ITVX and other apps

[James Simpson]

When will ITVX be available? Why isn't it available already? Is this another item that LG doesn't mention in its documentation (isn't that false advertising)?

Why aren't VPNs (or at least one) available? That's definitely false advertising. How is an ex-pat supposed to use an LG (stupid) TV? Can I have my purchase price back so that I can buy a real smart TV?

Why can't I download any app I want? 

[JFF]

On 12/10/2022 at 10:57 PM, James Simpson said:

When will ITVX be available? Why isn't it available already? Is this another item that LG doesn't mention in its documentation (isn't that false advertising)?

Why aren't VPNs (or at least one) available? That's definitely false advertising. How is an ex-pat supposed to use an LG (stupid) TV? Can I have my purchase price back so that I can buy a real smart TV?

Why can't I download any app I want? 

Isn't really LGs fault that ITV push an app that is only compatible with a select few devices that support the required DRM. I believe only 2022 LG tvs support unless they push a firmware fix. You could get yourself a firestick or a Roku for next to nothing and get both ITVX and a VPN easily which would be easiest if you are an expat. 

[Chris Merriman]

ITVx is coming, but is delayed for some reason, according to their Twitter feed.

As for "false advertising" I don't know what you mean. Apps are provided and uploaded by developers not LG and it's entirely up to them if they provide a WebOS (LG's operating system) version.

Its a slightly grey area that ITVx is offered on Freeview Play - which LG does advertise as supporting, but as I say, ITV have confirmed that it's coming soon.

I've never seen LG advertise VPN support and I don't think they can support it even if a developer wanted to make an app.

In general, LG's WebOS is quite low down the priority list for app makers as there are far more users of other platforms - Samsung, Google/Android TV and Roku for example. 

Unfortunately, you have no right to expect any app (like, where is Paramount+ for example?) and it isn't "false advertising" unless it's specifically claimed to be offered in the product specs. Neither ITVx or VPN support is.

If you want major apps on day one, and VPN support, you'd have more luck buying a Chromecast, Fire Stick or Roku box. Or a different TV. 

[James Simpson]

ITVx has been released according to its website 

link hidden, please login to view

. Who is the "their" Twitter feed you quote? Where can I read that? Any idea what "coming soon" means? Before Christmas, before 2024?

LG in its advertising does not mention that all apps are not necessarily available, that VPNs are not available (and may never be), the user has no right to expect any app generally available and that apps may become available later than generally released for other smart TVs. By not explicitly stating that constitutes "false advertising" in my opinion. I asked that question (can I download apps?) in the store where I bought my LG and was lied to, as it turns out. You probably think it's my fault and I didn't ask the right question.

Luckily I overcome the geolocation problem by changing the DNS on the TV, but don't tell LG as they will probably take that option away. The unavailability of a VPN is a major negative factor, why can't LG provide one?

I do want major apps on day one (or two), and VPN support, as is expected in a "smart TV", I should have bought a smart TV from a different manufacturer  and not this "stupid TV" from LG with its useless buggy operating system.  I paid out for this "stupid TV", it's mine and I want to use it as I want and that is as a smart TV.

Never buy an LG "smart TV" - because it's not.

[Chris Merriman]

Wow. There's a lot here. Let me try and help you - but remember I'm just an LG customer like you - I work in the tech industry, but I'm not LG or ITV so I can only tell you what I know as a customer. The info I have comes from the @ITVxHelp Twitter feed. They reply very quickly if you wanted to try talking to them, but I warn you, they don't know a lot either!

First - the good news - ITVx has started to roll out to LG TVs. I got my update this morning. 

The bad news is that it isn't working properly! I've reported it to them and we'll see what happens. 

In terms of the wider point - "Smart" simply means it has an internet connection and can run apps. What apps are available has nothing to do with LG - they offer their platform (WebOS) to developers, but what actually gets offered on this, or any TV is entirely up to them. 

Browse through this forum and you'll find lots of "where is this" and "why is this" posts. The bottom line is that ITVx is available to devices that support it - that doesn't mean they have to make it available to every TV and every device, and it doesn't mean that they have to get it to all platforms on time - there are a lot of other devices that either don't have ITVx yet, won't ever get it, or have it and it''s not working properly - it has been an undeniably shoddy roll out. 

The reality is that no TV or smart device has every app - and there's nothing you can do about that. Some are better than others and unfortunately, many developers don't offer LG apps, or make them last of all.  LG is far from the best - but it's also not the worse - a lot of cheaper TVs don't have Disney+, for example, and that's been out for two years. Humax doesn't offer Netflix on its flagship set top box. That's just how it is, and there's no one TV or device that will get everything. As more and more streaming services come online this is only going to get worse. 

The thing about VPNs, specifically, is that they offer you a chance to watch stuff that shouldn't be officially available to you. Broadcasters and streaming services pay huge amounts of money for the rights to programmes, country by country, and therefore watching them from another country is a legal grey area. It would be lovely if LG offered VPN support, but VPNs are not a right either - in fact they're actually banned in many countries altogether. (For the record, I use a second router with a VPN built in and point my devices at that). The key thing to remember is that you don't have the right to anything - it's only false advertising if they specifically say "we offer this specific service or feature, on this model of TV" and then don't. 

The truth is that Smart TVs will never be as flexible as standalone devices like streaming sticks and computers. There are better options than LG for the sort of thing you want to do - especially as LG generally stop updating firmware after a couple of years - but just because something exists, it doesn't mean you'll get it and that's true of all devices, not just LG - and it's only going to get worse. I find it bonkers that we can't get Paramount+ on our TVs yet - but that's up to Paramount, not LG. 

I'm sorry if you feel you're stuck with a TV that doesn't meet your needs - look at other posts, you're very much not alone, it's the reason most people are here - but we live in an age where the TV landscape is changing all the time. Really, for the flexibility you want, you'd be better off with a separate device (FYI not a Roku - they don't support VPNs either!).  I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's where we are and I don't think, from what you say, you'd be entirely happy with a Samsung, Sony or HiSense TV either - they all have their drawbacks and missing services. 

I hope I've been of some help explaining. I regret buying LG too, but I can''t afford to rush out and buy another model either so I'm trying to make the best of it. On the plus side, at least it looks like the wait for ITVx is nearly over!

 

[Otmoor Yellow]

7 hours ago, Chris Merriman said:

Wow. There's a lot here. Let me try and help you - but remember I'm just an LG customer like you - I work in the tech industry, but I'm not LG or ITV so I can only tell you what I know as a customer. The info I have comes from the @ITVxHelp Twitter feed. They reply very quickly if you wanted to try talking to them, but I warn you, they don't know a lot either!

First - the good news - ITVx has started to roll out to LG TVs. I got my update this morning. 

The bad news is that it isn't working properly! I've reported it to them and we'll see what happens. 

In terms of the wider point - "Smart" simply means it has an internet connection and can run apps. What apps are available has nothing to do with LG - they offer their platform (WebOS) to developers, but what actually gets offered on this, or any TV is entirely up to them. 

Browse through this forum and you'll find lots of "where is this" and "why is this" posts. The bottom line is that ITVx is available to devices that support it - that doesn't mean they have to make it available to every TV and every device, and it doesn't mean that they have to get it to all platforms on time - there are a lot of other devices that either don't have ITVx yet, won't ever get it, or have it and it''s not working properly - it has been an undeniably shoddy roll out. 

The reality is that no TV or smart device has every app - and there's nothing you can do about that. Some are better than others and unfortunately, many developers don't offer LG apps, or make them last of all.  LG is far from the best - but it's also not the worse - a lot of cheaper TVs don't have Disney+, for example, and that's been out for two years. Humax doesn't offer Netflix on its flagship set top box. That's just how it is, and there's no one TV or device that will get everything. As more and more streaming services come online this is only going to get worse. 

The thing about VPNs, specifically, is that they offer you a chance to watch stuff that shouldn't be officially available to you. Broadcasters and streaming services pay huge amounts of money for the rights to programmes, country by country, and therefore watching them from another country is a legal grey area. It would be lovely if LG offered VPN support, but VPNs are not a right either - in fact they're actually banned in many countries altogether. (For the record, I use a second router with a VPN built in and point my devices at that). The key thing to remember is that you don't have the right to anything - it's only false advertising if they specifically say "we offer this specific service or feature, on this model of TV" and then don't. 

The truth is that Smart TVs will never be as flexible as standalone devices like streaming sticks and computers. There are better options than LG for the sort of thing you want to do - especially as LG generally stop updating firmware after a couple of years - but just because something exists, it doesn't mean you'll get it and that's true of all devices, not just LG - and it's only going to get worse. I find it bonkers that we can't get Paramount+ on our TVs yet - but that's up to Paramount, not LG. 

I'm sorry if you feel you're stuck with a TV that doesn't meet your needs - look at other posts, you're very much not alone, it's the reason most people are here - but we live in an age where the TV landscape is changing all the time. Really, for the flexibility you want, you'd be better off with a separate device (FYI not a Roku - they don't support VPNs either!).  I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's where we are and I don't think, from what you say, you'd be entirely happy with a Samsung, Sony or HiSense TV either - they all have their drawbacks and missing services. 

I hope I've been of some help explaining. I regret buying LG too, but I can''t afford to rush out and buy another model either so I'm trying to make the best of it. On the plus side, at least it looks like the wait for ITVx is nearly over!

