iPhone Chinese Entertainment Apps

[xiaofan]

i just tested my 酷喵VIP for mulan disney on ipad in china. it did not ask for any payment

Good to know that Youku TV VIP (酷喵 VIP) does have better benefits than non TV VIP, other than 4K video access.

Or maybe it is due to the fact I am actually using my wife's Taobao 88VIP to gain the VIP status of Youku VIP.

What about Avengers: Endgame? It seems to me Youku does not have the rights.

 

[drag0n]

Thank you xiaofan & badsector for testing it out!

i also notice that when i try Mulan on mobile (with free Transocks), casting to tv is not allowed due to copyright issues. badsector is that the case too with 酷喵vip?

i just tested out Ip Man 4 (6 min preview) with Transocks, and casting it to CIBN酷喵 on my TV stick and it works. So apparently i don't need to get 酷喵Vip to cast to TV? and the casting is using dlna and my TV stick itself doesn't need to go through vpn?

Also, may i know if Transocks mobile version is free unlimited? or is there a limited usage? i know on any other platform (like Android tv) it is not free and have to pay.

EDIT: (in my previous post, i was casting to tv with other shows that doesn't require vpn, i was under the impression that it works like chromecast, whereby my tv stick is fetching the media directly from the url source and might also have to go through vpn)

 

[xiaofan]

Thank you xiaofan & badsector for testing it out!

i also notice that when i try Mulan on mobile (with free Transocks), casting to tv is not allowed due to copyright issues. badsector is that the case too with 酷喵vip?

i just tested out Ip Man 4 (6 min preview) with Transocks, and casting it to CIBN酷喵 on my TV stick and it works. So apparently i don't need to get 酷喵Vip to cast to TV? and the casting is using dlna and my TV stick itself doesn't need to go through vpn?

Also, may i know if Transocks mobile version is free forever? or is there a limited use? i know on any other platform (like Android tv) it is not free and have to pay.

Based on my experiences, once you have VPN on the mobile and then DLNA cast to Mi Box S, it seems to be okay even without the VPN apps running on the Mi Box S. However, I am not 100% positive on this.

As for Transocks VPN, right now it is free and not limited on the mobile (iOS and Android), supported by ads. No guarantee it will be forever free but it has been free for many years.

In the end, you can always use the free version first until you hit the limit. Take note the speed may not be so consistent with the free version.

In the end, I decided to pay for AJS VPN for RMB 198 a year. I only paid RMB98 and RMB90 for my Tencent Video VIP (non-TV) and QQ Music VIP respectively, so you can say relevatively China VPN is not so cheap. But all in all, adding together (RMB 386 or around S$78.5) and it is still not that much.

BTW, Transocks VIP is at RMB 260 per year (3 connections). They may have some promotions from time to time. Same for Youku VIP which can be quite low at RMB 99 per year.

 

[badsector]

Thank you xiaofan & badsector for testing it out!

i also notice that when i try Mulan on mobile (with free Transocks), casting to tv is not allowed due to copyright issues. badsector is that the case too with 酷喵vip?

no issue casting to tv from ipad

 

[drag0n]

i just tested out Ip Man 4 (6 min preview) with Transocks, and casting it to CIBN酷喵 on my TV stick and it works. So apparently i don't need to get 酷喵Vip to cast to TV? and the casting is using dlna and my TV stick itself doesn't need to go through vpn?

Ok, i just another test today and i am getting more confused
When i opened up CIBN酷喵 yesterday, the UI looks similar to happycast, with a big QR code and not much menu selection. It seems pretty much like an app just for casting. And i'm sure on my youku mobile i selected CIBN酷喵 (it has recommended 推荐 beside it). And it seem to be working through dlna because i do not have vpn on my tv and it works.

However, today when i open up CIBN酷喵 (on the same Mi tv stick), it looks totally different. The UI is like how you would expect from a typical videos streaming platform (similar to iQiyi tv or tencent tv versions).
And when i try to cast the same show that requires vpn, it no longer work The casting technology seems to be somewhat like youtube, whereby it is getting the data directly from the source, instead of my mobile sending the data to the tv app.

Hence, i guess that is why badsector is able to 'cast' a DRM protected show (Disney) to tv, cos it's essentially somewhat similar to navigating to that video within the 酷喵 app itself and play it? Whereas, when casting it with other technology like miracast, it does not work the same. (Eg, the Miracast on my TV is "subject to the HDCP protocol and cannot display copy-protected premium content sent by a device." quoting my tv's manual)

i've also tested that if i do screen mirroring with chromecast, it can actually display DRM protected show on the screen. But mirroring is quite inconvenient though.

badsector may i clarify if you are using any vpn on your tv OS to change region in order to watch Mulan?

