BBC iPlayer posts

Filed under: Video, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Freeware

BBC iPlayer adds High Definition Downloads

by Nik Fletcher Apr 16th 2009

No doubt you're familiar with the BBC iPlayer: we've been closely following the product's development since its cross-platform launch a little over a year ago. Since then we've seen plenty of developments, including the release of a desktop client (using Adobe's AIR technology) and today is another notable date for the iPlayer project.

In a move that's likely to please a lot of users - and infuriate already-annoyed internet providers - the BBC has announced that High Definition downloads are now available via a new version of the service's desktop client. The client will detect the speed of your connection which will pick the appropriate bit-rate version depending on your internet connection. The HD content, available as ever to British residents only, is available now via the BBC iPlayer site and there's plenty more content promised including Doctor Who and Dragons' Den.

Tags: BBC, BBC iPlayer, BbcIplayer, iPlayer

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Video, Features

Use Hulu, Pandora, or the BBC iPlayer from any country

by Christina Warren Sep 19th 2008

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. While using a proxy server might violate the usage license of your ISP or the site you are using, it is as far as I know, not illegal. Still, if you are cautious or in doubt, check with a real lawyer or just refrain from using this type of tool.

For anyone who lives outside the US (or is a US citizen but goes outside the country for vacation), one of the more frustrating aspects of most of the TV streaming services I wrote about earlier is that they are restricted to users accessing the site from the United States. On the flip-side, the BBC's iPlayer is restricted to UK users only, because the BBC is funded by the British public.

OK, fine, I understand the BBC position. If I paid taxes to sponsor the programming, I might be miffed if the rest of the world had free access too. But what if you are a UK resident who happens to go on holiday to another part of Europe? Should you really have to miss "EastEnders?" I say, "no."

So, how do you access sites restricted by location? The same way savvy Chinese users can break pas the Great Firewall of China: proxy servers.

Tags: bbc iplayer, BbcIplayer, dlap, foxyproxy, how-to, hulu, pandora, proxy server, ProxyServer, video

Filed under: Internet, Video

BBC will keep episodes online longer

by Christina Clark Aug 27th 2008

Beginning September 13th you will be able to watch your favorite BBC shows online, all the time. In the past, the BBC would post shows to the iPlayer and keep them up for only 7 days.

The new format will use series stacking, which basically means as each new episode becomes available, it will stack on top of old episodes. All episodes will remain available online so you will have the opportunity to watch entire series in one sitting or, just catch up on a few weeks of missed viewing.

According to the BBC press office, you will be able to catch up on a maximum of 13 episodes. It doesn't state if that's in one sitting or for one series or on the iPlayer overall though. Seems like an important detail to include.

iPlayer use for television shows is limited to those connecting from the UK, though radio programs are available to everyone.

[Via Mashable]

Tags: bbc, bbc iplayer, BbcIplayer

Filed under: Audio, Business, Internet, Video

BBC iPlayer wreaking havoc on ISPs

by Chris Gilmer Aug 15th 2007

Nevermind all that DRM stuff that we talked to the FSF about, the iPlayer is causing all sorts of other trouble for ISPs. The player, built for viewing and downloading popular television shows onto computers through the special application is taking a toll on the ISPs bandwidth. So much so that they are looking for compensation from the BBC, threatening to initiate traffic shaping that would slow down service and render the player unusable if they don't pay up.

The BBC iPlayer is supposedly seen as 30 times as bandwidth heavy compared to other video players like YouTube. These ISPs might not realize what's in store for the internet as even more services and larger content moves online, they might have to buckle sooner rather than later and spend the $2 billion necessary to upgrade networks before things really get out of control.

[via usatoday]

Tags: audio, bbc, bbc iplayer, BbcIplayer, iplayer, isp, video

Filed under: Video, Features, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Microsoft, Open Source, DLS Interviews, DLS Podcast, Podcasts

DLS Interview: Free Software Foundation's Peter Brown

by Nik Fletcher Aug 15th 2007

As we mentioned on Monday, the Free Software Foundation's Defective by Design campaign against DRM paid the U.K. a visit yesterday with protests outside the BBC's London and Manchester locations against the use of Microsoft DRM technology in their highly debated iPlayer software.

The BBC iPlayer has been in development for a number of years now, costing the BBC public £130 million (nearly $260 million) to date. The use of Microsoft's DRM technology has been highly contentious, especially with the appointment of Erik Huggers (previously director of Microsoft's Windows Digital Media division whose technology the BBC now employs in their iPlayer software) as controller of the BBC's future media and technology group which is managing the iPlayer project.

The BBC is a publicly funded body, governed by the BBC Trust who protect, amongst other things, open access and independence form corporate influence. The BBC has been told to make the player platform independent, however Mac and Linux users are likely to be out in the cold for some time.

Download Squad decided to visit the protest and spoke to Peter Brown, Executive Director of the Free Software Foundation, about the reasoning behind the protests and what the campaigns hopes for the future. We've made the interview available either as a text transcript after the break, or via the Download Squad podcast feed.

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Gallery: Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures

Tags: BBC, BBC iPlayer, drm, foss, free and open source software, FreeAndOpenSourceSoftware, video on demand, VideoOnDemand

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