TV on demand - but better than 4OD (BBC iPlayer)

Member Name: SapphireSunflowr

Product:	BBC iPlayer
Date:	04/03/09 (252 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, good layout, multiple ways of finding a programme to watch

Disadvantages: Downloading slow - but then that was on my slightly old and invalid laptop!

As anyone who lives with their other half can testify, finding a television programme you both want to watch is rare. And when you do find one, both being in the house at the same time when it's one adds a whole new problem to the list - if only there were some way of watching television programmes at a time that suits you - so you can catch up on the drama you missed when he was watching sport, and watch Gavin and Stacey together when you're both in. Well, first Channel 4 launched 4OD in late 2006, and then the BBC followed suit in 2007 with their internet based

Range of programmes:
Excellent. Liked 4OD, the BBC I player lets you watch programmes from all of its channels, and also lets you listen to all the radio stations too. This includes one of my favourite channels for hidden TV gems (along with some rubbish) - BBC Three. Usually own shown after 7pm on TV, BBC I Player lets me watch this channel's programmes during the day.

Finding the programme you want:
So easy, as there's four ways to search for something to watch. If you know what you're looking for, there's a search box at the top of the page, which searches by title, keyword and actor to find you your show. You can also search programmes alphabetically, which is useful if you kind of know the title but aren't sure of the spelling. If you want a browse, you can click on "Channels", and sift through each one to see what's been on, or you can choose "Categories" and take your pick of your favourite sort of TV - drama, comedy, factual, children, and so forth. You can generally only watch programmes that have been on in the last 7 days, unlike 4OD's 30 day, however I Player does tend to let you watch all the episodes in a series - for example, Being Human episode 2 was shown on the 25th January, but is available until 8th March, which is when the last episode is available until. This is useful if you suddenly find a programme you love but haven't seen the previous episodes - this way you can catch up!

Another thing that I like best about BBC I Player is the fact that you can filter the results to show only TV, only radio, or both, so you can further narrow your search to what you really want to watch or hear.

Layout:
I like the layout of BBC I Player, much better than 4OD. First of all, the black background with pink and black writing is easy on the eye, and does not interfere with the watching of any programmes. It is also much easier to navigate - there are no annoying pop outs that you have to log in to, and it is easy to move forward and back between pages. You can choose small screen, big screen or pop out, and the picture quality is good enough so that you can comfortably watch your computer screen as a TV.

Downloading:
BBC I Player also offers you the opportunity to download programmes to watch later, which can be then stored on your computer for 7 days. I have only tried this once, and it took so, so long that I had to give up. I hope this experience is different for you!

Summary: Excellent - I actually think I watch more TV on I Playet than the actual telebox!

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