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

[coip]

So I booted up Internet Explorer on my fancy new Xbox One and tried to watch some TV shows online only to discover that the Xbox One wouldn't play them. Most of the sites didn't give an error message, but a few said that "Internet Explorer in Xbox 360 cannot install Flash" or something like that (yes, it said 360 even though it's One). I tried going to the following sites to watch full episodes of some shows:
1. Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco @ TeamCoco.com (Conan)
2. South Park Studios | Kenny, Cartman, Stan & Kyle | Watch Full Episodes, Clips & More (South Park)
3. CBS TV Network Primetime, Daytime, Late Night and Classic Television Shows (How I Met Your Mother)
4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Political Comedy - Fake News | Comedy Central (The Daily Show)
5. Colbert Nation | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central (The Colbert Report)

None of them worked. Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I never owned an Xbox 360. Can Internet Explorer on Xbox seriously not stream videos? Even Internet Explorer on my Surface RT can do that. My wife is not going to be happy. I told her she'd really enjoy Xbox One because it would enable her to stream all of her favorite shows on the big TV. I guess it's my fault for assuming that Internet Explorer on Xbox One wouldn't be stripped down, but also, WTF Microsoft? What is the point of Internet Explorer on Xbox if not to watch videos? People are going to surf the Web and check their email on a 50" HDTV? What kind of ONE box for everything is this?

Please tell me I am missing something and this functionality is there. Please.

 

[Ordeith]

Get Hulu+, many of the shows you mentioned are there.

Many of those sites specifically block the browsers on Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo consoles to drive people to Hulu subscriptions.

 

[coip]

Get Hulu+, many of the shows you mentioned are there.

Many of those sites specifically block the browsers on Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo consoles to drive people to Hulu subscriptions.

So it's true then that Internet Explorer on Xbox One is crippled? But you claim it's the websites' fault, not Microsoft's? Those are all shows that have free streaming of their episodes online on PCs, so I don't get why they'd block them on one niche platform, especially because if you have a Smart TV you can go to those same websites with it's ****ty built-in browser and watch those shows. So what's the deal here?

Those were sites I just used to test it out. My wife watches obscure foreign shows that have no presence in the U.S. so they will never be on any Xbox app. As for the Hulu app, if you get the app can you watch some shows without a subscription? Or is the app totally worthless without one?

 

[xboxonthego3]

Surfing the web is exactly what internet explorer is for on the Xbox one. The apps on the Xbox such as Netflix, Hulu, The CW, and Amazon Instant Video, Redbox, YouTube are for streaming videos. It has been that way for the Xbox 360 as well. And like Ordeith stated most of those sites are the ones that block it. Making you use apps. Nothing new.

 

[Keith Wallace]

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).

 

[Ordeith]

It is usually a licensing thing. The networks agree to only stream their content free to a PC experience (smaller screen, stereo sound, etc) and require a subscription (cable, Hulu, etc) to get the content in the living room. They aren't perfect at what they block, but if they think they can tell the content is being viewed in a living room or home theater setting they block it. Looking at the user agent string is their first defense. The Xbox identifies itself as such, and it is very likely to be used with a big screen, so blocked.

This is an agreement the networks have with content delivery providers, it isn't the most consumer friendly, but it is what it is.

 

[coip]

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).

Is it that Microsoft can implement Flash support into IE on One but choose not to, or is it that the Xbox One cannot handle it? If the latter, how come I can go to my sister's house and open up the crappy web browser on her smart TV and it has Flash capabilities? If whatever is built into that TV can do it why can't the Xbox One? I was told not to buy a smart TV because I was getting an Xbox One and it could do "everything a smart TV can do and more!". Well, apparently it can't.

It is usually a licensing thing. The networks agree to only stream their content free to a PC experience (smaller screen, stereo sound, etc) and require a subscription (cable, Hulu, etc) to get the content in the living room. They aren't perfect at what they block, but if they think they can tell the content is being viewed in a living room or home theater setting they block it. Looking at the user agent string is their first defense. The Xbox identifies itself as such, and it is very likely to be used with a big screen, so blocked.

This is an agreement the networks have with content delivery providers, it isn't the most consumer friendly, but it is what it is.

I guess I don't get who is doing the blocking. You say it's the network providers who are looking at user agent strings, seeing it's coming from an Xbox and then blocking the content. So if it's coming from the network why didn't Microsoft still include Flash support for other videos online that aren't otherwise being restricted (such as my wife's TV shows from abroad). Why omit it? As I said above, I've used crappy web browsers on other TVs that have the capability to play these videos. Surely the much better Internet Explorer should be able to as well.

 

[danieljhb]

Can't you use your Surface and smart glass to put in on your TV? I'm pretty sure I was able to watch flash videos on my surface and then use smart glass to watch it on my 360. I can double check later.

 

[coip]

Can't you use your Surface and smart glass to put in on your TV? I'm pretty sure I was able to watch flash videos on my surface and then use smart glass to watch it on my 360. I can double check later.

If that's possible, do tell. I have been playing around with the Xbox SmartGlass app for Xbox One on my Surface but I can't find any way to do that.

 

[kevinn206]

If that's possible, do tell. I have been playing around with the Xbox SmartGlass app for Xbox One on my Surface but I can't find any way to do that.

Actually, I don't think you even need SmartGlass if you already have the Xbox and any Windows 8 tablet. You have to use the Metro IE (not the desktop version) and play any video content (flash, HTML5, etc...). While the video is playing, activate the Charms bar and select "Devices" then select "Play" and then select Xbox. You should then see a streaming video to your Xbox. The audio and video casting works for almost app too not just Metro IE.

