Valley Bluenose
RTV? Completed it mate!
Long post but if it helps just one RangersTV viewer it’s worth it. Will try to post as often as is necessary to help new subscribers/match-by-match purchasers.
I’ve tried to pull together the various bits of advice that have been posted on the multiple RangersTV threads. Remember, for most matches, if you are watching from the UK you will need a VPN as well.
TIPS
1. For those paying in sterling, the Unlimited subscription costs £17.25 per month/£193.90 annually, regardless of any figure you see in dollars. Click on the Buy Now button to reveal sterling prices.
2. When you first subscribe you will get emails from an agency called WorldPay, who collect the subscriptions on behalf of RangersTV. This will include notification of a login/password (which you can change) to the WorldPay website. Keep a record of these details as the easiest way to cancel or check a subscription, should you wish to, is via WorldPay. Their website login is at:
https://secure.worldpay.com/fp/jsp/common/login_shopper.jsp
EDIT 1: To check when RangersTV received your last payment login to RangersTV and go to the Account tab. It will show a rate of £0.00 but that's irrelevant - just check the date the last monthly payment was taken. Your account will be 'live' for 1 month from that date. To change/update your credit/debit card for payments with WorldPay, go to the link above and login to WorldPay. Click on the Agreement Number that comes up on the next page. Firstly, check your card details are correct - including the expiry date. Check when the next payment is due (should hopefully be sometime in the next month). If you need to make changes to your card details simply click on the 'Change Payment Details' tab and do so. If you click on the 'View Payments' tab you will see a list of payments taken from you to date - check when the last one was. Hopefully it was sometime in the last month. Your subscription should be valid for 1 month from that date.
3. Live matches are intended only for viewing outside the UK and RoI (there are some early season exceptions) so you will require a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This allows you to disguise your internet location. Even if viewing from Glasgow your internet location can be set to Amsterdam, Paris etc. by using the VPN. Its best to pick a location nearer to the UK than pick the USA, for example. This gets around the geo-restrictions on the stream. There are many free and paid-for VPNs available. Paid-for tends to be faster and more secure. Most commonly recommended are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. If you take out a 24-36-month subscription they are available for less than £3 per month. Both have tutorials on how to download and setup available on their websites. You need to have your VPN turned on in order to login and stream the match. Once you have the stream running you can, if you choose, switch off the VPN (some find it helps with the quality of the stream – particularly if you are using a free VPN) but you don’t have to. If you do, and you lose the stream for any reason and need to refresh, then you will need to turn on the VPN once again before you do so.
4. When you want to login to view a match avoid doing so via the link to purchase the match (there have been reports of the odd user finding themselves charged twice when they do so). Simply go to the RangersTV login link below and sign in.
https://rangers.co.uk/tv/login
5. To find the match stream, once logged in go to the box where it says ‘Show Me Videos About’. Leave the Search box EMPTY and click on ‘Search’. This brings up a list of videos in date order, most recent first, and will include the link to the match stream.
6. Don’t try to purchase the match – or login to RangersTV – at the last minute. If you can, buy the game at least 1 hour before kick-off. Try and login about 45-60 minutes before kick-off. Initially you will simply see a still photograph but around 15-30 minutes before kick-off (depending whether it’s a home or away match) the stream should kick in. If it doesn’t, simply Refresh your browser.
7. Make sure you don’t have FollowFollow open in another tab whilst watching the match stream. I’ve found that it really messes it up. Even though I have an adblocker I assume this is because FollowFollow is trying to load adverts in the background. Close that FollowFollow tab and, if you really must follow the ‘wonderful’ match thread, login on a separate device such as a tablet instead.
8. Once you have the stream running adjust the Quality settings. Go to the little icon in the bottom right hand corner that looks like 4 small squares and click on it. From the pop-up menu change the setting from ‘Auto’ to ‘1080p.’ I find it keeps the stream much smoother. I’ve had it all the way down to 540p and still had a very good stream.
9. If you have no sound then find the Unmute button. Roll the mouse over it (usually in top left corner) and click to Unmute.
