Paramount Plus Error "Something Went Wrong" just recently

Same problem here.  Wondering if services like frontier/Verizon that touts upload speeds equal to their download speed will help.  Going to do the 2 week free trial to see if all my problems will be better.

I came here to try to find the solution since mine is doing the same thing. I'm thinking I should just cancel my paramount plus subscription since I pay for it through xfinity. 

Hello there @user_8w1s5f, just wanted to follow up with you and see if you were still having your Paramount Plus error?

Hi there.  I wanted to follow up to see if you're still experiencing that issue with your Paramount+?

Good evening, @user_xnlacn! I am sorry that you are experiencing concerns with the Paramount+ app. We do ask for troubleshooting steps to see if we can fix it. If not, the troubleshooting steps are recorded and put into a ticket for our advanced repair team. The tickets are looked at for any engineering concerns, or known issues affecting everyone. If it is a known issue, no further troubleshooting is needed as we are working on the problem for everyone already.

We appreciate the help you have provided on that front and don't want you to feel like you are going in circles. There is a known issue with the Paramount+ app intermittently buffering and or freezing. Exiting and relaunching the app, clearing the local data storage, or rebooting the device can help when that is happening to get it working again. We are still working on an overall fix so you don't need to take additional steps and can just watch the app without worry. 

I too am having all of the same problems as these posts. I have two Xfinity accounts. On the first, I have wireless boxes with no issues stream P+. On the second account, I have an X1 box and it displays ALL of the issues stated above. I like the idea of streaming through my SMART TV (Samsung). I also just swapped out my entire system, including the Gateway, to no avail. So it definitely is a problem with the wired boxes.  At $250-300 per account, I shouldn't have to worry about this [Edited: "Language"].

@user_j60aso​ 

Mea culpa! I made some incorrect assumptions about smartTVs. I was wrong.

Moreover, I now believe I understand the problem better. I will edit or remove my previous comment, if I can.

KM1062 thank you for using the Xfinity Community Forums page to reach out. Did you have a specific question or concern that we could look into for you today?

@user_j60aso​

I have XG1v4 and it is not true. Still having all P+ issues!!!

Good to know. Do you have a 4K or UHD TV?

I noted that I have a 1080p TV. (I'll edit my previous comments to make that more clear.)

And I replaced an XG1v3 (much older tech) with an XG1v4.

For me, the difference is night and day. With the XG1v4, the P+ app is responsive; the P+ images change almost instantaneously as I click options with the remote; streams load much faster; there are no buffering anomalies (audio and video), once the stream starts; and even features like pause, restart, and fast-forward/rewind work. What a concept!

And the improvements are not limited to P+. As I noted, even Xfinity itself is more responsive.

But I reiterate: I have a 1080p TV.

What about you?

Hello @user_j60aso, thanks for your comment. Can you provide a few more details about the issue you’re experiencing with Paramount+? 

@user_j60aso​

why P+ can be as Hulu, Apple, Peacock, Netflix, Prime? No issues with those services.

First, according to online sources, P+ is not the only platform that has buffering problems. Another example might be (HBO) MAX. And there might be others.

But to your question: I cannot answer with impunity, but the following is an educated guess.

There are two variables in the equation: technical aspects of streaming buffering; and financial motivation.

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Generally, the buffering problem is a matter of data flowing through a big pipe (the internet) hitting a small pipe (Xfinity cable infrastructure).  Without special considerations, the big-pipe throughput will be throttled by the small-pipe backlog.

According to non-authoritative online sources, platforms like Hulu, Apple, Netflix and Prime might implement ways to ameliorate the Xfinity problem. But I don't know that to be true. And BTW, Comcast owns Peacock. So, Peacock probably might be designed from the bottom-up to work well with the Xfinity cable infrastructure.

IMAO, Xfinity could make changes to the cable infrastructure so that it would work well without implementing optimizations on the platforms themselves. After all, P+ works fine over Xfinity internet. (At least for 1080p TVs. Also true for 4K and UHD TVs?) 

Moreover, just as the tech improvements of the XG1v4 cable box seem to have fixed the buffering problems for 1080p TVs, Xfinity could implement additional tech improvements in the cable box ("XG1v5") to fix the buffering problems for 4K and UHD TVs.  But I digress....

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Okay, so streaming platforms can implement buffering strategies to work around the backlog inherent in the Xfinity cable infrastructure.

You ask: why doesn't P+?

One simple answer might be: financial motivation.

For Hulu and Netflix, for example, providing streaming content is a major source, if not the primary source, of the company's revenue. Cable users are a major consumer of that content; and Xfinity is one of, if not the, largest provider of cable content, at least in the US. So, for those streaming platforms, it is in their vested interest to optimize streaming content over Xfinity cable -- if indeed they did.

In contrast, Paramount's primary source of revenue comes from feature films. Paramount+ (the streaming platform) is a relatively small portion of the company revenue. And only a portion of that comes from Xfinity cable users. So, Paramount is not financially motivated to optimize streaming content for the Xfinity cable infrastructure.

Moreover, neither is Xfinity (!). On the contrary, Xfinity is financially motivated to let the problem stand.  As long as users blame and cancel Paramount+, Xfinity might gain financially because some of those customers might subscribe to Peacock instead. Remember: Comcast owns Peacock (!). 

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Take all that with a huge grain of salt. And I'm sorry to hear if the XG1v4 cable box does not mitigate the buffering problem for 4K (and UHD?) TVs.