Internet Explorer on Xbox One Can't Play Flash Videos or Stream Full Episodes?!

[WPmunkey]

Well, I called out @Xbox and @IE on Twitter. Feel free to re-tweet it. As always, maybe if enough people complain they'll do something about it.

I know you want to incite some emotion to help brigade here, but you are not going to find it unfortunately. Everyone except Adobe has wanted to drop Flash for some time. It is lousy software that has only lead to crappy performance and security issues. However it is still very widely used around the web at this point because it has proved difficult for replacements to find traction for one reason or another. It does not have to do with the Xbox being able to run it, it sure could, but Flash is on it's way out, not the way in.

 

[coip]

I know you want to incite some emotion to help brigade here, but you are not going to find it unfortunately. Everyone except Adobe has wanted to drop Flash for some time. It is lousy software that has only lead to crappy performance and security issues. However it is still very widely used around the web at this point because it has proved difficult for replacements to find traction for one reason or another. It does not have to do with the Xbox being able to run it, it sure could, but Flash is on it's way out, not the way in.

I'm well aware that Flash sucks, but the fact is that the majority of online streaming sites use it. It's the standard and will be for at least a few more years (it takes time to completely break away from a standard), so regardless of its own merits, I would much rather have the convenience of watching shows and videos online on my TV via IE for Xbox One than not have that option, and I can't see why anyone else would feel differently.

 

[MobileVortex]

There are a lot of security issues with Flash, im fine with not having it. I download all the stuff i want to watch then use play to.

 

[Blacklac]

There are a lot of security issues with Flash, im fine with not having it. I download all the stuff i want to watch then use play to.

What are some Flash security issues? Try not to Google.

 

[Keith Wallace]

If my sister's crappy Smart TV's web browser can play Flash videos without restriction than IE on Xbox One should be able to do it too, if Microsoft wanted to.

Oh, well since a TV can do it, something that is not a TV MUST do it. My TV has probably 5 different video inputs, so I guess it's just unreasonable for the Xbox One to not have the same. iOS and Windows Phone don't support Flash. Android only half-does it, from what I understand. Most-importantly, Flash runs like a freaking virus half the time. It just randomly will get itself up to eating a bunch of the CPU on my PC without even using it at the time (though it ONLY happens in Firefox, not IE).

The Xbox One is not a TV. I can't say that I give the slightest bit of care for what a SmartTV can do, because I do not intend to buy a game console to replace my TV. All I can say is boo-hoo, get an HTPC if you don't like it.

 

[coip]

Oh, well since a TV can do it, something that is not a TV MUST do it. My TV has probably 5 different video inputs, so I guess it's just unreasonable for the Xbox One to not have the same. iOS and Windows Phone don't support Flash. Android only half-does it, from what I understand. Most-importantly, Flash runs like a freaking virus half the time. It just randomly will get itself up to eating a bunch of the CPU on my PC without even using it at the time (though it ONLY happens in Firefox, not IE).

The Xbox One is not a TV. I can't say that I give the slightest bit of care for what a SmartTV can do, because I do not intend to buy a game console to replace my TV. All I can say is boo-hoo, get an HTPC if you don't like it.

In a discussion about the Xbox One, touted as an all-in-one entertainment solution, the features of iOS, Windows, or Android phones isn't really relevant. When I was purchasing my new TV and choosing between a smart TV and a regular HDTV the Microsoft sales agent told me I didn't need a smart TV because I was getting an Xbox One, which would make it "smarter than a smart TV". So he was wrong or he lied (sales people will say anything). Either way it doesn't matter because everyone here knows that Microsoft publicly touted the One as the "One device to take care of all of my home entertainment needs," which is very misleading since it can't even do simple things that most Smart TVs can do on their own (and even some things the Xbox 360 could do). It can't really do much of anything on its own other than play games, DVDs and BluRays. Anything more than that requires shelling out more money: use of apps such as Netflix and Skype are behind a paywall (Live Gold); watching TV via OneGuide can only be done if you pay for cable TV; watching online videos now requires me to shell out for a HTPC and connect it to my One or buy a 'smart TV', all of which is counter to their "One device" vision. If they want to truly achieve their advertised vision for the One, they need to 1. enable it to run Windows Media Center straight from the box so that users can watch OTA TV without hassle, 2. update IE to incorporate Flash support so that users can watch online videos without hassle. The point is that I shouldn't have to "boo-hoo get an HTPC" to compensate for the deficiencies of the One; Microsoft should fix the deficiencies and actually make the One the entertainment unifier that they are touting it as. As is, it feels like a half-assed effort at an overzealous vision.

