Skip to Content

Submit your nominations for the Luxist Awards' Best in Decor
AOL Tech

bbc-iplayer posts

Filed under: Video

BBC working on global video-on-demand software

by Brad Linder Oct 7th 2009

BBC iPlayer
The BBC iPlayer allows UK residents to watch a wide variety of BBC programming including news and entertainment programs. The service is available in the UK at no additional cost, because UK residents basically pay an annual license fee to support the BBC. And that's why the iPlayer isn't available to viewers outside of the UK: No matter how much we want to watch the latest Doctor Who episodes online, we haven't paid for that right.

But it looks like we may soon have the option of paying to access an iPlayer-like service. PaidContent reports that BBC Worldwide plans to launch a global video portal. It's not entirely clear to me from the article whether users would be expected to pay for each video they want to watch or whether you'll be able to pay a monthly or annual fee to access the content. But I'm a bit concerned about one quote from a BBC official stating that Torchwood fans might be willing to pay $10 per episode rather than the $2 per episode you'd pay to watch the same show from iTunes.

What do you think? Would you pay $10 to watch a single episode of Doctor Who or Torchwood, or at that rate would you just sign up for a cable or satellite provider that carries BBC America? Or you know, resort to other, shadier means to get your fill of BBC Science Fiction programming.

Tags: bbc, bbc-iplayer, doctor-who, iplayer, torchwood

Filed under: Macintosh, Apple

BBC set to introduce iPlayer for Mac 'later this month'

Macby Nik Fletcher Nov 11th 2008


In an interview with Om Malik, the BBC has revealed that an OS X version of its much-debated iPlayer TV catch-up service is due to debut later this month. Whilst the iPlayer service has offered an online-streaming version of the service for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux since Christmas Day last year, the service's download-and-watch feature has been strictly reserved for Windows users.

Earlier in the year, the iPhone (and iPod touch) both got a sprinkling of iPlayer goodness through the streaming service, however today's announcement is the first major expansion of the download service to another desktop platform: something the BBC has to do in its role as a publicly funded, 'accessible to all', broadcaster.

There's few other details to the announcement - particularly with regards to how the BBC is going to deliver its media to Mac users - but as soon as the iPlayer for Mac touches down we'll let you know.

Tags: BBC-iPlayer, iPlayer

Filed under: Video, Web services, Beta

BBC iPlayer 2.0 arrives in beta

by Nik Fletcher Jun 26th 2008

iPlayer 2
We've covered the BBC iPlayer in great depth here at Download Squad - from its inception to nationwide rollout - and today, the BBC has announced version 2 of the (hugely successful) project. The new-look site has been heavily re-designed, bringing together both Radio and Television shows in a central portal. Personalisation also seems to be the key to the new release, which incidentally runs side-by-side (at least for now) with the previous version. The iPlayer site keeps track of what you last watched, listing up to ten recently-viewed shows and if that weren't enough, a list of 'last night's TV' is available to help you find shows to catch up with. The video playback size also increased from 512 pixels wide to 640 pixels (a jump of 25%) and the BBC has promised a more 'cinematic' feel to pages playing video.

The iPlayer continues to use Flash to stream videos online for seven days after broadcast, and remains available only to UK residents due to the BBC's publicly-funded status - but if you're a UK resident then you can get started with this new beta here.

Tags: BBC, bbc-iplayer, iPlayer, Video-streaming

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Microsoft, P2P

BBC iPlayer to leave beta, ridiculous DRM lives to fight another day

WindowsMacLinuxby Nik Fletcher Dec 13th 2007

iPlayer protest
As observant readers may recall, in August we chatted with Peter Brown of the Free Software Foundation about the BBC iPlayer, and DRM in general. The BBC iPlayer is the U.K. public broadcaster's drawn-out and vastly expensive endeavour to bring the BBC's wealth of content into the 21st century.

Until today, the entire project has been Windows-only, with Mac and Linux support missing despite having been much-debated - and required at some stage due to the BBC's remit for platform independence. As expected, the BBC is starting a new beta phase today with the introduction of a '7-day catch-up' online streaming service via Adobe Flash player to cater for all three platforms.

Whilst a seeming win for all U.K. residents, the fact remains that the BBC iPlayer is a blot on an increasingly DRM-free future. In the most recent episode of This Week in Tech, ardent DRM campaigner Cory Doctorow gives a truly excellent break-down of the iPlayer fiasco (the fun starts at 33m30s in). In short, his arguments hinge on the fact that "the BBC spends millions on blanketing the country in unencrypted digital copies of programmes' which can easily be recorded and viewed (or illicitly shared) at your leisure. Yet the BBC and rights holders' concerns over piracy in a single new mode of transmission are so great that, to paraphrase Doctorow, 'they're trying to add another inch of steel to the door of a safe, where the rest of the sides are made of toilet paper'.

Despite the fact that there are only '10,000' U.K. residents using the £130 million ($266 million) project's Windows-only client, the BBC is moving it out of beta later this month: on Christmas Day, of all days. The iPlayer remains a U.K.-only product due to the BBC's publicly-funded status. (In other words, the Brits have already paid for this content, have you? Now stop complaining).

[Via MacWorld UK]

Tags: BBC-DRM, BBC-iPlayer

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

Featured Galleries

Defective by Design, London: Protest Pictures
Microsoft Security Essentials
Chromium Pre-Alpha on CrunchBang Linux
Safari 4 Beta
10 Firefox themes that don't suck
IE8 RC1
Download Squad at the Crunchies After-Party
Download Squad at the Crunchies
WordPress 2.7
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals
Windows 7 Hands On
Comodo Internet Security
Android First-look: Amazon.com MP3 Store
Android First-look: Twitroid
Google Reader Android
Android Hands-On
Twine 1.0
Photoshop Express Beta
Mozilla Birthday Cake
Palm stuff
Adobe Lightroom 1.1

 


Follow us on Twitter!

Flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

Most Commented On (7 days)

Recent Comments

More Tech Coverage

AOL Radio