Windows 7 non-Silverlight option?

[Anonymous User]

I used to use Chrome, but it dropped Silverlight support.

Since then I've used Firefox, but as of last night's update it has dropped Silverlight support.

Yes, for now I can use IE just to watch NOWTV. For now.

But browsing to a NowTV programme page and clicking to play in Firefox now pulls up an error message about Mozilla no longer supporting NOWTV ... which is, on the global scale of things an arrogant reversal. NOWTV does not support Chrome or Mozilla, not the other way round.

But it also says "We're working on something shiny and new for you..."

My question is .., what? And most importantly WILL IT WORK FOR WINDOWS 7 users?

I'm disabled. Disability benefit is ... not a lot. I can't afford to buy a shiny new computer just for Windows 10 and APP stores just to watch some Sky programmes, especially when my Windows 7 laptop still works fine. I can't have a satellite dish where I live, can't move, and as for NOWTV boxes to plug into an HDMI TV .... I'm still using a big old CRT TV, so forget it. NOWTV on my Windows 7 laptop is the only way to get the SKY programmes that distract me from the pain a little. So will you PLEASE replace Silverlight with something ordinary Firefox or Chrome browsers will support on a Windows 7 laptop ... like an HTML5 player, or even a Flash one. And SOON.

The news about Chrome and Firefox removing Silverlight support and when - and of Microsoft stopping Silverlight development and plans to drop it in its own browsers - came out years ago. It is appalling dereliction and complacency from Sky and NOWTV not to have migrated from Silverlight long before now.

[Anonymous User]

I'm back to trying Silverlight with IE, and failing at the inert-black-box stage having clicked to play.

I've had countless fruitless to-and-fros with NOW TV, by email and online chat, re their player's utter unusability, so back to IE seemed the way to go. I've seen all the tips about solving Silverlight problems and tried them all but none works.

If anyone with Windows 7, a deleted NOW player and a yen to stream via IE can help, please do, because no one else is.

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Hi Prickle

I'm also on Win7, I find that IE does still work for me, but It's my only option now.

I did try to download the NowTV player when they forced it on me through Firefox, but my virus-scanner keeps picking it up as a virus & deleting - just like I would want it too.

P.S. Isn't it annoying that as soon as you say that you have Win 7 people have to chime in trying to get you to upgrade to the next versions of windows? They seem to think that we didn't do our research first! 

Geez people we've chosen  to use what we have, we can't all afford the faster hardware to run these new operating systems. 

[Anonymous User]

I also support the decision to move away from silverlight to HTML5 or similar.

Having had to cope with using Firefox to watch NOWTV content (it is not my main browser) since purchasing the service. I have coped with it. After watching an episode last night, found out today after a forced Firefox upgrade, that I can no longer watch any NowTV content on Firefox either. If both Chrome and Firefox have dropped support for this buggy, vunerable piece of software, then the issue lies with NowTV or Sky to sort the issue. Users should NEVER have to change such a fundamental software choice just to get content from one service, of which they are paying money for.

I am on Windows 7, along with an extremely large portion of the world (don't know about NowTV's userbase split), and so the "upcoming, shiny" feature, should not be a windows 8/10 app at all!

I am afraid that I will have to consider dropping my subscription for NowTV and move on to other content provider options until I can comfortably watch NowTV content again through any means I wish, as should be the case.

Any form of official reply, insight or reassurance that this will be solved in the very near future would be wise.

[4268]

@Anonymous User Windows 7 works with the Now player (not the app they are different things). It definitely works with Chrome, I have used it myself with that.