Sure, I could do all those extra things to make it all work, but that costs extra time, extra money, and is more complex. I can make it work (begrudgingly), but the mainstream consumer that Microsoft is trying to sell this "One entertainment device" to would never be able to. I don't like Apple, but I give them credit for making devices that are simple to use, and thus, can appeal to mass consumers. If Microsoft really wants to conquer the living room, they should make the Xbox One as convenient and easy to use as possible. People don't want to buy a box to connect their other boxes to. They want one box, and they want it to work straight out of the box without having to take a night course at a community college just to fully utilize it.

 

[WPmunkey]

I'm well aware that Flash sucks, but the fact is that the majority of online streaming sites use it. It's the standard and will be for at least a few more years (it takes time to completely break away from a standard), so regardless of its own merits, I would much rather have the convenience of watching shows and videos online on my TV via IE for Xbox One than not have that option, and I can't see why anyone else would feel differently.

I think we all agree here that it is inconvenient. I'm sure most WP users here would like to have the option, including me. But we have all accepted the reality, it's not a battle worth fighting. Apple started this with the original iPhone and the practice has been accepted by main stream consumers since then. At this point you'll have more luck leaving feedback with the content creators to ask them to stop using flash.

 

[Polychrome]

The only reason flash ended up used as a video codec the way it was for years, was because the plugin was so commonly installed on computers of all walks of life. People forget that flash, at its heart, is animation software, with the ability to render the created cartoons live on a viewer's computer. This resulted in freakishly small files in the days of dial up, allowing animators to distribute their works easier with very smooth graphics. You see it still used today, in cartoons such as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

In a nutshell, the flash plugin was never intended to be a ubiquitous codec for rasterized video. That's not what it's intended for, that's not what it's optimized for. The video support was more for sites or software that had short clips built in. Flash is intended to render vector animations in real-time, which is why it is occasionally used for online video game graphics.

HTML 5 is attempting to replace the flash plugin. Flash, in turn, is going to start outputting in HTML 5 for the finished files. So it's not "flash" that is dying (as its initial purpose is still very widely used in the animation industry), but the flash plugin. So less and less browsers are going to support it, and more and more flash stuff is going to be output in HTML5. Such is the way of technology I suppose.

 

[garyhartaz]

In a discussion about the Xbox One, touted as an all-in-one entertainment solution, the features of iOS, Windows, or Android phones isn't really relevant. When I was purchasing my new TV and choosing between a smart TV and a regular HDTV the Microsoft sales agent told me I didn't need a smart TV because I was getting an Xbox One, which would make it "smarter than a smart TV". So he was wrong or he lied (sales people will say anything).

Actually, what is the industry accepted definition of a Smart TV when it comes to what apps it has and what, if any, browser it may have? I have 3 high-end Smart TV's and none (0, zero) of them have a browser. All of them have Hulu+, Netflix, Amazon, etc. which are all paid. The Microsoft "sales agent" did not lie to you at all because the XBO has exactly what 99% of all Smart TV's have to begin with. And yes, the XBO is "smarter than a Smart TV."

Either way it doesn't matter because everyone here knows that Microsoft publicly touted the One as the "One device to take care of all of my home entertainment needs," which is very misleading since it can't even do simple things that most Smart TVs can do on their own (and even some things the Xbox 360 could do). It can't really do much of anything on its own other than play games, DVDs and BluRays

I'm not sure where you get your information about Smart TV's or the XBO.

