Mac OS 10.9.5 - Now App Fails To Launch

[DavidC]

I'm trying to install Now Player on Mac OS 10.9.5. It's the most up-to-date OS that's possible on this old Imac. The Now website says: 

"No problem. You’ll just need OSX 10.9"

But the app doesn't launch, instead there's an error message:

"NOW TV Player cannot be opened because of a problem..."

I went thru some re-installs and restarts, as guided by the online chat team, but it didn't fix it.

Any suggestions, please? 

DavidC

[redchiz1]

Hi @DavidC oh I wish I could help! I have a recent MacBook with the latest version of macOS and I can never get it to work. I have just tried again, even disabling my Sophos AV and that didn't help. Sadly, many others struggle with the player on both Macs and PCs as you may find when searching for related posts.

The only person I know who manages this is @RoyB:do you have any thoughts here, my friend? 

[RoyB]

@redchiz1 @DavidC 

Sorry, missed this earlier.

In the topsy-turvy world of Now on Mac, mine works perfectly, and I wish I knew why 😛

macOS Monterey 12.6.6 on an iMac, Retina 4K, 21.5 inch, Late 2015.

Now Player 8.23.0

A prize every time…

However, a new thought that I haven’t previously published:-

The only unusual thing about the Now app is that it’s not in the App Store, so it’s a ‘foreign’ application to the Mac, and so when you open it from the Safari browser, you (should) get this message:-

 Do you get this? If not, you have a permission somewhere that is probably blocking any non-App Store apps absolutely.

Try System Preferences/Security & Privacy/General/Allow apps downloaded from:

If this isn’t set to ‘App Store and identified developers’, click the lock, bottom left, and change it to that. Then try the Now Player again.

But what, exact dialogue do you get when trying to open the Player, and where and how does it fail?

[DavidC]

I contacted the help chat again. I've found that they block older versions of the player from operating, which is a pity as I could solve the problem by installing the last compatible version. I told the help chat to report it as a bug, so now I suppose I have to wait for the next update (it's currently 8.15.0) and see if they fix it.

[redchiz1]

Hi @RoyB and thanks for that.  🙂

Yes and yes. And I even tried afresh in Safari which I don't generally use. After a looping blue wheel for a while, with a timeline and programme details tantalisingly displayed in screen header and footer, eventually this popped up:

Error code: SDK.BACKGROUND.BUFFERING_LIMIT.UNKNOWN_REASON.MAIN_CONTENT

[RoyB]

@redchiz1 

That’s bordering on ‘as user-friendly as a cornered rat’ 😢

The Now Help is untroubled by any reference to this error, though a Google search reveals many references to it in the Now Community; and indeed, almost exclusively there, apart from the curiously Now-like Wow.de where the Hilfe covers a close match:-

https://www.wowtv.de/hilfe/artikel/hinweis-sdk-buffering

For those without fluent German, here is a translation:-

Note SDK.BUFFERING_LIMIT.UNKNOWN...

If you see the message SDK.BUFFERING_LIMIT.UNKNOWN_REASON.MAIN_CONTENT in the WOW Player. Follow these steps to fix the problem.

Please briefly start another live or retrieval content and then play the desired content.

If this does not help, make sure that the WOW Player is set as an exception in your antivirus program.

If the problem persists, uninstall the WOW Player, restart your computer and then reinstall the WOW Player.

If this does not work, switching from IPv6 to IPv4 can solve the problem. You can set this in your router. If you need help with this, please contact the manufacturer or your Internet provider.

In other words, die üblichen Verdächtigen ….

[redchiz1]

Thanks Roy, been there, done that, got the t-shirt. 😕

[DavidC]

Hi to both of you!

Roy, where did you get the number 8.23 from? I thought the current version was 8.15.0 (2023-01-12)

David

[RoyB]

@DavidC @redchiz1 

See the images below. The app is indeed 8.15.0, dated 12 January 2023, as per the display of the Applications folder, and the Get info from a right-click of the .app (or would be, if you could read them).

But the second image shows the bottom right-hand corner of the Player itself, where it has the 8.23.0 that I reported.

Maybe Now are somewhat lacking in the version consistency department?

AAMOI, are you two able to start the Player by double-clicking the Applications/NOW TV Player.app, which is what I have done here, getting the screen that wants to take me to the website, or does that likewise fail? If not what happens if you proceed?

[DavidC · Accepted solution]

Hi @redchiz1 and @RoyB

The app just wouldn't launch at all.

Anyway I managed to fix it. I updated the Mac OS. I thought it was impossible to do - because Apple keeps the facts well hidden. 😠  But thanks to advice on other websites  I'm now on Mac OS 10.12.6 and Now Player is working! 😀

David