ReelplayTV Support

9/1/2025 - Telstra Outage is affecting Reelplay TV customers around Australia.

Looks like something is going on again with Telstra for the last couple of days that is affecting their overseas connection, therefore affecting Reelplay customers here in Australia. Nothing you can other than wait till it is resolved. Customers using other internet providers do not seem to be affected, so consider changing! The same thing happened in June last year that lasted nearly 2 weeks with no explanation.

Disclaimer & Terms of Use

We do not recommend using Reelplay TV on the Optus NBN or other 4G wireless networks as they may have insufficient and consistent speed and may cause continual playback problems such as regular buffering and connection dropouts. We strongly recommend customers to switch to TPG Internet or Pronto Broadband with a minimum speed of 50 Mbps or higher for optimal performance if they are experiencing issues.

Reelplay nor Another World Computer Services are responsible for poor internet quality that may impact the performance of the Reelplay TV device to stream properly. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that their internet service and WIFI setup is functioning correctly and has sufficient speed, quality and reliability to handle the service. Because internet streaming services can be affected by outages either locally, nationally, or internationally, Reelplay nor Another World Computer Services can guarantee streaming to be available 100% of the time. Outages and other internet issues may affect the LiveTV and ReelTime features and all content may not be available when these issues occur. Should an outage occur, you just need to wait for the service to resume, there is no need to re-configure the settings. Try rebooting your modem and NBN box to see if the service resumes, otherwise contact your service provider for more assistance.

Reelplay nor Another World Computer Services are responsible for the content and do not guarantee nor claim any rights to the content. Reelplay TV boxes provide streams of all the channels as they are available from the various TV stations via the internet they have streaming rights to. Reelplay provides these streams as a convenience and does not endorse the companies or contents of any such streams. Reelplay have no control over, is not responsible for, and makes no representation or warranty and disclaims all liability with respect to any such streaming. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Channels and features are subject to change without notice.

When purchasing a Reelplay subscription or renewal, you are purchasing a subscription with Reelplay to provide the service. Another World Computer Services is not responsible for providing the service or ongoing ability for Reelplay to provide the service in the future in full or in part, and therefore cannot accept any liability, claims for compensation, damages, or any refunds. Another World Computer Services is an independent dealer for the Reelplay products and is therefore not responsible for any issues with your box, accessories, subscription, streaming service, account issues, internet speed or connection, or if you purchased your product directly from Reelplay or another supplier. Out of courtesy we may be able to assist you, but you should contact Reelplay directly or your place of purchase first if you require assistance.

Reelplay TV boxes are covered by a 12 months manufacturers warranty. Warranty will be voided if the box has been damaged by misuse, accident, physical damage, water damage, electrical surge, or other factors. Reelplay accessories such as remote controls or power adapters are NOT covered by warranty. Boxes, accessories and subscriptions cannot be refunded if you change your mind or made a wrong decision. Subscriptions cannot be cancelled, suspended or transferred. For warranty claims, see details at the bottom of this page.

By purchasing a Reelplay TV box, accessory or subscription from Another World Computer Services, you agree to these terms and conditions.

Reelplay TV Support

Although the Reelplay TV box is extremely reliable things can sometimes go wrong. The following guide will help you to diagnose any simple problems with your Reelplay TV device. The information is provided as a guide and may not address your specific problem. If you are unable to resolve your problems using this guide, it's best to chat with Reelplay TV Live Support directly or try Apollo the ChatBot via the Speak Us To Us logo in the bottom right corner of the screen.

For your convenience, you can also change the language of the page at any time via the Select Language menu at the top left corner of the screen.

Reelplay TV Instructional YouTube Videos

You can use the following helpful videos to assist you to use and setup your Reelplay TV Box. We recommend you check these out first to ensure that your box is properly connected and configured.

How to set up your Reelplay TV Box

How to configure the WIFI connection

How to activate your Reelplay TV Subscription - If you don't have an Activation Code, click here to Purchase a Reelplay TV Activation Code first.

