The BBC today introduced Mac support for its streaming “iPlayer” TV service in beta form.
“Mac users can visit the iPlayer beta site now to immediately begin streaming shows broadcast across the last seven days,” Jonny Evans reports for Macworld UK.
“The service has until now been available in beta format for Windows systems only. The facility to download shows within a seven-day window of transmission will remain Windows-only… It’s understood that the facility to download shows will be made available for Mac and Linux users during 2008,” Evans reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Mac users are advised to keep demanding feature-parity from the BBC if you really want to see it in 2008. The squeakiest wheels definitely seem to be getting greased in this case, so good work so far, but keep it up!
Contact the BBC regarding iPlayer via online form here.
From the Boob website:
What if I don’t run Windows?
Owing to the technology needed for file sharing, BBC iPlayer will only work with Windows XP and we recently launched a version compatible with Windows Vista. We are making it available for other platforms and we’ll announce these versions as soon as they’re ready.
MDN, here is a quote for you:
“Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.”
Charles Mackay
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and Madness of Crowds
1841
BBC is finally coming around. Other websites will follow one by one.
Brilliant service. They perform IP address trapping and restrict access to those in the UK.
Brilliant, I say. More tea, dear?
The service is not available if the BBC server feels that your IP is outside the U.K., thereby generating more second-class citizens. So much for the World Service.
I’m astonished that Auntie Beeb has fallen to such low levels of professionalism in the past 20 to 30 years that they could even consider not serving everyone equally.
Last time my mac was streaming I had to take penicillin for it….
Oh well, so much for that once-appreciated news service from across the sea. It was great hearing someone else’s opinion of our [USA] news from time to time. But now that’s out the window and I’m stuck with either listening to Republican news or Democratic news. Jeepers, the whole planet has gotten to be one huge brainwash. I think instead of watching or listening to broadcast news I’ll just start walking around and taking my own notes on what’s happening.
Tom did moan mightily: “Brilliant service. They perform IP address trapping and restrict access to those in the UK.”
Trevor Jacques did whinge like a petulant toddler: “The service is not available if the BBC server feels that your IP is outside the U.K., thereby generating more second-class citizens”
That’s because the BBC is funded by licence fees paid only by those in the UK. The iPlayer is merely an extension of that. There’s no valid reason why it should be freely available to the rest of the world despite all the fucktards who will whinge that they should get everything for no cost, dammit! I’m a Mac user and I’m a GODDAM AMERICAN!!!!!!! YOUR LIMEY BASE ARE BELONG TO U.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are other alternatives where you can get the latest episode of Corrie if you’re that desperate. STFU and use them.
“The squeakiest wheels definitely seem to be getting greased in this case, so good work so far, but keep it up!”
It’s a good thing the BBC believes in lubrication or that might have been painful.
Since when is Corrie a BBC programme, our Old Joe?
Who cares? It’s the BBC! How many times have they been discredited in the past decade? Funny that the Brits still accept being forced to pay for it.
Bloody Hell. No access cos I’m in the US! Typical.
@Jake – we can’t vote with our feet and wallets until the analog channels are switched off and digital reigns supreme. That’s around 2012 for my local transmitter.
Just having a TV capable of receiving BBC – and you don’t have to watch it – is legal grounds for us to be forced to get a licence. That’s every TV produced just about.
Some areas (somewhere in Wales) has just been converted, and I can’t wait for my area to change.
I don’t see this Mac player on there website anywhere. Where do you get it?
The BBC (for the most part) is not available outside the UK as we, in the UK, have to pay for it. If you want to be able to watch it (Trevor Jacques), then you are more than welcome to pay my TV Licence fee for me! details on an vCard.
Funny how the American NPR.org dropped Windows Media Player and RealPlayer (QT gone 5 years ago), and came up with a player that works with all computers… Mac, Windows, or Linux… provided you have a fast enough Internet connection.
http://www.npr.org/about/press/2007/110507.music.html
That’s why it’s obvious that the problem the BBC seems to be having must have absolutely NOTHING to do with technology.
So if it were truly an issue of the material being funded by British Citizens thus not being available to people from other countries, than why can I stream BBC Radio?
DRM is why Mac Os X or Linux cannot download programming. They are most likely using some form of Microsoft DRM for the downloads.
They really need to work out licensing, etc. for a pay for download service for those of us outside the UK.
For now, those of you who want British Tv programming(Spooks, The IT Crowd, Wire In The Blood, Doctor Who)but are not Subjects of the Queen-seek out alternate sources.
I’m not defending the BBC, but I point out that there is no DRM associated with the NPR site which makes it much easier to put together a cross platform player.
Maybe they are having problems with the DRM after deciding to go with M$ and their single platform DRM
Just a thought
P
The real BBC died a while ago, although a few shreds survive.
As to the much maligned TV Tax, many BBC programs are heavily subsidized by ‘co-production’ arrangements with PBS and other US and international broadcasters.
Despite the image many Americans have of the U.K., the country went low brow a long time ago. Besides, any nation that can get that worked up about soccer and cricket cannot be very bright. No wonder so many Brits come across the pond to live.
If it’s got Windoze Janus DRM attached it will not reside on my Macs.
Seems to me that there are far more countries in the world that get worked up about soccer than there are countries in the world that play Baseball or American Football. Maybe they are the ones that “cannot be very bright”
@ What about radio –
Many years ago, Brits used to pay a radio licence, then once TV came along, they paid a combined radio and TV licence. Radio listeners could opt to only pay the radio reception licence.
When TV became near universal, it was realised that the number of people buying solely radio licences was so small that it wasn’t worth collecting the money, so radio reception was decreed free of charge, although in reality it was actually paid for out of the TV reception licence.
The upshot is that Brits don’t pay for radio reception, so there’s no objection to other nations receiving it online either, whereas TV is funded by licence payers and should only be available to licence payers.
As others have mentioned, there are also contractual complications if programmes are distributed worldwide instead of nationally. Similar contracts restrict video content intended for US distribution from being available elsewhere in the world.
@Phezzman
“The BBC (for the most part) is not available outside the UK as we, in the UK, have to pay for it. If you want to be able to watch it (Trevor Jacques), then you are more than welcome to pay my TV Licence fee for me! details on an vCard.”
Well said!!!
You can pay mine too if you like Trev
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And “Limey” Old Joe? Not much of an insult is it?
“ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from lime 2 + -y 1 , because of the former enforced consumption of lime juice to prevent scurvy in the British navy.”
Whoopie do!!!
We don’t actually use that word here in GB squire!!!