. You maybe able to watch it if you side load Flash on your phone, but I am not sure.

Think I know what's happening then. If the service detects an iOS device, like an iPhone, it sends an appropriate stream, which would probably be Quicktime rather than Flash, as iOS devices don't have Flash. So if one is using something else, it's expecting it to have Flash. I guess that's something they might need to fix, as most Androids don't have Flash, and Flash on the mobile platform is pretty much dead anyway. If you're using a laptop it's not a problem, because most laptops have Flash.

Is this a new service that the airline is doing, because I've never heard of this before. If they get enough people complaining that it doesn't work on their Androids, and probably Blackberrys and Windows phones as well, they'll have to fix it. Trying to think how you'd get internet onto a plane anyway, probably satellite.

 

[lcneed]

Think I know what's happening then. If the service detects an iOS device, like an iPhone, it sends an appropriate stream, which would probably be Quicktime rather than Flash, as iOS devices don't have Flash. So if one is using something else, it's expecting it to have Flash. I guess that's something they might need to fix, as most Androids don't have Flash, and Flash on the mobile platform is pretty much dead anyway. If you're using a laptop it's not a problem, because most laptops have Flash.

Is this a new service that the airline is doing, because I've never heard of this before. If they get enough people complaining that it doesn't work on their Androids, and probably Blackberrys and Windows phones as well, they'll have to fix it. Trying to think how you'd get internet onto a plane anyway, probably satellite.

I think it started within the last year or so that Southwest has the free live TV on your own device. Most US airlines have some kind of paid WiFi service for domestic flights.

I think all Android devices prior to Jelly Bean has flash pre-installed, so those will probably work. Anything made 2012 after, probably won't.

 

[carme4]

Thanks everyone for your replies. That saves me the frustration of trying to connect for 2.5 hours like I did the other night. On both of the Southwest Airlines flights I took this week you could pay $8 to connect to the internet, or you could opt to watch FREE live TV courtesy of the Dish Network. When you opened your browser it took you to the Southwest site, but after choosing which show I wanted to watch, it would just get stuck on the loading phase.

 

[ScandaLeX]

I'm in awe of anyone who can do anything on a plane.
I instantly go to sleep no sooner than it lifts off the ground.