How to use the Reelplay TV Live feature

How to use the Reelplay TV 7 Day Rewind feature

How Streaming Services Work

It is important to understand how streaming services work. Unlike regular digital TV which picks up the channel locally via your antenna, the Reelplay TV box works via the internet and is dependent on good continuous stream from the other side of the world, in this case, from the TV station at the country of origin. Local or international outages caused by weather events, hardware failures, NBN and other maintenance issues will impact the quality of the Reelplay TV service. Outages are generally fixed quickly once the providers are aware of the problem and the Reelplay TV service will resume back to normal service once the internet service has been restored. There is nothing you need to do to the box, so just be patient and wait for the service to resume.

Spinning Circle / Pausing / Buffering Issues

Buffering occurs when the Reelplay TV box runs out of video to display and is waiting for more video to arrive via the internet. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with your Reelplay TV box, it just means that the box can't play video at a continuous speed and is waiting for more data.

To test your internet speed, assuming that your computer, tablet or smartphone is on the same network, open your web browser and go to https://www.speedtest.net and begin the test. Take note of the local connection speed that you are getting in your local area. Run the test a few times to get an average score. Once the tests have completed, change the location of the server to Los Angeles and perform the test again to get a score for your overseas speed.

Most people will be on the 50Mbps or 100Mbps plans so the score from your house to a server nearby in your city should be close to this maximum speed. We recommend at least 50Mbps for stable playback, so anything over that is a bonus. If you're only on a 12Mbps or 25Mbps plan, then you are more likely to experience buffering anyway, it's just not fast enough for a continuous high quality video stream. If you're not getting anywhere near the speed that you are paying for, then there might be an issue in your local area, WIFI interference, or a problem with your modem/router or NBN box. If everything is working properly, then you should be seeing a very similar speed between your local and overseas connection depending on network congestion and traffic. If you are getting a big difference between the two locations, then that is where the problem is. As the Reelplay TV traffic is coming via Los Angeles and on to the country of origin, the overseas speed needs to be performing properly for continuous playback.

Here's a perfect scenario as an example...

The following tests were taken on 18/6/2024 after a number of Telstra customers called complaining of severe buffering. I even had one customer get rather abusive on the phone demanding a refund and threatening this and that and they refused to listen to anything that I had to say, putting all the blame on us and Reelplay. They said they had contacted Telstra and that there was nothing wrong with the connection according to Telstra, and passed the buck back to Reelplay. The conversation did not end well, but unfortunately there are some stubborn customers who don't understand the technology, refuse to listen, quick to point fingers and won't admit they are wrong.

As I personally use TPG, I was not able to see any issues from my end. Playback of Greek, Italian, & Arabic channels were all performing just fine. After some investigation and testing I was able to provide the following results. I am using TPG's 100Mbps service and this image was taken at approximately 6pm during peak hour. It shows an 81Mbps download speed here in Melbourne from TPG to Swoop Broadband. This is a perfectly good connection and expected at this time of day.

The next image shows my TPG connection to Frontier in Los Angeles. As you can see it's hitting over 70Mbps. More than enough speed for continuous playback. Even though the upload speed is only 4.58Mbps, it doesn't matter, as we're only really downloading data to the Reelplay TV box from overseas and not uploading anything other than the odd key presses on the remote control.

Now compare the following images...

The next one shows my 100Mbps connection from TPG to Telstra today in Melbourne. You can see it's only pulling 58Mbps, compared to Swoop at 81Mbps who are also in Melbourne. One would expect Telstra being a larger internet provider to be quicker than Swoop. The Telstra network is considerably slower, probably congestion but still not terrible.

The next image was kindly taken and sent to me by one of my customers in Sydney who is currently experiencing heavy buffering issues. It shows the current speed that their Telstra connection is getting in Sydney. It is similar to what I am getting here in Melbourne, 54Mbps at their local server which should be perfectly acceptable for continual playback. According to what we've seen so far, there should be no reason for any buffering to be happening.

However, there is more to it once you did a little bit deeper. The next image shows their connection to the same Frontier server in Los Angeles. They are only getting 12Mbps compared my 70Mbps. It's no wonder they are buffering as there is no way that 12Mbps is anywhere near enough for continual playback, Telstra are clearly experiencing an issue with their international connections. Who knows what the cause could be, anything from a damaged undesea fibre cable, a bad software patch, to a someone unplugging a router in the lunchroom, we will probably never know!