And also, anyone knows the reason behind the different UI that i'm seeing yesterday and today? which resulted in different casting methods used?

 

[drag0n]

Btw, i just happen to read about this gadget called 电视果 by iQiyi
(can go google for it, cos i can't post any links..)

an interesting casting device that supports numerous Chinese video streaming platforms (not limited to iQiyi). it also allows casting of DRM protected content.
i think the best feature that it boast is for iQiyi users - iQiyi mobile vip members can enjoy the benefits of watching 4k on tv without needing to sign the diamond vip.
it also supports streaming of Chinese tv channels (CCTV).
And it cost around 259 yuan (S$50+).

As for those using other video streaming platforms, like Youku, i think there isn't too much of a benefit. Cos for Youku, 4k video format can only be selected on the 酷喵 tv app. Don't think there's other way around it.
But it does work as a 4k tv box that is fully focused on Chinese entertainment.
i may even consider getting it instead of Mi box S for my living room 4k (non-android) smart tv.

 

[xiaofan]

There are different types of cast. Do not use mirroring or Miracast for video streaming.

DLNA Cast (mostly Chinese apps) and Chromecast are good ones for video streaming. The mobile is just sending the link over to the TV box or Android TV and you can even shut down your mobile phone after casting starts.

Tencent Video, iQiyi and Youku all supports DLNA Cast.

But for the VPN situation, it is not very clear to me whether the TV box side needs to have the VPN, I think not based on my experiences. But there may be exceptions.

No point to buy the 电视果 or any China TV boxes, just buy Mi Box S and you have DLNA Cast, Chromecast and Airply already. And since you have Mi TV Stick, that is already good enough for 1080p. But I do not like it because of the 1GB RAM.

No idea why you saw two different interfaces of 酷喵app. It is a full-blown streaming app, not like Happycast.

 

[drag0n]

Thanks for the reply!
Yes i agree Miracast / mirroring is not the preferred choice for watching videos.

DLNA Cast (mostly Chinese apps) and Chromecast are good ones for video streaming. The mobile is just sending the link over to the TV box or Android TV and you can even shut down your mobile phone after casting starts.

But i think over here you might have mixed up DLNA with DIAL. What you described here is actually the DIAL (DIscover And Launch) protocol, which is used by chromecast, youtube & netflix.

DLNA is a different thing, which involves streaming the content from the mobile (in this case) to be played on the tv. This technology is often used for casting local files (photos, videos, music) that are in the device's storage. This is the case that i thought it may actually skip having the need for vpn on the tv, cos it's getting the contents from the mobile.

 

[xiaofan]

Thanks for the reply!
Yes i agree Miracast / mirroring is not the preferred choice for watching videos.

But i think over here you might have mixed up DLNA with DIAL. What you described here is actually the DIAL (DIscover And Launch) protocol, which is used by chromecast, youtube & netflix.

DLNA is a different thing, which involves streaming the content from the mobile (in this case) to be played on the tv. This technology is often used for casting local files (photos, videos, music) that are in the device's storage. This is the case that i thought it may actually skip having the need for vpn on the tv, cos it's getting the contents from the mobile.

No, DLNA Cast is different.

I do not have a good website to tell what DLNA Cast used by the Chinese apps is, but it is different from Chromecast. Probably even the name DLNA Cast is not really a standard but rather a convenient name.

I am not an expert in all these apps, Greg Choo in this forum is the real experts.

Maybe the following article will help a bit, or maybe it will cause more confusions.
https://skyjuiceiswater.blogspot.com/2018/10/casting-handphone-screen-to-smart-tv.html?m=1

 

[drag0n]

Maybe the following article will help a bit, or maybe it will cause more confusions.

the article describes that DLNA allows users to share media over a network, and it makes use of the router's network service. I think it is not very detailed in the description, but i would interpret it as streaming data over the local network, instead of downloading data from the internet. (which is what DIAL does, that's why turning off the phone also no problem)

Hence, i would say that the Chinese video streaming apps are using the DIAL technology just the same as youtube & netflix.
It's only during that random encounter when i can bypass the vpn on the tv side, that i suspect it might be using dlna local streaming. This is still a mystery haha.

i got my info from this website called howtogeek, you can check it out
(sorry i'm not allowed to post url in here)
you can google 'dlna vs chromecast' and it should appear in the result.