10. It IS possible to be logged-in and watching the stream on multiple devices at the same time. Be aware that doing so is, of course, depriving RangersTV of much-needed cash by denying them a second subscription. I will leave that to your conscience as there will be some circumstances when doing so is reasonable. Also, RangersTV are currently trialling a commercial package for pubs and clubs. The SLO has posted a list of venues who have paid their cash for the first two such matches. If you find a pub/club showing the match who have not paid the full commercial rate and are simply using a single-user, personal login to stream the match then please report them to the Club. I understand the going rate for pubs/clubs is £250 per match. Most will make more than that through additional custom/sales.
TROUBLESHOOTING
A little bit of self-help can go a long way. The vast majority have a good experience with RangersTV. If you don’t, then ask yourself why, rather than simply saying ‘RangersTV is sh*t’. There will be a reason you are having issues.
This is based entirely upon watching via laptop/pc, hooked up via HDMI to a television where appropriate. I will leave it to others to advise in more detail on casting, Firesticks, PS4s, logging in via SmartTV and the likes. In general, SmartTVs are very much hit and miss – some will work, some won’t. If casting from an iPhone or iPad then using an AppleTV seems the best wires-free option, or you can get the Apple lightning-to-HDMI connector to do it wired. There are other ways via various apps that, again, can be a bit hit and miss. Android casting seems simpler.
11. If your stream is buffering try adjusting the Quality settings as per point 8 above. If needs be try dropping the Quality down to 760P. I’ve had it as low as 540p in the past and the picture has still been fine but the buffering gone.
12. Another little ‘trick’ to try once the stream is running is to move the blue slider bar along the bottom back by about 30 seconds. It means your stream will be a little further behind than is ‘normal’ but some report it has helped with any issues they have.
13. If all else fails – and we are getting into more complicated territory now – some deeper investigation will be necessary. Never mind that you have 70 zillion megabytes broadband or that Netflix works like a dream, something is stopping your RangersTV working - so do some troubleshooting. Good Luck with it if you have to get this far.
Is the problem only when you login on your home broadband? Have you tried logging in on your laptop/phone, for example, via someone else’s broadband?
Have you tried logging into RangersTV on a friend’s laptop/phone whilst on YOUR home broadband and does it have the same problems?
Have you tried logging in on THEIR laptop/phone on THEIR home broadband to see if the issue persists there as well?
Try your equipment in another location and then try someone else’s equipment in your location in order to try and isolate the problem in other words.
I’ve tried to pull together the various bits of advice that have been posted on the multiple RangersTV threads. Remember, for most matches, if you are watching from the UK you will need a VPN as well.
TIPS
1. For those paying in sterling, the Unlimited subscription costs £17.25 per month/£193.90 annually, regardless of any figure you see in dollars. Click on the Buy Now button to reveal sterling prices.
2. When you first subscribe you will get emails from an agency called WorldPay, who collect the subscriptions on behalf of RangersTV. This will include notification of a login/password (which you can change) to the WorldPay website. Keep a record of these details as the easiest way to cancel or check a subscription, should you wish to, is via WorldPay. Their website login is at:
https://secure.worldpay.com/fp/jsp/common/login_shopper.jsp
EDIT 1: To check when RangersTV received your last payment login to RangersTV and go to the Account tab. It will show a rate of £0.00 but that's irrelevant - just check the date the last monthly payment was taken. Your account will be 'live' for 1 month from that date. To change/update your credit/debit card for payments with WorldPay, go to the link above and login to WorldPay. Click on the Agreement Number that comes up on the next page. Firstly, check your card details are correct - including the expiry date. Check when the next payment is due (should hopefully be sometime in the next month). If you need to make changes to your card details simply click on the 'Change Payment Details' tab and do so. If you click on the 'View Payments' tab you will see a list of payments taken from you to date - check when the last one was. Hopefully it was sometime in the last month. Your subscription should be valid for 1 month from that date.
3. Live matches are intended only for viewing outside the UK and RoI (there are some early season exceptions) so you will require a VPN (Virtual Private Network). This allows you to disguise your internet location. Even if viewing from Glasgow your internet location can be set to Amsterdam, Paris etc. by using the VPN. Its best to pick a location nearer to the UK than pick the USA, for example. This gets around the geo-restrictions on the stream. There are many free and paid-for VPNs available. Paid-for tends to be faster and more secure. Most commonly recommended are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. If you take out a 24-36-month subscription they are available for less than £3 per month. Both have tutorials on how to download and setup available on their websites. You need to have your VPN turned on in order to login and stream the match. Once you have the stream running you can, if you choose, switch off the VPN (some find it helps with the quality of the stream – particularly if you are using a free VPN) but you don’t have to. If you do, and you lose the stream for any reason and need to refresh, then you will need to turn on the VPN once again before you do so.