So as you can see, it doesn't necessarily matter how fast your local speed is, it's the speed at which you are getting from the overseas connection that matters most. That's why when you call your internet provider and they test your service, they can only see if it's working locally properly and say there is nothing wrong, even though there is still an issue with their overseas connection that is affecting your service which they rarely admit to. That also explains why you can watch YouTube or Netflix still, because those services are all pre-recorded and hosted on local Australian servers, unlike the Reelplay TV service which requires a fast continuous service from overseas as the video stream is live.

It's not just to Los Angeles either. Remember the Reelplay TV channels actually originate from Greece, Italy & The Middle East. The internet issue could be anywhere along the route back to the country of origin. It could be a weather event, congestion, hardware failures, anything. Any break in the transmission will affect how well your box can receive the video stream. Reelplay TV are not responsible for things that are out of their control and cannot guarantee 100% uptime because of that. As there are nearly 500 channels available with all the packages, all coming from different TV stations and providers, outages are going to happen sooner or later.

These problems have been well documented and reported in recent times in the news from all the major internet providers. It wasn't that long ago that major outages occurred around Australia blocking mobiles from working, ATM's and EFTPOS machines, online banking services and more. So next time your internet provider tries to pass the buck and blame Reelplay for the buffering issues, you might want to look into it abit further. All we ask as that you be patient, understanding and wait for the problem to be resolved.

Things you can try yourself...

1) You can also check the speed of your internet connection using the Reelplay Box, but it will only give you a test from your local server, not from overseas. From the home menu, select Apps then Speedtest. If the results are 50 or higher, then you should not experience any buffering issues unless the issue is not directly related your personal connection. If you are experiencing slow speeds or constant buffering, we recommend you contact your internet provider to help resolve the issue. If you are unhappy with the results from your provider, then we recommend changing providers. Reelplay uses and recommends Pronto Broadband. They are reliable and provide great customer service. In most cases, they are cheaper than the larger Telco's and you can even keep your existing phone number! Personally, I recommend TPG and been a loyal customer for many years due to their great service and products. There is no reason to stay loyal to internet providers such as Optus or Telstra. They may be big, but their service is horrible. In the end, it's your choice.

We do not recommend using 4G/5G wireless internet packages are these are more prone to outages than regular NBN wired connections. We also do not recommend using Optus NBN services because for some reason, Optus seem to have a much slower overseas connection than other major providers such as TPG, Pronto Broadband, Telstra, Aussie Broadband etc. Reelplay TV recommends using TPG or Pronto Broadband as the preferred providers for best performance with a minimum of 50mbps or higher. If you would like to switch to TPG or Pronto Broadband, please take a look at the Internet Services page for more information or Contact Us to assist you.

2) Switch off and restart ALL your devices by switching them off at the power for a minimum 30 of seconds then turning them back on again. This includes the Reelplay TV box, Modem/Router, AND your NBN box. Rebooting the modem and NBN box will reconnect the devices to the NBN and establish a fresh connection. Restarting the Reelplay TV box will also force it to check for new updates. If the software is out of date, this can also cause playback issues. The box checks for new updates on startup, and automatically downloads and installs them when they become available, so it's a good habit to turn off when you are done watching for the day.

3) Try clicking the rewind button on the remote control to rewind the channel back a few seconds. LiveTV may not be working, but the ReelTime feature might work as it streams from the Reelplay TV servers rather than playing a live feed from the TV station.

4) Try turning off other equipment that might be streaming or using the same WiFi or LAN connection. ie. Computers, phones or tablets performing updates, playing online games, streaming from Netflix, Foxtel, Spotify, iTunes etc. Try moving your WIFI modem away from other equipment like microwave ovens and portable phones - yes, they can interfere with the WIFI connection as they also transmit on or close to the same frequencies as WIFI modems!

5) If you are using the Reelplay TV 220AC model, you can also try connecting to the 5ghz signal from your modem/router if it supports it. The 5ghz signal supports a higher speed, but the signal strength is not as strong as the 2.4ghz so the distance to the box may need to be closer. Check your modem's manual on how to enable and connect to the 5ghz signal. You can also try repositioning either the Reelplay TV Box or modem/router closer to eachother to see if it makes any difference to the WIFI signal strength and improve connection strength and speed. You also adjust the settings in your modem to increase the signal strength or change channels so that it's not interfering with other WIFI devices in the area, such as your next door neighbours.

6) Instead of using WIFI, connect an Ethernet/LAN cable directly from the Reelplay TV box to the modem. Using an Ethernet/LAN cable eliminates any chance of WIFI signal dropout or interference and is not affected by distance or blocked signal due to thick walls between rooms. We have Ethernet/LAN cables from 25cm to 50m available from the Ethernet/LAN Cables page on this site.

7) If you cannot use an Ethernet/LAN cable because the box is physically in another room and you can't run the cable directly to the box, there are two options that should fix any problems. Either get an electrician to run the cable under the floor or through the ceiling to the box or purchase an Ethernet Over Power Kit. The kit has a transmitter and a receiver. Simply connect the transmitter to the modem and the receiver the box and the two devices will find eachother through the electrical wiring in the house - no need to run any cables! You can find Ethernet Over Power Kits in the Powerline Adapters page on this site.

Conclusion...

If none of these suggestions work, you may have an internet connection issue due to poor line quality or maintenance works in your area which you will need to speak to your internet provider about. We cannot assist you with an internet connection problem. But if you don't get any satisfaction with your current provider, we recommend switching to TPG or Pronto Broadband. In most cases, the cost will be the same or cheaper than your current internet provider, but you will be getting a far better connection and much better customer service, especially when compared to the poor customer service given by Optus or Telstra. Contact Us for more information on switching providers or just follow the links and do the changeover yourself. It's just a matter of completing the online registration form and the changeover should occur either the same or within a few days.

Needs Registration / Blocked Error

If there is a message on the screen saying To Continue Watching You Need To Register, then REGISTER IT! Don't complain that it's not working! Get on a computer, tablet, or phone and using your browser go to https://register.reelplay.co and complete the registration form. Once registered, it may take a few minutes or up to 24 hours for the service to resume playback. If you read the instruction manual, it also says that you must register your box :-)

Needs Activation / Expired Subscription Error

You can purchase a subscription from the Account page directly using your credit card, but be aware that this payment goes directly to Reelplay in China and does not support us at all. Some credit cards may be blocked from overseas processing by your bank so it may not work at all, and there will be international credit fees attached as well.

We strongly recommend and appreciate it if you can instead purchase a subscription renewal from the Reelplay TV Subscription Renewal page, or Contact Us over the phone directly. As a local Australian business it helps support us to continue to provide our great service and products, with the added benefit of lower card processing fees and various payment choices such as Visa, Mastercard, Amex, PayPal, Bitcoin, Zip, Afterpay, Direct Debit or PayID.

Also be aware, that Reelplay may contact you directly by email or SMS or call from a Sydney (02) number to ask you to purchase a subscription directly from them, rather than from us. We don't like it that they try to cut us out from making a buck or two by going direct to the customer. Very sneaky! It is also very risky providing credit card details over the phone to a stranger claiming that they are from Reelplay. You don't know who they might be. Purchasing your products from our secure online store ensures your privacy as credit card details are not kept on file or shared with anyone and all transactions are encrypted and performed securely with strict verification protocols. You will also receive a receipt by email of your purchase, tracking information, and renewal reminder notifications when it's time to renew again.

If your new or expired box is asking you to Activate, then enter the Activation Code that you were provided with in the Account section from the main menu.

Click in the bottom left-hand corner where it says Activation Code, type in the Activation Code using the numbers on your remote control, then click on Activate.

Your Activation Code will be printed on your tax invoice and/or sent to your email at the time of purchase. If you don't have an Activation Code then you will need to purchase one from the Reelplay TV Subscription Renewal page and we will email it to you shortly.

If you get an error saying that the code is invalid, double-check that the code was entered correctly. If you made a mistake, exit back to the main menu and open Account section and enter the code again. Renewal codes are not compatible with the old HD-110 model boxes.

