| Product: |
BBC iPlayer |
| Date: |
05.05.08 (126 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good range of content, Easy to use, Free, Picture and sound better than I expected
Disadvantages: Available in UK only, Can only use downloading option to XP and Vista, Not all programmes available
First there was TV, and it was good. We were happy to arrange our evenings around the fickle whims of the schedulers, and be told that if we wanted to watch our favourite programme, then the only time that would be permissible was on a Thursday evening at 9pm. We complied. We watched our programmes when we were told to. But then came video, and this was better. The humble viewer could at last have some flexibility in when they watched their programmes - so long as they could afford a VCR, were able to work it, had a blank tape to hand, and didn't want to record more than one programme at once, that was. For years, we were content with this situation, until gradually new ways to gain mastery over the schedulers appeared: Tivo, SKY Plus, +1 channels. But it did not take huge leaps of imagination to fuse together the idea of the internet and the 24-hour services it provided with the joy of watching TV. Our on-demand society soon wanted on-demand TV, and got it (well, on-demand with a few limitations at least).
On 27th July 2007, the BBC entered into the on-demand arena when it launched a trial version of its iplayer service. The full version became available last Christmas, and I first used it in the New Year when there was finally something worth watching on it. The iplayer was designed as the BBC's catch-up TV service, where viewers could access a range of BBC programmes within 7 days of their broadcast at a time that suited them. The huge advantage that such a service offers is that you don't have to do anything to ensure you have access to the content; no programming, no video plus numbers, no timers, no scrabbling around for empty VHS tapes, not even having to remember when your show is on TV. Providing you have access to the internet, it is available. Providing you are a UK resident*, it is free. The popularity of this service soon took off. In March 2008, there were more than 17.2 million requests made on the iplayer, up 25% from the previous month, and over 42 million programmes have been accessed via the iplayer since launch. In fact, so successful has the service been that a row has broken out between internet service providers (ISPs) and the BBC over the strain the widespread use of the iplayer has put on their networks, which need to be upgraded to cope if demand continues to grow. According to figures from regulator Ofcom, it will cost ISPs in the region of £830m to pay for the extra capacity needed to allow for services like the iplayer - and some have suggested that the BBC might like to contribute something towards this upgrading.
So what exactly is the iplayer? Well, it is an online service available from www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer that allows you free access to BBC content for a limited time after it is first shown on BBC television (and more recently, BBC radio). This content can be accessed either by watching it straight off the website via a process known as streaming, or by downloading the content onto your computer to watch later, in which case you can keep it for up to 30 days. Streaming is the easiest method of using this service, as you simply have to click on the large "play" button once you have selected your chosen show, although downloading offers the benefit of having the content for longer, being able to watch it offline, having the option of subtitles, and having slightly better viewing quality than you can get with streaming. Finding the content you want to watch is easy. The home page of the iplayer has a selection of major featured programmes that have been shown on all BBC channels over the past week, and a list of the current top ten most popular iplayer selections to start you off (usually with "Doctor Who" at the top). You can also browse for programmes by category (such as drama, children's, or factual), by the day it was originally shown (such as seeing all programmes they have from last Friday night), view an A to Z listing, or use the search function. Clicking on your selected show will bring up a synopsis, tell you which episode number it is (e.g. series 3, episode 1), give you the duration of the programme, and tell you how much longer it is available on iplayer. It is just up to you to then choose your viewing option and away you go.
Technology-wise, streaming is designed to work on any UK computer (including Windows, Mac, Linux and other operating systems), as long as it can run the latest version of Flash (which you can download if you don't already have it) and access the iplayer website. A new innovation, only recently available, is that you can now stream programmes onto Nintendo Wiis using the internet channel on the Wii software, so you can watch iplayer content on your TV rather than on your computer (this system is still in its early stages, but I hear than improvements are in the pipeline). To download content, on the other hand, you first need to install the BBC's Download Manager software onto your computer (available at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/install/1.6/index.shtml ?return=b00b413s_), and then you are free to download individual programmes onto the Manager as takes your fancy. However, due to the digital rights management and sharing technology the BBC use, this is currently only available on computers running Windows XP or Vista. You will also need the following specs to be able to use the download system:
· Pentium 4 computer or above 1.5 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor
· 512MB RAM or more memory
· Enough disc space to store a programme - allowing 600Mb for a typical programme is a good rule of thumb. Each programme information page should tell you how much space a programme will take up.
· Broadband internet connection: 512kbps or higher
· Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or later or Firefox 1.5 or later, other browsers are not yet supported.
· Windows Media Player 9 or later (before you install BBC iPlayer)
· Video and sound cards that can play streamed or downloaded programmes.
Personally, I think the iplayer is a great innovation and I use it a lot. I like the fact that if two programmes I want to see clash in the schedules, then I can just catch the BBC show at a later point on the iplayer without any effort being required from me. It is also great if you are bored and want something to watch, as you can surf for content on the iplayer website and find programmes you would never otherwise have thought of watching. I normally use streaming to access this service, and found the picture and sound quality to be surprisingly good. The choice of programmes is also impressive (although please remember that non-BBC content such as "Heroes" is not yet available for the iplayer), although I wish they were available for a little longer than 7 days (Channel 4's 4OD service, on the other hand, has shows up to 30 days after broadcast, although I find that is let down by fiddly downloads and needing passwords to access content). There is still room for improvement in the iplayer, but the BBC seem to know this and are working on many aspects of the service (such as making the content available to iphones and possibly even having a paid for service available to people outside the UK). If you have not tried it yet, give it a go!
Recommended for TV addicts everywhere.
*Or are a very good hacker.
Summary: A simple, accessible, on-demand TV service over the internet from the BBC
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