BBC iPlayer Good and Bad (BBC iPlayer)

Member Name: aero-zeppelin

Product:	BBC iPlayer
Date:	10/05/09 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great idea, useful to catch up on TV programs

Disadvantages: Doesn't work for many people

The iPlayer is a useful application operated by the BBC and part of the BBC website. It allows customers to watch what has previously been shown on any of the BBC channels if they have missed it when it was previously aired. It was launched more than a year before what I'd say is it's biggest rival, that being the ITV Player.

I personally think that the iPlayer is much better than the ITV Player, though it has it's pros and cons. Until about Christmas last year, I'd use the iPlayer to look up programmes that I'd either missed or wanted to see again. It worked well and I was very satisfied with how it operated. I found it easy to use and was very reliable. It worked well on my computer, not affected any other programs severely while it was running.

Despite it's ease of use and positive showing, it has been plagued by problems. I only stopped using the iPlayer when it wouldn't allow me to anymore. Unfortunately now whenever I try and use it it says that I have to be in the UK to view programs. Although my Internet Service Provider is based 6 miles from where I live in North Wales, they use something abroad which gives the website the impression that I use the internet from outside the UK. There are ways of working round this problem but to be honest it's too much hassle for me to even bother. People have had problems installing it in the past making it rather unpopular, although they could ideally watch it online as programmes can be streamed.

On the whole, if it works, it's great, if it doesn't then it's useless I'm afriad, but then again nothing's perfect.

Summary: has it's plus and minus points, but I'll let you decide

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