Continue Watching or Pay Now Error

The Reelplay TV box will pop up with a window to remind you that the subscription is about to expire. It will pop up with this box until you purchase a new subscription every day starting from 30 days prior to the expiry date. You can click on Continue Watching to bypass the message and continue using the Reelplay TV service. It does not matter if you purchase a new subscription before the existing one expires as the new one won't start until the existing one ends. The pop up message will continue to appear until you purchase a new subscription renewal code. You can purchase a subscription renewal from the Reelplay TV Subscription & Renewal page.

Continue Watching Due To Innactivity

After several hours of innactivity, a pop up box will appear to see if you are still watching. Simply click Continue Watching to clear the box. If not activity is detected after an additional amount of time, the Reelplay TV box will shut down to conserve power and download data. Changing channels, adjusting volume or any other press of a button on the remote control resets the innactivity sensor function.

Not Connecting To Internet Error

From the Main Menu, click on Settings, then Network. If you are using the Reelplay TV box with a WIFI connection, select WIFI (WLAN) and find your WIFI. Be sure to enter the password 100% correctly or it will not connect. Make sure you use UPPER and LoWeR case characters correctly. Make sure in the IP Configuration section that it is set to AUTO (ON) and not manually set, unless you know what you are doing.

If you are using the Reelplay TV box with a LAN (ETHERNET) connection, make sure the cable is connected properly to the box and to the modem. There is no need to enter a password for wired connections. The Reelplay box will connect automatically.

Use the Network Detection function to test the connection. You should get two Connection Successful results, one for the box to the modem, and one for the modem to the internet. If there is a failure, you will need to check your connections again. Also try rebooting both your MODEM and NBN BOX.

There is a known issue with some Telstra Smartmodems and possibly other manufacturers as well, preventing the Reelplay TV box from connecting to the internet correctly. You must disable the IPV6 LAN settings in the modem and just stick with IPV4. For assistance in fixing this you may need to contact your service provider to assist you with changing this in the modem's settings.

An issue has also been identified with some Optus Sagemcom modems. Either the WiFi speed is extremely slow or the connection does not work at all. By default, some modems are being shipped with a 20Mhz setting on the WiFi settings. This should be set to AUTO or 40Mhz. Optus seem to be deliberately trying to slow down the WIFI speed to save on their network bandwidth and this will obviously make the WIFI too slow for playback. You will need to change the WiFi Bandwidth settings to AUTO or 40Mhz. This issue may not be isolated to Optus alone and may be an issue with other internet providers too. Please contact your internet provider for assistance to change the settings.

Missing Channels / Under Maintenance / Channel Not Playing

From time-to-time, Reelplay can add or remove channels. If a channel is Under Maintenance, then you will need to wait for Reelplay to resolve the issue. It is not a problem with your box, but rather an issue from the overseas broadcaster. Most channels will be resolved within a few hours or days, and your box will resume playing automatically. Channels may be removed or added without notice. Also try upgrading to the latest software by turning your box off and on again. It will check for new software updates when it restarts. If one channel is not playing correctly but others are, then chances are that the issue is coming from the TV station and affecting everyone downstream. Because of the outage, it may also affect the Reeltime feature for that channel at the time of the outage as it wasn't recorded correctly.

No EPG (Electronic Program Guide) Data

Wherever possible, the Reelplay TV box will display the program guide to make it easier to find your favourite programs and display the starting and ending time as well as other information. Unfortunately, the data is not always supplied by the TV station and therefore the box will display No Data for that timeslot. This is out of Reelplay TV's control and is up to the TV station to send that data. Reelplay TV makes every effort to request the data from the TV stations, but in some cases, it cannot be supplied and nothing else they do about it. You can access the program guide by pressing the blue EPG button on your remote control from the channel display page.

No Picture / No Sound / No Power

The box does not turn on when you press the power button on the remote. Normally a blue LED light will come on at the front of the box. Check carefully as sometimes it can be faint due to the tinted perspex panel. This will not affect the Reelplay TV box ability to work.

