CBS Videos Won't Play

Users and developers helping users with generic and technical Pale Moon issues on all operating systems.

Moderator: trava90

Forum rules
This board is for technical/general usage questions and troubleshooting for the Pale Moon browser only.
Technical issues and questions not related to the Pale Moon browser should be posted in other boards!
Please keep off-topic and general discussion out of this board, thank you!
Inquiring

CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-07, 13:29

I've been able to watch Colbert shows, after airing, on the cbs site: https://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show ... n-colbert/

However, the videos won't play as of the latest update (today). They don't work in safe mode, either. Any ideas?
Last edited by Inquiring on 2018-12-07, 21:57, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Cassette
Lunatic
Lunatic
Posts: 395
Joined: 2015-05-08, 14:30
Location: Wichita, KS

Re: Colbert

Unread post by Cassette » 2018-12-07, 16:49

I don't have any ideas, but I can confirm it doesn't play even with a fresh profile in 28.2.2. It does play with 28.2.1 (Flash only).

I further created a user agent override to mimic Firefox 52.9 and that didn't help, either.
Last edited by Cassette on 2018-12-07, 17:01, edited 1 time in total.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-07, 20:53

Thanks for the confirmation. Is there a way to roll back to the previous version, other than uninstall/reinstall? I didn't create a restore point before it was applied. Or, PM coders, do you expect to be able to fix this sometime soon? I assume it must affect other sites too.
Last edited by Inquiring on 2018-12-07, 21:58, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Cassette
Lunatic
Lunatic
Posts: 395
Joined: 2015-05-08, 14:30
Location: Wichita, KS

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Cassette » 2018-12-07, 23:37

I've been doing some more testing and I can't get it to work at all in a fresh profile of 28.2.1 either. I tried 32bit and 64bit. I have a portable version on a jump drive and it's the only one that will play the videos. I'm trying to figure out which magic setting is making it work.

Sure enough, when I copied the portable profile over to a 28.2.2 folder, the 28.2.2 worked fine. Apparently it can work, I just don't know how.
Last edited by Cassette on 2018-12-07, 23:44, edited 1 time in total.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-07, 23:48

That's odd--thanks. Mods, can PM look into this? Or is there someplace else to log it as a bug?

User avatar
Sajadi
Board Warrior
Board Warrior
Posts: 1226
Joined: 2013-04-19, 00:46

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Sajadi » 2018-12-08, 01:00

I can not view the main videos because they are not playable in Austria, but with this user agent (Firefox compat mode) and all MSE video settings in the options turned on i can watch the advertisements without the need for Flash.

Perhaps it works out for the videos here too?

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; Win64; x64; rv:60.9) Gecko/20100101 Goanna/4.1 Firefox/60.9
Last edited by Sajadi on 2018-12-08, 01:01, edited 1 time in total.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 04:14

Thanks. Watching the ads without the shows--you're a network's ideal viewer!

I already had the useragent string, though it was for v. 60.0, but updating to 60.9 didn't help.

I assume MSE is Microsoft Essentials? I don't use that, but I took a look at the Windows Firewall settings and found a message on the dialog that they're controlled by Norton, which is what I use. In any case, I haven't had this problem before, so I don't think it's the security settings (and booting into safe mode, which I tried earlier, didn't help).
Last edited by Inquiring on 2018-12-08, 04:15, edited 1 time in total.

yami_

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by yami_ » 2018-12-08, 12:22

MSE means Media Source Extensions in this context.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 13:47

Thanks. Where would I find the options? I don't see any on the video players on the CBS site.

yami_

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by yami_ » 2018-12-08, 13:51

MSE-related settings are in Pale Moon's Tools > Preferences > Content > Video.

User avatar
therube
Board Warrior
Board Warrior
Posts: 1650
Joined: 2018-06-08, 17:02

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by therube » 2018-12-08, 14:36

Is this going to be another instance of DRM biting you?
(I'm not getting playback in FF 63, of which I use the EME-free version.)
Last edited by therube on 2018-12-08, 16:10, edited 3 times in total.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 14:41

MSE for MP4 was enabled. I checked the box for WebM also, but the videos still won't load.

therube, are you asking me or one of the other posters? It does work in Vivaldi, so I guess the answer is no. However, PM blocked the commercials between show segments, but Vivaldi doesn't.
Last edited by Inquiring on 2018-12-08, 14:44, edited 2 times in total.

New Tobin Paradigm

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by New Tobin Paradigm » 2018-12-08, 14:58

Error Console anybody? Also, if it is DRM then see if it works in Basilisk with DRM switched on.

User avatar
therube
Board Warrior
Board Warrior
Posts: 1650
Joined: 2018-06-08, 17:02

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by therube » 2018-12-08, 15:01

Worked in a "regular" FF 65 (i.e., one where EME is enabled).

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 15:18

Is there an Error Console interpreter in the house?

therube, where would I enable EME?

coffeebreak
Moon Magic practitioner
Moon Magic practitioner
Posts: 2986
Joined: 2015-09-26, 04:51
Location: U.S.

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by coffeebreak » 2018-12-08, 15:44

therube wrote:Is this going to be another instance of DRM biting you?
New Tobin Paradigm wrote:Also, if it is DRM then see if it works in Basilisk with DRM switched on.

It's DRM.
basilisk-colbert-drm.png
It plays in Basilisk if DRM is enabled.
Last edited by coffeebreak on 2018-12-08, 15:58, edited 2 times in total.

yami_

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by yami_ » 2018-12-08, 16:07

Inquiring wrote:where would I enable EME?
You can not do that in Pale Moon, because it does not support EME. When a browser does support EME it will usually ask you if you want to enable it when you first encounter EME-protected content.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 16:30

It works in Basilisk with or without DRM enabled. It also works in Vivaldi. But why doesn't it work in Pale Moon?

coffeebreak
Moon Magic practitioner
Moon Magic practitioner
Posts: 2986
Joined: 2015-09-26, 04:51
Location: U.S.

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by coffeebreak » 2018-12-08, 16:58

Inquiring wrote:It works in Basilisk with or without DRM enabled.
It doesn't play in Basilisk without DRM for me.
(though it plays the 6 second ad :) )

The screenshot I posted earlier shows it not-playing and requesting DRM, in a fresh profile in Basilisk 2018-11-07.
Edit: Here's a larger screenshot fully showing *the player not-playing*.
basilisk-colbert-drm2.png
Inquiring wrote:But why doesn't it work in Pale Moon?
Because Pale Moon does not and will not support in-browser DRM.

Quoted from here:
Moonchild wrote:Google Widevine requires in-browser DRM (using Encrypted Media Extensions).
We do not and will not support EME or in-browser DRM in Pale Moon, now or in the future.
Last edited by coffeebreak on 2018-12-08, 17:17, edited 1 time in total.

Inquiring

Re: CBS Videos Won't Play

Unread post by Inquiring » 2018-12-08, 18:40

I have DRM enabled in Basilisk (checkbox on the Preferences dialog), and it plays a 30-second ad but not the video. I don't get the message requesting DRM. But it worked up until yesterday--I doubt CBS just coincidentally started enforcing DRM the same day a PM update came out.

To be clear: I'm getting the same behavior on Basilisk with or without DRM as on PM: an ad plays but the video doesn't. However, it does on Vivaldi.

Is there a way to roll back the update?
Last edited by Inquiring on 2018-12-08, 18:59, edited 2 times in total.

Locked