Anything more than that requires shelling out more money: use of apps such as Netflix and Skype are behind a paywall (Live Gold); watching TV via OneGuide can only be done if you pay for cable TV; watching online videos now requires me to shell out for a HTPC and connect it to my One or buy a 'smart TV', all of which is counter to their "One device" vision.

You pay a premium for a better experience, period. If you can't understand value, get a PSX or Wii U. The XBO does exactly what they advertised and certainly most people expected. Other, like yourself, decided it should walk on water and we all know that will be released in Q3 2014

If they want to truly achieve their advertised vision for the One, they need to
1. enable it to run Windows Media Center straight from the box so that users can watch OTA TV without hassle,
2. update IE to incorporate Flash support so that users can watch online videos without hassle. The point is that I shouldn't have to "boo-hoo get an HTPC" to compensate for the deficiencies of the One; Microsoft should fix the deficiencies and actually make the One the entertainment unifier that they are touting it as. As is, it feels like a half-assed effort at an overzealous vision.

and.....3. You should just sell your XBO, cut your losses, get a PSX and a Smart TV.
You have beat this Flash thing right into the ground. Honestly, like other members have posted, it isn't going to happen. You want FREE TV and that isn't what the XBO is going to deliver. Even if you find a Smart TV that will support your coveted FREE Flash TV, that will be gone soon enough and you'll be complaining about how that TV brand lied to you too! See, you are caught in w one tweak loop!

Sure, I could do all those extra things to make it all work, but that costs extra time, extra money, and is more complex. I can make it work (begrudgingly), but the mainstream consumer that Microsoft is trying to sell this "One entertainment device" to would never be able to. I don't like Apple, but I give them credit for making devices that are simple to use, and thus, can appeal to mass consumers. If Microsoft really wants to conquer the living room, they should make the Xbox One as convenient and easy to use as possible. People don't want to buy a box to connect their other boxes to. They want one box, and they want it to work straight out of the box without having to take a night course at a community college just to fully utilize it.

Ah ah ah! Cake or death? You just gave Apple mad credit for what??? Selling devices that ALSO REQUIRE pay services to watch TV shows?!? Yawn. The XBO is by far one of the easiest consoles to setup and operate. Your flair for drama is quite entertaining up until this point. Please, just get rid of this horrible XBO you own and leave this community alone.

 

[unstoppablekem]

It's not a PC, simple as that. You don't get Flash on iOS or Windows Phone (Android does it at times), and you don't get it on PS3, PS4, or Xbox 360. It's not something that the consoles do. That's why you see PornHub (yeah, really) saying that they are working on an HTML5 version of their site to work with the PS4 and Xbox One (it apparently already works with the Wii U).

Some sites still are flash only, and it would be nice if Microsoft could add it, but in a way that makes it easy to use and flows nicely.

 

[ag1986]

All of them have Hulu+, Netflix, Amazon, etc. which are all paid. The Microsoft "sales agent" did not lie to you at all because the XBO has exactly what 99% of all Smart TV's have to begin with. And yes, the XBO is "smarter than a Smart TV."

Thank you for missing the point entirely. The relevant point is this: "use of apps such as Netflix and Skype are behind a paywall (Live Gold)".

This was a lie by this MS agent if he did not mention that Gold is required to use Netflix or whatever. Netflix is itself paid, and MS insists on making me pay to use it with a device I already paid $500 for?

 

[coip]

Your flair for drama is quite entertaining up until this point. Please, just get rid of this horrible XBO you own and leave this community alone.

Flair for drama? Your response was the most overly dramatic post I've read in this forum. My previous posts went from 1. Flash doesn't seem to work on my Xbox One IE (genuine confusion) to 2. That surprises me that Microsoft made IE on Xbox One not have Flash support (genuine surprise) to 3) I think that sucks (genuine disappointment) to 4) I think Microsoft should fix it because it would make the One appeal to more people (genuine suggestion). A pretty reasonable progression of thoughts given the topic of the thread.

Your response was nothing but weird non-sequiturs and overreactions to things I never said. If you don't want to read about someone complaining that IE on Xbox doesn't have Flash then don't click on a thread entitled "Internet Explorer on Xbox One Can't Play Flash Videos or Stream Full Episodes?!".

