BBC iPlayer downloads now available for Mac, Linux and Win

Last edited by Fishfingers on Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BBC today announced that they are working with Adobe to create a platform-neutral download client:

Today, we are announcing that in partnership with Adobe we are building a platform-neutral download client.

Using Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), we intend to make BBC iPlayer download functionality available on Mac, Linux and Windows for the first time later this year. Whatever platform you use, you'll now be able to download TV programmes from the BBC to watch later - on the train, in the garden, or wherever you like.

Given our obligations to rights-holders and the BBC Trust, these programmes are protected with DRM, but in a way that shouldn't affect your enjoyment of our programmes, whatever platform you've chosen.

iPlayer downloads are currently Windows-only but this is going to make things a whole lot better for the rest of us!

I wonder if they are going to launch this on Christmas Day to mark iPlayer's 1 year anniversary?

PostRe: BBC iPlayer gets massive boost by **Moggy** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:38 pm

I only use it on Windows so this doesn’t really change anything for me.

What I would love to see is the BBC offer their programmes/iplayer through the Xbox 360. Our video marketplace would be much better if I could download the weeks worth of BBC shows. Hopefully in high def as well. This could be free for people in the UK (as we pay the license fee) but they could charge fees to the rest of the world.

PostRe: BBC iPlayer gets massive boost by **SEP** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:40 pm

Moggy wrote:I only use it on Windows so this doesn’t really change anything for me.

What I would love to see is the BBC offer their programmes/iplayer through the Xbox 360. Our video marketplace would be much better if I could download the weeks worth of BBC shows. Hopefully in high def as well. This could be free for people in the UK (as we pay the license fee) but they could charge fees to the rest of the world.

You see, if Microsoft had implemented proper internet access, like everyone else, then you'd be able to use iPlayer. Come on, they even made it work with Wii.

PostRe: BBC iPlayer gets massive boost by **Moggy** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:44 pm

That’s true but it is quite rubbish through the Wii. I would like to download a high quality version (HD if possible) to watch at my leisure. I cant imagine Microsoft allowing this for free and I cant imagine the BBC would be allowed to charge UK users, which is why I think they should just charge Johnny Foreigner.

Of course I can just watch stuff through my PC but it’s a pain having to go and switch it on and I also cant display video full screen (I use my HDTV for my PC and cant get it to do widescreen!).

PostRe: BBC iPlayer gets massive boost by **Stig** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:47 pm

FishFingers wrote:
Today, we are announcing that in partnership with Adobe we are building a platform-neutral download client.

Using Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), we intend to make BBC iPlayer download functionality available on Mac, Linux and Windows for the first time later this year. Whatever platform you use, you'll now be able to download TV programmes from the BBC to watch later - on the train, in the garden, or wherever you like.

Given our obligations to rights-holders and the BBC Trust, these programmes are protected with DRM, but in a way that shouldn't affect your enjoyment of our programmes, whatever platform you've chosen.

Does not compute.

Adobe :fp:

.

MCN wrote:
Moggy wrote:I only use it on Windows so this doesn’t really change anything for me.

What I would love to see is the BBC offer their programmes/iplayer through the Xbox 360. Our video marketplace would be much better if I could download the weeks worth of BBC shows. Hopefully in high def as well. This could be free for people in the UK (as we pay the license fee) but they could charge fees to the rest of the world.

You see, if Microsoft had implemented proper internet access, like everyone else, then you'd be able to use iPlayer. Come on, they even made it work with Wii.

The flash videos look gooseberry fool on a big TV though anyway. Unwatchable IMO.

PostRe: BBC iPlayer gets massive boost by **DrDoom** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 6:36 pm

If Adobe are involved and they are using the AIR platform then I can see the iPlayer becoming basically a stand alone app on all OS. You won't need a browser to view, select programmes etc. It will have its own shortcut on the desktop and so on.

And it just launched!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/install/bb ... er_desktop

It doesn't seem to be working yet - you can install the software but the website hasn't yet updated to allow you to download. Give it a day or so.

Works fine for me.

I've seen two videos that'll download. Episode 11 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and some Crimewatch thing.

It's a waste of time on OS X. A royal waste of time. You have to go onto the website to find the video you want, click the download button so the download manager loads up, wait for it all to download and then watch it in the same flash video player that's on the iPlayer site. Only the screen size is a bit bigger so everything stretches and the quality is absolutely strawberry floating gooseberry fool.

As I say. Don't waste your time with this. Just stick with streaming from the website. C4's 4OD thing is a mile and half better (and you don't even pay a license fee for that) - it doesn't muck about with sending you between the internet browser and a 'download manager', it just lets you download it from one application and watch a proper video file in Media Player. This is just a DRM protected flash video download manager.

Here's a screeny:

The Flash video player does a terrible job of scaling inside the application. If you watch full screen then the quality is much improved.

The bonus here is that you can download a programme and have it on your machine for a MONTH before you start watching, at which point you get a week to finish it. Things are only on the streaming iPlayer for 7 days, so having access for five times that amount is a good bonus indeed.

The limited number of downloads at the moment is probably everything to do with the need to encode the shows in another format. The older shows haven't been done but seem to be in progress (a few episodes of Top Gear are now available, for example) and the new appearances should all be in the new format too.

Still UK only? nice one BBC.

BBC have confirmed that the downloads are the same bitrate as the high quality streaming versions. They are planning to launch downloads with double this bitrate in February.

Decoration wrote:Still UK only? nice one BBC.

Should think so too.

Any way to convert to ipod viewable format?

BBC iPlayer downloads now available for Mac, Linux and Win

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