Alternative to Adobe Flash Player

Well DirecTV is about TV by satellite. Streaming options are secondary perks. With flash player going away we shall see where they go from here. But it sounds like streaming is what is most important for you, which is not what DirecTV is about. Good luck on wherever you go from here.

DirecTV is a media distribution platform and if they want to competitive with other media platforms then streaming - and easy access to streaming services - is essential to their viability. People are cutting the cord with more momentum as days pass and if DirecTV wants to remain a player, they need to compete with streaming more than the cabled TV. Even so, Xfinity, Version FIOS, DISH, and many secondsary platforms all have streaming services that are not cobbled by a depracated technology like Flash. If DirecTV sticks only to that technology for desktop streaming then it will end up in the same place as Flash - dead.

DTV is a satellite distribution system that only streams programs to mobile devices that are on the home network.  AT&T has said they will have a replacement app ready when Flash ends in Dec.  

DirecTV is not a full "media distribution platform" as you imply. They are service by satellite. They are not a streaming provider. So any streaming options they may have are just secondary perks that take a backseat to what their service is intended for.

No matter how many times you tell AT&T, you still only have the weight of a single customer and will not get them to budge. They know Flash support completes by end of year and have already stated they are preparing for it. For whatever reason they have chosen not to release the specifics just yet. Personally I hope that the announcement is before flash ends so everyone can prepare accordingly instead of after the fact.

But if you truly want streaming media, then get a streaming provider. DirecTV is by satellite, so for those that don't have good enough internet (if at all) for streaming is their primary market along with football fanatics.

AT&T made it clear to me that viewing DirecTv on my computer is not a part of their paid service.  They used to advertise about it which seems wrong.  I can't get my streaming to work on my computer because it says it has to be on the same wireless network.  With a DirecTv Tech at my house we connected my Windows Computer to the wireless (even though it was on the same subnet) and I still get the message.  Nobody knows how to fix it.  But not for a lack of trying, the Tech was one of the best I have dealt with, and he spent way more time than I expected to try to help.  He ever texted me later after trying it on his wife's laptop at his house (this guy is good).  At this time I have 6 (six) computers in the house and it only works on 1 (one).  One other note, you cannot run it twice on the same computer, no error message just says you need to reset the video player.  I was doing this to attempt to watch two football games at the same time.   Channel surfing on a the computer app is not easy.  The mobile app seems to work much better.

Well you aren't paying to watch on computer. They are not a streaming provider. Those are secondary perks, not something guaranteed to always be available. I suspect they are struggling to keep up with maintenance for the streaming perks as it currently is both because of short staffing from Covid, but also that they are having to update it for whatever their Flash replacement is.

Though I hope the issue is resolved shortly (within the next month or so per end of Flash), in the end we pay for satellite TV, not internet streaming TV.

Did you ever see the advertisement that it works on anything, mobile, computer, laptop, tablet, tv.  I did.  This next time it works well will be the first time.  When I first started using it the problem was it would keep pausing cause it could not download fast enough.  Their tech support said it was my wireless, I did mention that Youtube works great, no pause.  So I went out and purchased a 100 foot ethernet cable, connected it up and same thing.  I can't see where any reasonable person would accept that answer.  If you can't get it to work, then don't offer it.  It's not beta that I am aware of.  I have been waiting 3 years for it to work.  Seems to work on the mobile Android app.  Just seems to be a problem with the solution on the PC.  I bet if they wanted for it to work well they could find a software company that could pull it off.  I've used open source software that streams better than this solution.  You may or may not recall but many years ago they introduced a PCI card that work really well but they choose not to sell it.  Microsoft was showing it off in their demo room in Redmond, and their a duplicate room in Disneyland in the old Carousel of Progress.  I have seen it many times.  I remember when AT&T was the cream of the crop with Bell Labs being the envy of many electrical engineer.  What happened?  It isn't listed on the bill, but you pay plenty, I believe it should be supported.  And it should be working well. 

The download/buffering issue is a different issue. Since DirecTV is not a streaming provider, they don't have their own servers providing the On Demand content. Each channel maintains their own library. This results in the speed they upload it at, the various different paths it takes to you, plus it is provided in full resolution through the entirety of it (not adjusting for bandwidth like dedicated streaming providers) factoring in. So that is not a technical issue like the earlier issue, but the limitations of the design. That side of it could use an overhaul, but not so long as channels keep disabling our FF/REW capability for their On Demand.

Yes the dream was that AT&T acquiring DirecTV would bridge the gap between satellite and those secondary hardline services. But AT&T had enough of a challenge updating and adapting the account systems to work together. There has been no hardware advancement (at least publicly known), other than the launch of the Genie-2 (HS17) which I would actually call a step backwards because of the over simplified but restrictive design that takes away too much freedom from the customer.

