Join Product Reviews on        

Beta BBC iPlayer 2.0: PC, Apple iPhone, Nintendo Wii, No Mac

By: Daniel Chubb | June 25, 2008 | 7 Comments

Next-Generation iPlayer

Tomorrow will see a beta version of the next-generation BBC iPlayer launched, this will give UK license fee payers access to BBC TV and radio programmes on-demand. The new beta version will provide access to live audio and radio through a single interface, the current version does not allow BBC’s radio services and on demand television shows to be fully integrated together in the one player.

The BBC iPlayer is a completely unique on-demand service and with it, you are able to get the full range of BBC content. This is much better than when it was first released; now you can get some 250 TV programmes each week for free. The best part of this is you can watch them whenever you want, this beats other services like Sky who want to charge you to record using a Sky box and only give it free if you pay them money for a package.

As the BBC expands and also does other on demand TV services, services like Sky will have to start giving more away for free and it’s only then that they will. It may not seem fair, but until they get any real competition, they will gladly take our money.

You can get a full break down of all the features in the new-look BBC iPlayer 2.0 on this blog, the new software launches in Beta come morning, but the really sad part is about support of any version of the iPlayer.

Yes you can get it on PC and they even made the BBC iPlayer work on the Nintendo Wii, Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, so if all this is possible, what happened to Mac OS X support?

The PC and Mac computers go hand in hand, I have a PC and also a Mac. It’s really strange that we do not have support for iPlayer on Mac but do have it on the iPhone. Would you use the iPlayer on a Mac computer?

Source: Read

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Download our free iPhone and iPad apps, or read more in Computers, IPTV, Software.

You may also like...

  1. Panasonic 2011 Viera TV: BBC iPlayer added to line-up Panasonic 2011 Viera TV: BBC iPlayer added to line-up
  2. BBC Unveil iPlayer App for BlackBerry BBC Unveil iPlayer App for BlackBerry
  3. BBC iPlayer iPad app begins global roll out, iPhone and Apple TV next BBC iPlayer iPad app begins global roll out, iPhone and Apple TV next
 
Next Story: Hands-on with ZOTAC NVIDIA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard
Previous Story: iPhone 3G Release: O2 Opens 7AM and early signups
Tags: , ,
  • Andrew

    I would like to see the iPlayer on Linux as well as Macs. They are being pressured to do so by the BBC Trust, so it should only be a matter of time. But how long…?

  • Alex

    the worst thing is their going for a faux apple name with the ‘i’ prefix and then ignoring macs! like calling it BBCxp and making it mac only!

  • Glenn

    I am sorry did someone say the BBC was giving this away for free? You seem to be forgetting the millions and millions in fees they collect every year from license fee’s this is not a free service, much like sky’s is not a free service. I will say however that i use the Iplayer most days as the service is great but as it is from the BBC this is far from free!! I am just getting so tired with everyone thinking the have to prefix everything with the letter “I” to make it cool and hip.
    yours
    IGlenn ;)

  • Alex W

    iPlayer works just fine on the Mac – it’s all flash-based. I think you may be getting confused with the iPlayer peer-to-peer software which the BBC are clearly losing interest in as there has been no development for a long time. The beeb can deliver on their promise to support the Mac by using the web-based flash player instead. Apparently it’s even possible to download these progammes and run on your ipod touch/iphone (I wouldn’t know how to do that, no, no)

  • The Hammer

    I can’t believe that the MAC and Linux community is still so mis-informed, Flash based streaming has been available for Mac and Linux since Xmas 2007, I can’t believe you guys don’t know this!

  • Haute Pie

    ” Yes you can get it on PC and they even made the BBC iPlayer work on the Nintendo Wii, Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, so if all this is possible, what happened to Mac OS X support? ”

    What un-informed nonsense, nevermind it’s still not been amended over a week after it’s been written. This isn’t just a mistake, it’s someone who literally has no idea what they’re talking about – I question if they’ve even used the service, I suspec they simply researched and wrote this from a few random, hastily-read google searches. I’ll definitely never be trusting anything this website publishes.

    As has already been pointed out, the flash-based streaming iPlayer has been available on macs for, I think, about a year and that’s exactly what is now offered on the wii and every other Flash capable non-windows platform and is also currently being developed for the PS3. Ever since the iPlayer’s inception, the one and only platform capable of using it’s DRMd download service is Windows. No other.

    There’s an apparent complete lack of understanding as to why this is; it’s because rights holders demand DRM on downloaded content and the only feasible way for the BBC to acheive this at the moment is with Window’s technology. It’s that or nothing, at least on that front.

    Currently, the BBC claim to be developing their own proprietary method of delivering DRM on Mac (and presumably linux) which understandably takes time as nothing like that exists currently. At least they’re — so they say — doing something about it.

    This article and its argument is built on a fallacy. Why is it still here, at least in its current form? I recommend going to the bbc’s site and reading their blogs on the whole matter. Poor show.

    As a Mac-using license payer, I’m glad the BBC are doing what they can to get it on my platform (I use the flash one a lot) and look forward to when they produce a solution for offline viewing.

  • Mac Back

    How can anyone declare the opinions of others as “What un-informed nonsense” then go on to claim that no DRM exists for Mac? Have they ever used iTunes?

    iTunes has a fully functioning DRM system for both movie rental and purchase and music purchase.