Somehow I was under the impression that the first episode would be available to watch for free on CBS.com because it was broadcast over the air. But it's not. Kor
I have a 5.1 audio setup, but was only getting stereo sound from the app. I think that’s the only option.
It's pretty crazy that they only stream in stereo - especially the new shows. Looks like those who get to watch it on Netflix are getting the full surround-sound experience.
^^^ Really? You mean you NEVER had to adjust your TVs 'Rabbit Ears', or add tin foil to clear up the picture (I was a master of that art as an 8 year old kid...) Wow - I must be OLDER than you.
We never did the foil bit. The only channels where we had problems were the UHF ones and those you adjusted and hoped it worked.
I just signed up for a yearly CBS-AA subscription. Their site says that some US states charge sales tax for this, but it doesn't say WHICH states. Google fu is of no help. Does anyone know which states charge sales tax for this subscription?
It makes sense. 5.1 audio takes more space, plus they may be thinking that if you are watching the show on a phone or tablet you might be listening of headphones and stereo works better with headphones. Also if you are just using your TV speakers then you don’t need 5.1. Don’t forget but 16 years ago Enterprise was broadcast in stereo when stations could’ve broadcast in 5.1.
No, every other streaming service - Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu - all stream in 5.1. They may switch to stereo for mobile devices, but if you have a surround setup, they'll stream in surround. After you get used to listening to most everything in surround, switching to stereo is jarring. The video stream seemed decent for DSC, although all the older shows looked terrible compared to DVD. They've definitely gone cheap on the encoding - at least for the older stuff.
What ticks me off is that CBSAllAccess is not an available app for my Samsung 4K Smart TV. I had to hook up a laptop via HDMI to watch. CBSAA seems to stream at 720p at its best. Picture was good, but not as sharp as 1080p or 4K. There's a little "extras' icon on the video playback bar. When I clicked on it, It showed the player 'mode' and a graphic bar on "buffer". You can drop it out of 'auto' mode and force it to just stream at "HD" quality. It seemed to help the quality in my viewing, but it did cause the video playback to 'stutter' once or twice due to buffering issues. Perhaps forcing the best resolution of playback (manually) will help other folks picture quality issues.... Q2
Not impressed with CBS All Access. It works beautifully on my desktop with Windows 7 but I can't cast from that (as you must use an app to cast and no apps on this old clunker). My laptop - can't cast from there either, even though I have Windows 10 and the app. No clue as to why. My tablet, I can cast from there with my Chromecast dongle. IF CBS All Access works. Sometimes (like when I was watching tonight), the show comes up, casts and works beautifully. But then I tried to watch the After Trek right after and couldn't get it to load on the tablet. Tried for 15 minutes, even rebooting the tablet. Tried again hours later and sometimes it would work (I rewatched the ep) and sometimes not (wouldn't load for After Trek). The CBS logo just spins and spins. So I'm watching After Trek on my desktop; not my preferred way to watch. As far as I'm concerned, CBS has some issues with reliability. I know the kiddies make fun of us oldies, but it's a pain in the fucking ass. Regular TV - plug in set, turn it on. Cable TV - set it up properly (more knowledge needed) and figuring out a sometimes complicated remote (or even a few if you have various players hooked up). This streaming shit? Get the apps. Try to cast it from your device of choice. Wait...Samsung won't talk to Sumsung direct. And you don't have Windows The Most Modern? Tough luck, baby. Try looking online for help? All the convos involve complicated shit and calling a tech is utterly futile. It's like you need a goddamned degree to figure the shit out. I'm 59. I just want to watch a fucking show, not play tech and programmer. Rant over. At any rate, not impressed with streaming. Not one little bit.
It's not just you. CBSAA is technically sub-standard compared to the other options out there. I had to restart my Apple TV before episode #3 would start streaming last night. If DSC were available on Netflix here as it is outside the U.S. I'd be very willing to bet you wouldn't have the issues you had.
Had this same issue, this week, but now I had some choppiness problems. Also, I bought a gift card at Game Stop, since it said I was supposed to save $5 with it, but got credited with the same amount as the card (which I paid full price for).
Just read through this thread. CBS needs to fix up their delivery for some folks. Luckily I haven't had any issues... I've been streaming via an Xbox One and the CMSAA app and have had no issue with playback. The only bugs have been between menu transitions and haven't impacted playback in the least. I wish everyone luck in finding resolution to their particular CBSAA viewing issue.
I very highly recommend getting a Roku, assuming your television has a free HDMI port available. They're releasing an all new lineup of devices next week. If you want 1080p, I recommend the Roku Express. If you want all the 4K bells and whistles and an Ethernet connection hookup, there's the Roku Extreme. The Roku Extreme is a $100 investment, but it beats the $20 per month cable box rent charge. Right now I have an older model Roku hooked up to my TV and my router via Ethernet, and it works well. It's much easier than all that casting nonsense IMO.
Well, everything is finally sorted. Brother-in-law had a tip which led me to the solution. So everything is casting as it should cast. I do think CBS is having issues with traffic. I couldn't get it to work via the app during certain times on Sunday evening, but I could use it on Chrome on the desktop or the laptop.
I watched in a Chrome browser window on a Windows 10 laptop. The picture quality was pure garbage. Then I found the setting in the video frame to change the picture quality, and all is well (not perfect; I notice some banding, but that's par for the course for streaming video). I will connect an HDMI cable to the TV to watch on a bigger screen. Even in this day of casting and everything wireless, I still believe in hooking things up with hardware. Kor