Juniper, your standard line of "Directv is not a streaming provider ... " is horse (Edited per community guidelines). That's like saying Netflix should never have gotten into streaming because it was a mail-order DVD company. TV by satellite was a wonderful thing when its only competition was cable. But now that we have high-speed internet, we have other options — to which Directv is losing tons of customers. (I've been a customer for 20 years. I've remained only because when I threaten to leave — on an annual basis — Directv gives me a year of discounts that brings their price close to what I'd pay for all the channels I want on other services.) If AT&T wants to keep its Directv customers, it needs to get on the ball with streaming options. Making everyone wait until Flash totally expires — supposedly for something better — is nonsense. How many thousands of customers have they frustrated and lost in the meantime?

@Fusorider 

That statement of "DirecTV is not a streaming provider" is fact. They are service by satellite. That is their focus. That has nothing to do with what Netflix chose to do by having both DVD and streaming options. They are different providers with different business models. And Netflix doesn't have their own infrastructure to manage, as they rely on all the different internet connections across the country and 3rd party streaming devices (Roku, etc.) to provide their service.

DirecTV and Netflix are two very different TV providers aimed at different markets. And neither controls what the other does.

Since you threaten to leave on an annual basis to keep getting a discount, I find unethical and financially irresponsible. Discounts are great when available, certainly take them when they are there. But on an annual basis then that is just lying to get a discount you are not entitled to. This is why their CEO announced a while back that they were reeling in discounts. They are address accounts that are either a concern of operating at a loss, or just mooching off the system. If cost is too high, then reduce service until within budget. Never rely on discounts to make it affordable. Remember they are a business, not a charity and certainly are not obligated to keep giving discounts.

Though DirecTV is a fine service, sounds like it is not for you. Go to a streaming provider if that is truly what you care about. AT&T has other TV options as well, including AT&T TV NOW which is a streaming service. A satellite service doesn't become a streaming service simply because you think it should.

The Directv web app is really old and creaky.  Last time I looked it appeared to rely on a DRM plugin product from Cisco Systems that had been sold off to another company, then sold to another company, and cannot be found on the current owner's website.  Of course I am trying to play it on Linux; Looked like Cisco made a version for Linux but of course Directv never supported it.  Also Directv is supposedly supported and does work on iOS, both of which have never used Flash Player.

Well good news it is being replaced. With what exactly, we don't know yet. But the details should come out in the near future since Flash support is ending. Really hope they give the announcement before, not after.

I would think it would be easier for AT&T to support their Directtv and AT&T TV Now customers if they used the same app platforms rather than two or more separate streaming platforms

@juniper isn't an employee but claims detailed knowledge of Directv's server setup.  How is that possible?

It is not unethical to ask for a discount.  It doesn't make sense, and seems unlikely that Directv would offer discounts that result in money-losing customers.  I assume @fusorider would take his business to a competitor if he did not receive a discount.

The present AT&T has never owned Bell Laboratories, it was a separate subsidiary of the old AT&T and was spun off into Lucent and is now owned by Nokia (That surprised me.)  The present AT&T is descendant from some of the "baby bells" (regional Bell Operating Companies). 

Integration of the DirecTV satellite service (any part of it) to AT&T systems has been a challenge since the start. Got the impression it was more of a challenge then they expected, even before Covid hit. So same app platform for multiple services is unknown if in the works or just a passing fantasy.

I stated public knowledge. It has been known for a long time that DirecTV connects to each channel's server. That is why there is no adjusting for your bandwidth, as each channel keeps the same resolution from the start of the download. And even with bandwidth just fine there is the upload from the channel. So the full speed and experience for On Demand is not the same as you would get from a provider that is dedicated to streaming (Netflix, Hulu, etc.). You don't have to be someone on their payroll to have accumulated knowledge over the years. And knowledge does get shared, what a wonderful concept.

It is not unethical to ask for a discount. But to call annually under the false pretense of canceling, when you are just faking into getting a discount, is what I find unethical. At that point I say just cancel. Clearly the service is more than you want or can pay. Leave within your means instead of trying to scam someone else to adjust for you. So "threatening to leave on an annual basis" is just a pathetic con. So just pull the trigger and close the account instead of mooching. But discounts are practically gone now, so they should cancel as they have been blowing smoke all this time.

"It is not unethical to ask for a discount. But to call annually under the false pretense of canceling, when you are just faking into getting a discount, is what I find unethical. At that point I say just cancel. Clearly the service is more than you want or can pay. Leave within your means instead of trying to scam someone else to adjust for you."--Juniper

And yet this is exactly the business model that ALL cable/satellite providers have adopted.  If it were not so, then they would simply tell the customer good luck and best wishes when they threaten to leave.  Outside of cable news and sports channels, live content is practically dead.  Streaming on-demand is here now and will only grow in the future.