 

[xiaofan]

the article describes that DLNA allows users to share media over a network, and it makes use of the router's network service. I think it is not very detailed in the description, but i would interpret it as streaming data over the local network, instead of downloading data from the internet. (which is what DIAL does, that's why turning off the phone also no problem)

Hence, i would say that the Chinese video streaming apps are using the DIAL technology just the same as youtube & netflix.
It's only during that random encounter when i can bypass the vpn on the tv side, that i suspect it might be using dlna local streaming. This is still a mystery haha.

i got my info from this website called howtogeek, you can check it out
(sorry i'm not allowed to post url in here)
you can google 'dlna vs chromecast' and it should appear in the result.

It is okay. I can just tell you the Chinese apps are not using DIAL after a quick reading.

But in the end, it is related to DLNA, UPNP, etc.

Apps like this are usually called "DLNA Receiver", including HappyCast, AirPin, Kodi, etc.

 

[drag0n]

Oh i've just bought the Youku VIP (6¥ / month for first 3 months) and guess what?
I can access those shows (Mulan & Ip Man 4) without any vpn! What a pleasant surprise!
but Mulan still needs to pay 4.8¥. I guess will only watch that when i get 酷喵VIP and also get a 4k device (Mi box S or 电视果 depending on the price).

Earlier today i also did some tests before getting the VIP, i found out i was able to bypass vpn on the tv side which was dependent on when did i turn on the vpn on my mobile, while playing the video. I think i was casting a non region blocked video first and then turn on the vpn on my mobile. But this doesn't matter now since i realise vpn is not required~

Also, i got the see the 酷喵 interface with the big QR code again. After giving it a read, so it's actually just asking me to sign in to my account by scanning the QR code.

 

[xiaofan]

Great. Just enjoy the contents.

If you like it and have 4K TV, it is worth paying for 酷喵VIP. I do not have 4K TV and I usually watch the contents (Youku and Tencent TV) on my Huawei P20 Android Phone and occasionally a Dell 24inch LCD through Mi Box S. Therefore I only pay for non TV VIP.

 

[xiaofan]

BTW, in terms of contents, top 4 China video streaming apps are.

Tencent TV and iQiyi, top two
Youku, No 3
Mango TV, No 4.

After that there are quite some choices as well like BiliBili and 西瓜视频 but you should try the above 4 first.

Sports: Tencent Sports, PP Sports
Music: QQ Music, Netease Cloud Music, Xiami Music.

China VPN: Transocks, AJS爱加速, SpeedCN, SpeedIn, Malus, etc.

 

[drag0n]

i realize when it comes to western movies, iQiyi is the best. All these movies can only be found in iQiyi. (among the top 3)
Frozen 2, Maleficent 2, Alita, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame

With regards to vpn, i've tested some other shows in Youku,
when in VIP mode, some shows no longer have region block, eg.
Wonder Woman, Ip Man 4, and paid (付费) shows like Mulan, Onward (½的魔法),
i can access them without vpn.
While there are shows that are still region blocked (地域限制). I'm mostly looking at western shows as i'm more familiar with those.

Not really sure why some shows got unblocked with VIP, but i have a feeling that paid shows are unblocked somehow.

I'm considering to try out iQiyi membership next time, and most likely will get 电视果 to test it together. The iQiyi VIP price plan is somewhere close to 酷喵VIP, but with 电视果 can watch on tv with 4k resolution.

But there'll still be issues with region blocking. May consider getting a vpn service.
PureVpn is having New Year promotion now, $1.48 USD/mth.

 

[HelIoo]

anyone manage to get this app installed in ios?
http://jins365.com/

 

[xiaofan]

anyone manage to get this app installed in ios?
http://jins365.com/

No point trying on iOS. Just use different apps, or get a cheap Android TV box like Mi Box S.

 

[Darkshadows]

anyone manage to get this app installed in ios?
http://jins365.com/

Most likely not available in our country/region for ios. Maybe only available in China only.

 

[Leapin_Toufu]

It is official. Xiami Music is shutting, starting from 5 January 2021...

 

[xiaofan]

It is official. Xiami Music is shutting, starting from 5 January 2021...

5 February 2021.
https://finance.sina.cn/tech/2021-01-05/detail-iiznctkf0233344.d.html?fromtech=1&from=wap

https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/alibaba-backed-music-app-xiami-to-shut-down-in-february

Xiami will stop offering music listening or download services on the platform from Feb. 5. Users are barred from registering and buying memberships or tracks from today, per the statement Alibaba posted to its WeChat and Weibo accounts.