I love my Xbox One and never called it horrible. It's an awesome machine, but it's not as good as it could be (no native Windows Media Center support, no native Flash support in IE); and if Microsoft fixes those minor shortcomings, that would be swell. Why would I get an Apple product (more restricted) or a PlayStation (does even fewer things)? All I want is for Microsoft to turn a great console into a really great console--one that more accurately fulfills their "One" vision. I don't understand why anyone here would lobby against having the convenient option of say, activating Flash support in IE on Xbox so that they could watch more content online. It's like lobbying against free cookies in the lunch room. If you don't want to eat the cookies, then don't eat them. But don't take them away from the people that do. That's just rude.

 

[michfan]

Flair for drama? Your response was the most overly dramatic post I've read in this forum. My previous posts went from 1. Flash doesn't seem to work on my Xbox One IE (genuine confusion) to 2. That surprises me that Microsoft made IE on Xbox One not have Flash support (genuine surprise) to 3) I think that sucks (genuine disappointment) to 4) I think Microsoft should fix it because it would make the One appeal to more people (genuine suggestion). A pretty reasonable progression of thoughts given the topic of the thread.

Your response was nothing but weird non-sequiturs and overreactions to things I never said. If you don't want to read about someone complaining that IE on Xbox doesn't have Flash then don't click on a thread entitled "Internet Explorer on Xbox One Can't Play Flash Videos or Stream Full Episodes?!".

I love my Xbox One and never called it horrible. It's an awesome machine, but it's not as good as it could be (no native Windows Media Center support, no native Flash support in IE); and if Microsoft fixes those minor shortcomings, that would be swell. Why would I get an Apple product (more restricted) or a PlayStation (does even fewer things)? All I want is for Microsoft to turn a great console into a really great console--one that more accurately fulfills their "One" vision. I don't understand why anyone here would lobby against having the convenient option of say, activating Flash support in IE on Xbox so that they could watch more content online. It's like lobbying against free cookies in the lunch room. If you don't want to eat the cookies, then don't eat them. But don't take them away from the people that do. That's just rude.

I guess the unfortunate reality is that MS is in the process of "cutting the cord" with technologies it sees as sunsetting and there is very little chance this will ever happen. Apple has thrived without Flash support. MS offered Flash support on Surface ... how did that work for them as a competitive advantage? I was on the wrong end of the stick with trying to set up e-mail on my Surface because MS decided POP3 was no longer important. My first two hours with my Surface tablet were spent on the phone with customer support. When someone finally told me this I couldn't believe it, I had to hear it from a manager and vent my opinion I would hang up. So I really do understand your frustration, but it is just something that you'll have to come to peace with because MS sees no value in supporting Flash, is pushing HTML 5 and there is no perceived competitive advantage to including Flash support. Sorry!

 

[Moiz Mian]

I think it's premature to say Xbox won't get flash. Flash came out for Surface 6 months after it arrived, and it was already pretty much dead at that point. They still felt it improved the user experience, so why not? For this reason alone, I think there is a chance that they will add it in the coming months. Without flash, the browser is kind of useless, and I personally can't think of any other reasons to use it. So if they want to improve the use case for the browser, adding flash would be a big improvement, and I bet they already have people looking into it.

 

[coip]

I think it's premature to say Xbox won't get flash. Flash came out for Surface 6 months after it arrived, and it was already pretty much dead at that point. They still felt it improved the user experience, so why not? For this reason alone, I think there is a chance that they will add it in the coming months. Without flash, the browser is kind of useless, and I personally can't think of any other reasons to use it. So if they want to improve the use case for the browser, adding flash would be a big improvement, and I bet they already have people looking into it.

I hope you're right. Everyone here who keeps saying "Flash is dead" is a tad out of touch with reality. Sure, Flash deserves to be dead, and sure the shift towards HTML5 has begun, but this shift is going to be a long and slow one. It wouldn't surprise me if the majority of video streaming sites online were still using Flash 3-5 years from now, and that means IE on Xbox should get Flash support to make the app actually useful (as I too cannot think of a single reason why anyone would use IE on Xbox One if it weren't for watching videos).

