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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Terrible pixelated picture and buffering on Sky Sports F1

Just signed up for this to watch some of the F1 season and it's almost unwatchable. The picture is so pixelated you can't make anything out and it keeps buffering.

I have 50mb fibre internet and Amazon Prime etc all work fine on the same device.

Anyone else having problems ?

Will just have to cancel but a bit annoyed that I've wasted 20 quid on something that isn't fit for purpose.

I have the small Now box rather than apps on my TV,

7 REPLIES 7
SweetBlitz
Expert 3

If you have a cable and the box is near the router connect the two it and see if it helps.

 

Also try to stream on demand content.  If that looks good, it is most likely an issue with servers for live content. And little can be done about that except to complain on chat and ask for a refund.

gavs82008
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User 

What device are you using to watch sports with? 

The reason I ask is not all devices are supported by 50fps and some only offer 25fps which will ruin the picture.

 

You’ll see from this list which devices don’t support 50fps.

Both LG TV and Xbox don’t.

 

https://help.nowtv.com/article/what-is-now-boost

 

You’ll need any of these devices to enjoy all the features of Boost:

  • NOW Smart Stick
  • Any NOW Box
  • Amazon Fire TV Stick (2nd & 3rd Gen, 4K, Lite & Basic Edition)
  • Roku Express or Roku Streaming Stick
  • A supported Samsung TV
  • Sony TV (most models from 2016)
  • PS4
  • PS5
  • Xbox One (50fps not currently available)
  • Xbox Series X & S (50fps not currently available)
  • Apple TV HD (gen 4) or 4K (Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound not supported on Apple TV)
  • YouView (including TalkTalk & BT boxes)
  • LG Web OS TV (50fps not currently available)
  • JVC Fire TV Edition Smart 4K TV
  • Chromecast Ultra or 3rd generation (note that 1st and 2nd generation Chromecast devices are not supported. See the image below if you're not sure what generation your Chromecast is.)
FYI that I do not work for NOW, just a NOW customer trying to help
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Watching on a Toshiba tv. 

All other content seems to display fine on it. Amazon Prime, stuff on Youtube etc.

Actually got to see most of the race with a reasonably clear picture after resetting the router and Now box a few times. It started going a bit pixelly towards the end again but got to watch most of it.

I'm guessing it's a bandwidth issue at peak times rather than anything my end as it's sometimes fine and lots of other stuff streams just fine.

When I run speedtest I get around 45Mbps to 50Mpbs so I'm sure that is fast enough.

Will see how it goes for the rest of the month before I decide whether to keep it or not. 20 quid a month for Sky Sports isn't too bad a deal as long as it works ok.

Thanks for the replies.

gavs82008
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User 

So your using a NOW box via a Toshiba TV? 

Is the NOW box connected via Ethernet or Wi-fi? 

 

FYI that I do not work for NOW, just a NOW customer trying to help
Dunno
Advocate

I have exactly the same problem.  I am using the Now app on a Samsung QLED and the pixellation and buffering at times make it unwatchable.  All the other streaming services work very well.  Is there any way of speaking to someone at Now or is the only solution to cancel?  Has anyone found a solution?

RoyB
Legend

@Dunno 

 

You can speak to Now only if you have Now Broadband, and you think the problem is with that.

 

But as this seems to be a problem with Now streaming alone, this won’t apply.

 

You can email customerservices@ NowTV.com (lose the space), but your best bet may be to go on Now’s Twitter feed and post there.

 

Be prepared to give details of your broadband, what speeds you are getting, whether you have split the 2.4 and 5 MHz bands, whether you have Now Boost or not, and so on.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
gavs82008
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Dunno 

If you don’t want to email, you can use live chat by clicking “chat online” within the green box. Don’t click “get help quicker” as this is a bot.

https://help.nowtv.com/article/how-to-submit-a-complaint

FYI that I do not work for NOW, just a NOW customer trying to help