 

My understanding is that all LG TVs post 2016 will get the ITVX app, its just a case of when.

You can of course use the internet browser on your LG TV and access ITVX via its website .I've tried it and it works, albeit that LG browser is a pile of crap and very very slow.

[Otmoor Yellow]

21 hours ago, Otmoor Yellow said:

My understanding is that all LG TVs post 2016 will get the ITVX app, its just a case of when.

You can of course use the internet browser on your LG TV and access ITVX via its website .I've tried it and it works, albeit that LG browser is a pile of crap and very very slow.

Update 16/12/2022 - My LG Smart TV now has the ITVX app. The logo in the app still says ITV Hub, but the app is called ITVX and it has all the known content for ITVX. My TV is at least 5 years old, so most should get it.

[Chris Merriman]

12 minutes ago, Otmoor Yellow said:

Update 16/12/2022 - My LG Smart TV now has the ITVX app. The logo in the app still says ITV Hub, but the app is called ITVX and it has all the known content for ITVX. My TV is at least 5 years old, so most should get it.

As of 2ish this afternoon they fixed this and it's now showing as ITVx through and through on my TV. 

No Live feeds though for anyone. ITVx are "looking at adding this in the Future". Get the impression they were given a "get ITVx live by this date" ultimatum by the managers and the developers had to release it unfinished. And late. And broken. 

[Derek Robinson]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:13 PM, Chris Merriman said:

As of 2ish this afternoon they fixed this and it's now showing as ITVx through and through on my TV. 

No Live feeds though for anyone. ITVx are "looking at adding this in the Future". Get the impression they were given a "get ITVx live by this date" ultimatum by the managers and the developers had to release it unfinished. And late. And broken. 

My understanding is that LG refuse to allow ITV to stream live because ITV want paying more for that. They are not alone in that since channel 4 also don't allow live streaming on LG. I just use a Firestick and it suits all my needs for now. I just hope that ITV got their act together because the Hub was a total failure as an app.

[jak22]

The My Apps section of the content store has been corrupted on my LG and the apps have old icons and names

It did not detect the update to ITVx and shows the wrong apps needing updates

I scrolled through All Apps (not My apps) and found ITVx and was able to update ITV Hub that way 

[Chris Merriman]

41 minutes ago, jak22 said:

The My Apps section of the content store has been corrupted on my LG and the apps have old icons and names

It did not detect the update to ITVx and shows the wrong apps needing updates

I scrolled through All Apps (not My apps) and found ITVx and was able to update ITV Hub that way 

I have a similar issue. Apps are updating but then showing they need updating again.

 

[jak22]

1 hour ago, Chris Merriman said:

I have a similar issue. Apps are updating but then showing they need updating again.

 

I believe the apps that content store My Apps says need updating are already up to date so its best to ignore them until this issue is fixed

If you get a pop-up message of apps ready for update when you turn on the TV then you need to check each of your apps under All Apps - one of them will genuinely need an update - so manually update it - it wont be same app as My Apps says needs updating

This will get rid of the pop-up message but not fix the content store issue 

[philipD]

Also have the stuck My Apps "needs update" issue for my Emby app, and corrupt state for ITVHub / ITVx ..

Back on topic, do other involuntary LG ITVx Beta testers have an infuriating bug where the picture will vanish to a black screen after any ad break leaving sound only, recoverable only by exiting and then restarting / resuming the programme, often needing several attempts?? Tried last night's WebOS update, just in case, but no difference 😡

C9 55"

[John52]

On 12/25/2022 at 9:08 AM, philipD said:

Also have the stuck My Apps "needs update" issue for my Emby app, and corrupt state for ITVHub / ITVx ..

Back on topic, do other involuntary LG ITVx Beta testers have an infuriating bug where the picture will vanish to a black screen after any ad break leaving sound only, recoverable only by exiting and then restarting / resuming the programme, often needing several attempts?? Tried last night's WebOS update, just in case, but no difference 😡

C9 55"

I have the same infuriating fault. Poor testing of app. C9 55

[philipD]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:27 AM, John52 said:

I have the same infuriating fault. Poor testing of app. C9 55

Hi - There is a feedback form on the ITV site here:

link hidden, please login to view

Gave them full details of the fault, received an annoying "try turning it off and on again" response but if enough people report the same issue they may actually try to resolve it?

[John52]

Reported it. Thanks for the link.

 

[philipD]

On 12/25/2022 at 9:08 AM, philipD said:

... infuriating itvX bug where the picture will vanish to a black screen after any ad break leaving sound only, recoverable only by exiting and then restarting / resuming the programme, often needing several attempts?? ...😡

C9 55"

Looks like a recent update to the itvX webOS app has cured this problem. Not done extensive testing, but watched a few programmes and no instances of the blank screen where there would have been several on the old version. Still no Live TV option though..