 

[henry.gray]

I think anyone who wants flash on Xbox One or any other device should take it up with Adobe not Microsoft, its them who decided to kill flash off on mobile platforms. Flash only exists if you use Windows, Linux and OS X, also old Android phones and the PS3 has older flash.

Pretty much every second post on Xbox.com is titled Flash on Xbox IE

 

[garyhartaz]

FLASH IS DEAD. Out of touch, not by a mile. You keep saying "video streaming sites" and those are "closed viewing" sites really designed for a PC computer, mostly Windows. These sites already are plagued with issues, stuffed full of commercials, pop-ups, etc. If you want free, then the XBO is not for you or maybe a lot of people. I personally have no problem paying for a service that delivers the experience I expect and the XBO with a Gold subscription does that.

What happened to you whole Smart TV argument or did you bury that for convenience?

 

[Sean Miller4]

Yeah you guys are definitely all missing the point here, and whoever said flash came to surface 5 months later that's a lie, I've had surface since day 1 I also own a surface pro 2 currently, it had flash always, it had some of it turned off due to performance issues with the tablet flash is so resource hungry it would literally bring entire tablet to a crawl, this is exactly why it is not supported on iPad or iPhone, and they might be removing it from actually mac laptops. At ANY rate the Xbox could easily handle this compared to a tablet but this is not the only issue, the issue is these streaming sites do not want it streamed to an Xbox, it has nothing to do with Microsoft wanting you to pay because you buying a subscription to Netflix, Microsoft doesn't get any of that money that goes for the rest of those. Now I know what your saying your saying its free on your PC, well yes but these sites also know that nobody really wants to watch all their shows on their PC so they are banking you will pay for it elsewhere, and a lot of these sites it has been changing a lot lately REQUIRE you to have some sort of paid TV programming like cable or satellite before they allow you to watch any TV shows on their site for free even if it is flash. So you have performance and you have licensing. I would say its 50/50 for the reasons, and I would be willing to bet money Xbox never sees flash. Because its. Almost useless on it except the one thing your claiming. But I actually happen to subscribe to Hulu and Netflix and yes their are certain shows you cannot get on them and I can't even get them on the website because they require you to have a login for some sort of satellite or cable saying you subscribe to this channel with your programming. One that comes to mine is USA you will not find USA on Hulu or Netflix unless the show is like 2 years old then you will find 2 year old episodes on Netflix Hulu specifically says it does not have licensing for USA. That's because USA is one of the biggest networks if not the biggest around and what they say goes. Absolutely none of this has to do with Microsoft what so ever. As far as the media center stuff that should be added in shortly I assume that will only get better with update as a lot of stuff was not added because they were rushing to compete with sony and left stuff out that has not been test fully and will implement it later I would also bet money on that. I CAN tell you of a website that doesn't use flash and works on the Xbox one and has just about any show you can think of as far as I've seen. And its the only one I know of, it even has brand new episodes. The only downside is the best quality you will get is 720p sometimes its as low as 480 depending. I don't know the exact address but if you Google watch-tvseries.net something to that effect it should pop up and it has a lot of advertisements saying download you don't need to download ANYTHING just search the show click episodes and click play. I watch all my USA stuff on there not sure if they have licensing but so far nobody has shut them down. I pay too many different subscriptions to not be able to watch a couple shows on my Xbox so I could careless about legality. But I can tell you complaining to Microsoft won't help because its not them, yes every company wants to make money and yes they do make you pay for gold to use Netflix, but its like 8 dollars a month and includes a lot of other stuff besides using just Netflix. Obviously Microsoft can't give everything away free as they already lose money on the console itself how else could they fund the state of the art software and hardware that goes into it without collecting somewhere. But I assure flash doesn't matter to Microsoft if they didn't have all kinds of licensing people breathing down their neck plus the performance set backs it would be in there. Too many negatives for it to happen. But check out that website Ive been using it since I got my Xbox. Just click play and I believe you can tell the Kinect to "show full screen video" and it blows it up full screen its not HD but its watchable. Sorry for ramble.