4. When you want to login to view a match avoid doing so via the link to purchase the match (there have been reports of the odd user finding themselves charged twice when they do so). Simply go to the RangersTV login link below and sign in.
https://rangers.co.uk/tv/login
5. To find the match stream, once logged in go to the box where it says ‘Show Me Videos About’. Leave the Search box EMPTY and click on ‘Search’. This brings up a list of videos in date order, most recent first, and will include the link to the match stream.
6. Don’t try to purchase the match – or login to RangersTV – at the last minute. If you can, buy the game at least 1 hour before kick-off. Try and login about 45-60 minutes before kick-off. Initially you will simply see a still photograph but around 15-30 minutes before kick-off (depending whether it’s a home or away match) the stream should kick in. If it doesn’t, simply Refresh your browser.
7. Make sure you don’t have FollowFollow open in another tab whilst watching the match stream. I’ve found that it really messes it up. Even though I have an adblocker I assume this is because FollowFollow is trying to load adverts in the background. Close that FollowFollow tab and, if you really must follow the ‘wonderful’ match thread, login on a separate device such as a tablet instead.
8. Once you have the stream running adjust the Quality settings. Go to the little icon in the bottom right hand corner that looks like 4 small squares and click on it. From the pop-up menu change the setting from ‘Auto’ to ‘1080p.’ I find it keeps the stream much smoother. I’ve had it all the way down to 540p and still had a very good stream.
9. If you have no sound then find the Unmute button. Roll the mouse over it (usually in top left corner) and click to Unmute.
10. It IS possible to be logged-in and watching the stream on multiple devices at the same time. Be aware that doing so is, of course, depriving RangersTV of much-needed cash by denying them a second subscription. I will leave that to your conscience as there will be some circumstances when doing so is reasonable. Also, RangersTV are currently trialling a commercial package for pubs and clubs. The SLO has posted a list of venues who have paid their cash for the first two such matches. If you find a pub/club showing the match who have not paid the full commercial rate and are simply using a single-user, personal login to stream the match then please report them to the Club. I understand the going rate for pubs/clubs is £250 per match. Most will make more than that through additional custom/sales.
TROUBLESHOOTING
A little bit of self-help can go a long way. The vast majority have a good experience with RangersTV. If you don’t, then ask yourself why, rather than simply saying ‘RangersTV is sh*t’. There will be a reason you are having issues.
This is based entirely upon watching via laptop/pc, hooked up via HDMI to a television where appropriate. I will leave it to others to advise in more detail on casting, Firesticks, PS4s, logging in via SmartTV and the likes. In general, SmartTVs are very much hit and miss – some will work, some won’t. If casting from an iPhone or iPad then using an AppleTV seems the best wires-free option, or you can get the Apple lightning-to-HDMI connector to do it wired. There are other ways via various apps that, again, can be a bit hit and miss. Android casting seems simpler.
11. If your stream is buffering try adjusting the Quality settings as per point 8 above. If needs be try dropping the Quality down to 760P. I’ve had it as low as 540p in the past and the picture has still been fine but the buffering gone.
12. Another little ‘trick’ to try once the stream is running is to move the blue slider bar along the bottom back by about 30 seconds. It means your stream will be a little further behind than is ‘normal’ but some report it has helped with any issues they have.
13. If all else fails – and we are getting into more complicated territory now – some deeper investigation will be necessary. Never mind that you have 70 zillion megabytes broadband or that Netflix works like a dream, something is stopping your RangersTV working - so do some troubleshooting. Good Luck with it if you have to get this far.
Is the problem only when you login on your home broadband? Have you tried logging in on your laptop/phone, for example, via someone else’s broadband?
Have you tried logging into RangersTV on a friend’s laptop/phone whilst on YOUR home broadband and does it have the same problems?
Have you tried logging in on THEIR laptop/phone on THEIR home broadband to see if the issue persists there as well?
Try your equipment in another location and then try someone else’s equipment in your location in order to try and isolate the problem in other words.
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