BBC iPlayer Now Available for Mac
BBC announced that a version of the iPlayer that works on the Mac and Linux computers is now available.
The product is currently in public beta with a final release expected in February 2009.
The iPlayer is the BBC's online media player that lets viewers stream programmes for up to seven days after broadcast or download and watch them for up to 30 days.
While streaming had previously been available to Mac users, downloading had not. When the iPlayer first launched it was criticized for only being compatible with Windows XP. The new version of the iPlayer was written with Adobe's AIR platform.The product is currently in public beta with a final release expected in February 2009.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
41 months ago
Great. But the download video quality is worse than the streaming quality :(
41 months ago
Any one know if this means the download service will work on the iPhone too?
If so, sweeet.
If so, sweeet.
41 months ago
Any one know if this means the download service will work on the iPhone too?
If so, sweeet.
No it won't. It uses Adobe AIR.
41 months ago
Great. But the download video quality is worse than the streaming quality :(
yeah I agree I was disappointed when I tried it last night. As it is in Beta then perhaps the quality will improve. Its OK in the standard window, but significant artefacts if you view in full screen.
41 months ago
I downloaded this last night and had a play and I'm afraid it gets a big thumbs down from me. I appreciate that they've put effort into getting this on Mac/Linux but to be honest I prefer the web version of iPlayer, which IMO is very good.
The new app sits in the background and you still use the web interface to browse programmes, which will have a "download" link. Clicking this downloads starts the download in the AIR application.
The problem? The download itself appears to be the "normal" quality that you get on the web interface. The "high" quality on the web interface is better, as is the h.264 encoded version for the iPhone.
This means that the *only* advantage of the new AIR app is the ability to download, but since the iPhone version was released, this has been possible using a script by a former colleague of mine, Paul Battley:
http://po-ru.com/projects/iplayer-downloader/
The above script is a command-line utility that lets you download the iPhone version of the programme without any restrictions. Not only that, but the code is open-source and people have started turning this into a GUI for various platforms.
The new app sits in the background and you still use the web interface to browse programmes, which will have a "download" link. Clicking this downloads starts the download in the AIR application.
The problem? The download itself appears to be the "normal" quality that you get on the web interface. The "high" quality on the web interface is better, as is the h.264 encoded version for the iPhone.
This means that the *only* advantage of the new AIR app is the ability to download, but since the iPhone version was released, this has been possible using a script by a former colleague of mine, Paul Battley:
http://po-ru.com/projects/iplayer-downloader/
The above script is a command-line utility that lets you download the iPhone version of the programme without any restrictions. Not only that, but the code is open-source and people have started turning this into a GUI for various platforms.
41 months ago
http://po-ru.com/projects/iplayer-downloader/
The above script is a command-line utility that lets you download the iPhone version of the programme without any restrictions. Not only that, but the code is open-source and people have started turning this into a GUI for various platforms.
Thanks for the heads-up :)
41 months ago
this is good news, particularly as some broadcasters eg. channel 4 refuse to support Macs at all, however does anyone know where you actually download the adobe air based iplayer (not the hacked iphone one) from?? i'm signed up for iplayer labs anyway, but still no luck.
[ Read All Comments ]
Analytics firm Chitika today released a report showing that by its metrics iOS has now surpassed OS X in overall web traffic share in the United States. Chitika's methodology involves an analysis...
One of the most frequent reasons for an iPhone to go on a trip to the Apple Store's Genius Bar is because of water damage. Typically, a water damaged iPhone can be replaced for a flat $199...
TheVerge's Joshua Topolsky summarizes the iPad 3 casing findings reported earlier today, but also adds his own sources regarding some details of the iPad 3.
Image from RepairLabs
As...
Last July, Apple discontinued the white MacBook from its consumer lineup, pushing consumers toward the company's popular MacBook Air line or the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The company didn't kill...
Popular iPhone Twitter client Tweetbot has finally arrived on the iPad, with a user interface instantly familiar to any current Tweetbot user. Designed for the Twitter power-user, Tweetbot packs a...