Audio: Why I love my Microsoft Surface RT, Part 2 - YouTube
Video: Why I love my Microsoft Surface RT, Part 2 - YouTube

 

[coip]

Actually, I don't think you even need SmartGlass if you already have the Xbox and any Windows 8 tablet. You have to use the Metro IE (not the desktop version) and play any video content (flash, HTML5, etc...). While the video is playing, activate the Charms bar and select "Devices" then select "Play" and then select Xbox. You should then see a streaming video to your Xbox. The audio and video casting works for almost app too not just Metro IE.

Audio: Why I love my Microsoft Surface RT, Part 2 - YouTube
Video: Why I love my Microsoft Surface RT, Part 2 - YouTube

Good idea, but when I tried streaming a Colbert Report and a How I Met Your Mother episode from cbs.com on both my Surface RT and Windows 8 PC to my Xbox One and as soon as I clicked Devices > Play it said, "The selected content is protected and can't be played to another device." Grrr...

 

[rider2040]

I believe that you can no longer do some of the things that were highlighted in that video. A few months ago o had no problem sending video from my Surface RT to my smart tv. I tried again a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't get it to work. I hoped that XB1 would give back the option, but no luck so far.

Perhaps they will enable Flash on XB1 which would not only solve this issue, but also help to overcome the lack of available apps for the XB1 platform.

 

[kevinn206]

That would be horrible. It's one of the best features with Windows 8. I was about to get an Xbox One later next year, but if they cripple this feature, then I have to reconsider. It's one of the main reasons why I want an Xbox anyway.

 

[Mystictrust]

Actually, I don't think you even need SmartGlass if you already have the Xbox and any Windows 8 tablet. You have to use the Metro IE (not the desktop version) and play any video content (flash, HTML5, etc...). While the video is playing, activate the Charms bar and select "Devices" then select "Play" and then select Xbox. You should then see a streaming video to your Xbox. The audio and video casting works for almost app too not just Metro IE.

Sounds amazing in theory, but it won't work for video from southparkstudios.com. A message comes up stating that it is protected content.

I don't think MS wants Flash on the Xbox due to the security concerns. But I wish there was a way to do this somehow! HTML5 adoption is slow. You know how, on your Windows Phone, if you go to a YouTube video in IE and it might briefly state you can't watch because it requires Flash... And then it suddenly corrects itself into a readable format? I want THAT for Xbox One, for all non-YouTube videos if possible

 

[coip]

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.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Do something about WHAT? flash has never been supported on Xbox. It never claimed to be. There's no problem to fix.

 

[Kris Simundson]

Sorry to say but flash is going the way of the dodo

 

[Moiz Mian]

So the issue is that IE on Xbox 360 and Xbox One is a mobile version of the browser with no flash compatibility. A few websites do actively block mobile browsers such as Hulu, and maybe some network websites, but the main issue is flash. The browser does have html5 compatibility so, one option is to see if there are any html5 streaming sites, which I don't think there are, except youtube which already has an app.

The other thing is, I don't think the Xbox can't support Flash, they just didn't implement it to keep the experience clean and simple. You won't get any ads that start playing randomly, etc... But maybe one day they can implement it like they did with Windows RT, and start creating white lists of websites that don't have too many flash ads or something. You can also download your shows as torrents and then Play To Xbox using the video app on your windows 8 laptop/tablet

 

[Donna Garcia]

So I booted up Internet Explorer on my fancy new Xbox One and tried to watch some TV shows online only to discover that the Xbox One wouldn't play them. Most of the sites didn't give an error message, but a few said that "Internet Explorer in Xbox 360 cannot install Flash" or something like that (yes, it said 360 even though it's One). I tried going to the following sites to watch full episodes of some shows:
1. Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco @ TeamCoco.com (Conan)
2. South Park Studios | Kenny, Cartman, Stan & Kyle | Watch Full Episodes, Clips & More (South Park)
3. CBS TV Network Primetime, Daytime, Late Night and Classic Television Shows (How I Met Your Mother)
4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Political Comedy - Fake News | Comedy Central (The Daily Show)
5. Colbert Nation | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central (The Colbert Report)

None of them worked. Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I never owned an Xbox 360. Can Internet Explorer on Xbox seriously not stream videos? Even Internet Explorer on my Surface RT can do that. My wife is not going to be happy. I told her she'd really enjoy Xbox One because it would enable her to stream all of her favorite shows on the big TV. I guess it's my fault for assuming that Internet Explorer on Xbox One wouldn't be stripped down, but also, WTF Microsoft? What is the point of Internet Explorer on Xbox if not to watch videos? People are going to surf the Web and check their email on a 50" HDTV? What kind of ONE box for everything is this?

Please tell me I am missing something and this functionality is there. Please.

Hey, I have an XBox One and I use Couch Tuner TV Videos FREE: Watch Online Tv Shows ... Once you find the show you want to watch, they have every season and each episode has a few tabs to choose from. I've found that "VK" "Vk-Mobile" and "vidspot" are able to stream through the xbox one. VK and VK MOBILE are the fastest. I hoped this helped.

PS. It only has TV shows. No movies.

 

[coip]

Do something about WHAT? flash has never been supported on Xbox. It never claimed to be. There's no problem to fix.

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. The problem is that they're being greedy and trying to put everything behind a paywall, but that's a ridiculous strategy because people will just go around it (it's a nuisance connecting my Surface to my TV and using proper IE that way, but I'll do it if I have to). Microsoft should be doing everything they can to make the Xbox One the device to use for all your entertainment needs, and that should include Windows Media Center support so we can use the OneGuide for OTA TV, and it should include a proper IE so we can watch videos on the Web (otherwise, I don't really see the point of IE on Xbox One at all, as if I'm going to check my email on it or something).