TV in the loo?? (BBC iPlayer)

Member Name: dougal868

Product:	BBC iPlayer
Date:	01/09/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free, convenient, never miss your fav TV again!

Disadvantages: Stream can be jerky.

Well, I think I'm a bit behind the times as I've only very recently discovered the BBC iPlayer! I'm no technophobe though - I spend far too much time on the net and I do like to know about anything new but iPlayer seemed to pass me by!! Until a couple of weeks ago that is, when our Sky+ failed to record one of my favourite programmes so I thought I'd give iPlayer a try!

So what is it? iPlayer is a part of the BBC's website (www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer) that lists various BBC TV programmes for you to view via the internet instead of TV. Not everything is listed on here but all of the major programmes are and sometimes a full series of one programme is available.

Any good? Yes! I'm glad I finally discovered iPlayer - it really is fantastic for catching up on things you've missed or watching something you might not have thought you'd like so may have bypassed on the TV listings. As well as TV there is also a whole load of radio listed too and each TV/radio channel has it's own mini site so you can easily find what you're looking for (as well as A-Z listings for all channels). We especially love this aspect as my daughters like to see any CBeebies programmes they've missed or watch their favourites that are no longer on TV so we can go straight to the CBeebies section on iPlayer and they can easily see all their favourites!

Portability is also a great aspect of iPlayer - if you have a wireless laptop then you can basically watch TV wherever you want! In the livingroom, bedroom, garden, kitchen or even in the loo if that takes your fancy!! I've also discovered just this morning with the news the the Nintendo internet browser is now free that you can also watch iPlayer on the Wii!

Bad stuff? The quality is good but sometimes he stream can be a bit jerky as it continues to buffer. I think this has been a problem in the past and has been improved on but it does still continue to do it although this can be worse at some times of the day than others. The stream on the Wii is also of a slightly lesser quality than via your PC/laptop as apparently the Wii has an old version of Flash - although having it on your TV at a very slightly worse quality still outweighs having to huddle round your laptop I'd say!

Overall I'd say iPlayer is a fantastic service. The quality isn't 100% but it is pretty good and the convenience alone is brilliant. And it is also FREE which is always good news!

Summary: Brilliant service - very handy!

Reliability:
Ease of use:
Installation:
Noise:
Speed:
Variety of features: