BBC I Player - it's getting better every day (BBC iPlayer)

Member Name: Littledreamer

Product:	BBC iPlayer
Date:	18/08/08 (2155 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes the unmissable unmissable! No special equipment needed.

Disadvantages: Some programmes don't run smoothly, not all top programmes are on it.

The BBC iplayer is a great new invention that allows you to watch programmes that you may have missed on the BBC over the past 7 days. Not all programmes are available, but a good selection of all genres, with the most popular, including Eastenders, children's programmes and top dramas. You can download the application to your PC which offers better viewing quality, or just simply pop in the website address www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ and away you go. Simply select the A-Z guide and search for your programme that way, or put in the title in the search box. You can watch it on a small version, and this enables you to have other pages open at the same time, and tab between them. I am often busy on other pages, but I like to listen to programmes such as Eastenders even if I don't have time to properly watch them, so this enables me to have it on in the background and flick back to it when I want to. If you maximise the screen it does enable better viewing though as the picture is more like watching it on a TV screen.

The TV channels available are BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC news channel and BBC Parliament.

As well at TV programmes, the I Player now includes BBC radio programmes too. These stations are Radio1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra, BBC 6 music, BBC 7, BBC Asian Network and BBC world service.

I haven't used the download facility yet. I simply have the website address saved in my favourites, so I'm not sure if the viewing quality is a lot better, but just from watching it straight off the internet is fine. The idea of the iPlayer is to "make the unmissible unmissible" which is pretty much what it does. If you forget to watch something, or forget to record it, or you sky plus fails, then this is a great way to catch up. Obviously you have to watch it on your PC screen, but if you really want to see something, surely this doesn't matter.

I have had a few problems with some programmes though, not being able to get them to play. This could have just been teething problems as it was fairly new when I tried it. I shut it down, then tried again, but nothing seemed to make it play. Again, this could be due to the fact that I haven't downloaded the application, but I'm not sure. It has been updated recently with a new higher quality version but you do need a fast internet connection of at least 1 Mbps.

Be warned though, not all programmes are on here. For example, I missed the last episode of the current Heroes season, and found the repeat on TV, sky plus failed as it got turned off! I thought this would surely be on the IPlayer, but apparantly not, so it's not to be relied on.

On the whole, this is a great little tool from the BBC which allows you to watch loads of programmes that you might have missed. It's really simple to use and it's all free.

Summary: New technology just keeps bringing us more

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