 

[Moiz Mian]

I think anyone who wants flash on Xbox One or any other device should take it up with Adobe not Microsoft, its them who decided to kill flash off on mobile platforms. Flash only exists if you use Windows, Linux and OS X, also old Android phones and the PS3 has older flash.

Pretty much every second post on Xbox.com is titled Flash on Xbox IE

First of all, Xbox isn't a mobile platform. It's literally a PC. 2nd, Microsoft implemented flash in IE on the surface without support from Adobe. This has nothing with Adobe. Obviously Microsoft took it out for a reason, but knowing them, they always give in to pressure. I'm sure adding support for flash is on the table as a possible update.

 

[Moiz Mian]

Yeah you guys are definitely all missing the point here, and whoever said flash came to surface 5 months later that's a lie, I've had surface since day 1 I also own a surface pro 2 currently, it had flash always, it had some of it turned off due to performance issues with the tablet flash is so resource hungry it would literally bring entire tablet to a crawl, this is exactly why it is not supported on iPad or iPhone, and they might be removing it from actually mac laptops. At ANY rate the Xbox could easily handle this compared to a tablet but this is not the only issue, the issue is these streaming sites do not want it streamed to an Xbox, it has nothing to do with Microsoft wanting you to pay because you buying a subscription to Netflix, Microsoft doesn't get any of that money that goes for the rest of those. Now I know what your saying your saying its free on your PC, well yes but these sites also know that nobody really wants to watch all their shows on their PC so they are banking you will pay for it elsewhere, and a lot of these sites it has been changing a lot lately REQUIRE you to have some sort of paid TV programming like cable or satellite before they allow you to watch any TV shows on their site for free even if it is flash. So you have performance and you have licensing. I would say its 50/50 for the reasons, and I would be willing to bet money Xbox never sees flash. Because its. Almost useless on it except the one thing your claiming. But I actually happen to subscribe to Hulu and Netflix and yes their are certain shows you cannot get on them and I can't even get them on the website because they require you to have a login for some sort of satellite or cable saying you subscribe to this channel with your programming. One that comes to mine is USA you will not find USA on Hulu or Netflix unless the show is like 2 years old then you will find 2 year old episodes on Netflix Hulu specifically says it does not have licensing for USA. That's because USA is one of the biggest networks if not the biggest around and what they say goes. Absolutely none of this has to do with Microsoft what so ever. As far as the media center stuff that should be added in shortly I assume that will only get better with update as a lot of stuff was not added because they were rushing to compete with sony and left stuff out that has not been test fully and will implement it later I would also bet money on that. I CAN tell you of a website that doesn't use flash and works on the Xbox one and has just about any show you can think of as far as I've seen. And its the only one I know of, it even has brand new episodes. The only downside is the best quality you will get is 720p sometimes its as low as 480 depending. I don't know the exact address but if you Google watch-tvseries.net something to that effect it should pop up and it has a lot of advertisements saying download you don't need to download ANYTHING just search the show click episodes and click play. I watch all my USA stuff on there not sure if they have licensing but so far nobody has shut them down. I pay too many different subscriptions to not be able to watch a couple shows on my Xbox so I could careless about legality. But I can tell you complaining to Microsoft won't help because its not them, yes every company wants to make money and yes they do make you pay for gold to use Netflix, but its like 8 dollars a month and includes a lot of other stuff besides using just Netflix. Obviously Microsoft can't give everything away free as they already lose money on the console itself how else could they fund the state of the art software and hardware that goes into it without collecting somewhere. But I assure flash doesn't matter to Microsoft if they didn't have all kinds of licensing people breathing down their neck plus the performance set backs it would be in there. Too many negatives for it to happen. But check out that website Ive been using it since I got my Xbox. Just click play and I believe you can tell the Kinect to "show full screen video" and it blows it up full screen its not HD but its watchable. Sorry for ramble.

This totally makes sense, but I don't think content providers have that much control. Google TV has flash, and apps like Netflix etc... If Google can do it so can Microsoft. Of course if they don't want to, I'm sure they have a reason. But content providers not letting them is probably not accurate.