How to get channel 4 working

Support & Help Requests
#1

Up till recently, I used to watch channel 4 online by installing hal and pepperflash plugin. However, for reasons of which I have no clue, this no longer works on any browser in ubuntu

My solution has been the following:

Install playonlinux

Inside playonlinux, install firefox and accept the automatic installation of flash player and shockwave player. During the installation, it will give you the option of opening firefox. Un-check this option and allow everything to install with firefox not yet opened

When it has finished, you may have to create shortcut to the playonlinux version of firefox

Once done, open the playonlinux version of firefox, Navigate to channel 4. sign in. Voila, it works. It runs in full screen with no tearing (assuming you have compositing enabled).

#2

Channel 4 have increased the minimum version of Flash to, something like 14, and Adobe Flash for Linux is 11.x. Chrome Pepper Flash is of course newer, but can’t reach outside its sandbox to enable the DRM crypto module provided by hal-flash.

1 Like
#3

Thanks for confirming that Martin. I thought it might be something along those lines. Anyway, the solution outlined seems to work thus far, so I’m happy enough with it. Having once made a short-cut to Playonlinux’s version of Firefox, I have found that by simply adding a given web address to the end of the command in the launcher, I can even get a channel 4 live stream to directly open from a given launcher without having to open playonlinux at all. Which is nice and neat. So, I have just changed all my launchers for the various channel 4 streaming websites to Playonlinux-Firefox ones. Thus, above the hood, everything looks and acts exactly as it did with Linux’s native version of Firefox.

#4

There you go @stevecook172001:

#5

Hi wolfman. Yep, I use that as its solid as a rock. Trouble is, it doesn’t have 4od. so you can only watch live.

Also I should add, after 24 hours of using my Playonlinux Firefox version, I have to admit to it proving to be a bit flaky. It works about 70% of the time and 30% of the time it throws a wobbly. So, not good enough really. I have gone for a virtual machine with Win7 and watching it from in there at the moment.

This is the one thing that always gets me down about Linux. Just as you think you’ve solved all of the problems, another set come out to play. But, even worse, some of the old ones make a reappearance as well. I know this is not necessarily Linux devs’ fault as the media providers keep moving the goalposts, presumably, and don’t communicate with Linux about these changes as well as they might. But, it doesn’t really help to know that.

#6

Hi Steve,

have you tried using Kodi?. :smiley: There is a chance that it will work for you as you are in the UK!. :thumbsup:

#7

Is Kodi and entire media oriented OS? If it is, then it is of no use to me since i use my Os for lots of things.

#8

You can run Kodi within Ubuntu Mate no problem, it is just another app!. :smiley:

I actually don't have it set up in Ubuntu Mate yet but it works!:

Pasted image1920Ă—1080 1.16 MB

http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Linux

#9

I ran the stand alone version for a short while. Thought it was a nice setup, but resource demanding. Not something I wanted in a vm.

#10

Had you ever thought of using Pipelight? It still involves Wine, but Pipelight was created to give a Linux-native solution to using certain plugins within web browsers, instead of needing to Wine your entire browsing session.


Except, instead of enabling silverlight, enable Shockwave;

sudo pipelight-plugin --unlock shockwave
sudo pipelight-plugin --enable shockwave
#11

Yes, I’ve just installed the standalone. It just seems like a load of ribbons and bows to play a stream. I just want to be able to click on a web launcher and load the damn thing.

1 Like
#12

Tiox, does this solve the specific problem with channel 4?

#13

I forgot to mention, did you try flash gtk?. I’m on my smart phone at the mo but look in Synaptic! :smile:

#14

does flash GTK solve the issue with channel 4?

#15

If Channel 4 is freely accessible, I’ll try getting it to work “Natively” a crack.

#16

Welp, this is how far I got;

After installing pipelight, I choose to do this with the browser open;
sudo pipelight-plugin --enable flash

After letting Wine do its thing and exiting the browser, I did sudo pipelight-plugin --create-mozilla-plugins and deleted pluginreg.dat as I had specified prior, then after opening the browser again and checking with about:plugins to make sure Pipelight’s Flash was enabled, I had the option on Channel 4’s website to play content, but said content did not work.

But hey, progress right?

#17

Hi Steve,

I had some problems with flash in FireFox and installed the GTK GUI version and it solved the problem for me!:

sudo apt-get install adobe-flash-properties-gtk

There is only one way to find out!. :smiley:

#18

Have a look here

It’s only one step off of what you are doing

Chris

2 Likes
#19

Not only channel 4, but there are game sites that cannot run on the older flash. This could also be a fix.

#20

So basically you’re saying I shouldn’t be using the native version of Firefox and use Firefox for Windows? If so, that’s a load of bullocks IMO.

If not, then explain; what’s the missing piece for what I’m doing in regard to using native Firefox to watch Channel 4?