Ensure that the power is switched on and the power adapter is connected properly to the box. Check that you have plugged the power adapter in the power socket correctly. Make sure that you are using the official power adapter supplied with your unit. Using the wrong adapter can damage the Reelplay box. Replacement power adapters are available to order from the Reelplay TV Box & Accessories section on this site.

Make sure your TV is set to the correct AV or HDMI input. ie. HDMI1 or HDMI2 etc. Also try replacing the HDMI cable with another one. Sometimes HDMI cables can get small cracks in the cabling from twisting and pulling. One broken wire in the cable may cause the picture and/or sound to stop completely and it may not be obvious to the naked eye. Any HDMI cable will do, they are all the same. If you do not have a replacement HDMI cable, they are available from the HDMI Cables section on this site.

Make sure your TV sound is turned on from your remote or directly from the TV controls. Make sure the Reelplay sound is at maximum pressing the + on the VOL button on the remote. Make sure the Reelplay is not muted by pressing the button next to the 0 key on the remote with the speaker and cross through it (HD-110 remote) or the MUTE button in the top left of the remote (HD-220 remote). Try a different HDMI port on the back of the TV. Most TV's have more than one HDMI connection. Try a different HDMI cable just in case the cable is damaged or cracked. Try a different TV in case there's an issue with the TV itself.

To test the remote control, replace the batteries to see if it they are flat or if you can, with another Reelplay TV box. All Reelplay TV boxes use the same remote controls so if you have friend or know someone with a Reelplay you can test it with their box.

If it is still not working then there could be a problem with the power adapter, the remote control or the box itself. You can bring the box, remote control or power adapter to the store for testing and if required we can replace the non-working devices. Warranty is NOT provided on remote controls or power adapters. Replacement parts prices are on the Reelplay TV Accessories page.

If the box is within the 12 months warranty period, you will need to send the faulty items directly to Reelplay for a warranty repair or replacement. We cannot repair or replace faulty items under warranty directly, they will need to be checked by Reelplay first. Items found to be damaged by the user will not be repaired or replaced under the manufacturer warranty. eg. Physically broken, water damage, wear and tear etc. Details to repair or replace your box can be found below.

Incorrect Time & Date / Unable To Change Time Zone

If the box is set to the incorrect timezone disconnect the box from WIFI or remove the LAN cable so it is not connected to the internet. You cannot change the timezone while it is connected to the internet.

Go to Settings / Timezone & turn off Auto. Set to +10 for Melbourne/Sydney or your correct timezone. Reconnect to the internet. The box should be now set to the correct timezone and you can reconnect it the internet by re-attaching the LAN cable or turning WIFI back on.

Blocked From Accessing Reelplay from USA or Canada.

If you are located in the USA or Canada, some channels have been disconnected due to Geoblocking restrictions due to the trade disputes between USA and China. The ONLY solution at this stage is to subscribe to a VPN service such ExpressVPN (https://www.expressvpn.com) to bypass the restrictions. This is a paid service. Go to you Apps section from the main menu and run the ExpressVPN app. Enter your account details to enable the VPN on your device to resume your Reelplay service.

If you are unable to reach the Reelplay site, this is also due to the Geoblocking restrictions. You can install one of the above VPN services to bypass the blocking or I recommend instead of using Chrome or Internet Explorer you download and install Opera (https://www.opera.com) which has built in VPN to access any website regardless of the location.

Replacement Box Procedure (Australian Customers Only)

If your Reelplay TV box is no longer working because of a hardware or software fault, you will need to send it the Reelplay Service Centre. You cannot return it us as we are not able to repair physical issues. They will try to repair the device for you free of charge if it still under warranty. It the device can't be repaired and is out of warranty, they will contact you regarding the purchase of a new device. You are responsible for all shipping charges to and from Reelplay. Remote controls and power supply units are NOT covered by warranty.

Sent it to:

Reelplay Service Centre

P.O. Box 412

Sydney Markets NSW 2129

You will also need to:

a. Provide a paid return bag (with your return postage details filled in).

b. A mobile phone number and email address.

c. Explanation of the issue.

or take it directly to:

Markets Plaza Building

Shop 15

250-318 Parramatta Road

Homebush NSW 2140