While it was due to go live towards the end of November, Freesat has announced that the BBC's iPlayer catch up service will now launch in closed beta on the satellite platform on 7 December.

This beta version of iPlayer for Freesat will only be available to "selected journalists and partners" who will be able to access the service using a code.

As far as the rest of the hoi polloi Freesat users go, well, there's a a wait - Freesat says: "We hope as many Freesat viewers as possible will be able to use the service by Christmas and without the need for a code".

The iPlayer service will only be available to Freesat customers with Ethernet-enabled HD Freesat TVs or HD boxes, and again only if they have an actual broadband speed of 1Mb/s to watch BBC iPlayer or 2Mb/s to watch in high quality.

Finally, there is good news for Freesat viewers on the topic of on-demand television as it's been revealed that ITV and Freesat are working to launch ITV Player onto Freesat in the first half of 2010.

Tags: Home Cinema iPlayer Freesat BBC Video on demand ITV ITV Player

iPlayer's launch on Freesat is delayed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:32:59 +0000

The BBC has announced that its catch-up iPlayer service will shortly be available as a native channel on the Wii. The service has been available through the Wii's internet browser since April 2008, but the addition of a native channel should improve the user experience considerably.

The new channel will be made live on 18 November, but only consoles with a broadband connection in the UK will be able to access it. It'll be free, but you'll have to download it from Nintendo's online shop - search for "iPlayer" and you should be able to find it without much trouble.

The iPlayer is also available on the PS3, but not the Xbox 360. The BBC is competing with rival broadcaster Sky to try and get its services on as many consoles as possible, but has - in the past - labelled Sony and Microsoft as too "controlling". Sky Player is available only on the Xbox 360.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 has concentrated on making its 4OD service accessible through YouTube, which can be accessed on a range of devices, including mobile phones. But given that the Wii is present in 6 million homes across Britain, this could give the BBC the lead, despite the lack of high-definition support in the console.

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Tags: Home Cinema Wii Nintendo BBC iPlayer Gaming

Nintendo Wii gets BBC iPlayer channel originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:44:59 +0000

Freesat has announced that it'll be playing host to the BBC iPlayer on its HD service "towards the end of the month". The provider says it'll be the first subscription-free television platform that has a full version of iPlayer, without requiring any extra equipment.

Rahul Chakkara, the BBC's controller of future media TV platforms, has posted on the BBC's Internet blog, saying "I expect to start a Beta deployment by the end of November using capable Freesat devices". Capable, in this case, means HD - it won't be initially available on SD Freesat, though we're told it'll roll out over time to those who aren't lucky enough to have a high-def box.

Freesat's also about to launch an ad campaign, focusing on the HD and Freesat+ options (which come in high definition and with a hard-disk-based video recorder respectively). It'll be launching across TV, digital media and retail.

Perhaps TV watching in households across the UK this Christmas will begin to focus on on-demand content, rather than the traditional broadcast output. What are your technology plans for Christmas? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Home Cinema Freesat BBC iPlayer

iPlayer coming to Freesat HD in late Nov originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:54:21 +0000

The BBC's iPlayer catch-up on demand service might well be heading to many more hand-held gadgets soon, thanks to new guidelines published by the Beeb regarding "bespoke development" of the platform for devices with a certain amount of users.

Although when the iPlayer launched in 2007 the BBC was heavily criticised for making it only available for Windows PC, in the time since it has now launched onto more than 20 different platforms and devices.

Currently racking up 100 million streams a month, more than a quarter of views are through Virgin Media, just under 10% through the PS3 while the BBC notes, "increasingly users are also accessing iPlayer on mobile devices".

By the end of 2009, the BBC wants to add more platforms but says "to deliver a high-quality user experience we sometimes need to adapt the product ourselves, and the huge variation of standards in the market makes this an expensive and complex process".

So guidelines have now been published that state: "The BBC will consider bespoke development of iPlayer technology for specific device families with an installed base of over 500,000" while those with 100,000 users will mean the BBC will consider "adjusting" its tech.

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Tags: Home Cinema Video on demand iPlayer BBC

BBC to consider "bespoke" iPlayer for devices with half a million users originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:57:03 +0100

The BBC has had its proposals to integrate ITV and Channel 4 content with its popular iPlayer denied by its regulator, the BBC Trust. The corporation wanted to allow its commercial rivals access to the platform to avoid criticism from those who say it has a dominant position in the market.

However, the BBC Trust said that it was "not convinced there was enough potential value to licence fee payers" for the move. The trust said it was too "complex" to be allowed, because it would mix ad-supported content with the BBC's own ad-free shows.

BBC execs are reportedly frustrated by the judgement, and have blamed a lack of understanding of the proposals. "We've been working on this for nearly a year and we don't think the idea of a single website for British television was complex", said one unnamed BBC staffer.

However the BBC's commercial rivals believe that the objective wasn't to simplify things for consumers, but to avoid a cut in the license fee from what could be a potentially hostile incoming Conservative government.

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Related links:

• News - Pay-per-view iPlayer to launch in the States

Tags: Software Online BBC iPlayer ITV Channel 4 Video on demand Media streaming

iPlayer will not get ITV and Channel 4 content originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:31:45 +0100

The commercial arm of the BBC, BBC Worldwide, is planning to launch a pay-per-view iPlayer-esque service in the States where 20 million of BBC.com's 50 million users are.

The online video portal might offer some catch-up US content for free, but would charge for "premium catalogue material" and archive programming.

Such material includes the likes of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Top Gear, all of which do well in the States, but would be offered for a little more than consumers are used to paying on iTunes.

BBC.com's MD Luke Bradley-Jones told paidContent:UK: "Millions of people love Torchwood and would probably pay 10 bucks an episode rather than two bucks".

The plans, said to be over 6 months in development, will require BBC Trust approval, especially as Bradley-Jones says they "would like" to use the iPlayer name and branding.

In the meantime, BBC Worldwide is looking at pushing mobile apps where apparently there is a greater willingness from consumers to pay for content.

A commercial iPhone live TV app for the BBC World News TV channel is planned to cost around $2.

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Related links:

• News - Top Gear tops iPlayer most viewed list

Tags: Software BBC iPlayer Video on demand Online Home Cinema Top Gear Doctor Who Torchwood

Pay-per-view iPlayer to launch in the States originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:06:10 +0100

As more live online television becomes available, employees who use such services at their workplace could be putting their employers at risk of a big fine.

The BBC reports that businesses are being warned they could be breaking the law if staff watch live TV on their computers when the firm does not have a TV licence.

Although if you watch live TV on a mobile, portable media player or laptop out and about you are covered by your home TV licence, once the device you're watching TV on is plugged in, the onus is on the premises.

This means that anyone watching live TV (not catch-up services like the iPlayer) could be risking their employers facing a fine of up to ?1000.

A spokesperson for the TV licence body told the BBC: "You need a licence if you are watching programmes as they are broadcast. At a business, the same rules apply".

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Tags: Home Cinema iPlayer BBC TV licence Biz Software Websites Online

Businesses get TV licence warning originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:04:06 +0100