“The BBC has created a version of the iPlayer that works with both Mac and Linux computers. The two systems, which have been able to stream BBC programmes via the iPlayer for a year, will now be able to handle downloads. The BBC, working with Adobe, has developed the new version, known as BBC iPlayer Desktop,” The Beeb reports.
“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,” The Beeb reports.
“When the iPlayer first launched the BBC was criticised for producing versions that only worked with Microsoft’s Windows XP and which used Microsoft’s digital rights management (DRM) system to enforce viewing restrictions,” The Beeb reports. “The BBC’s head of digital media technology, Anthony Rose, who is responsible for delivering the next generation of BBC iPlayer, said the structures put in place by the BBC Trust on how the iPlayer can operate meant DRM was a necessity.”
“‘The BBC Trust said we could make content available for seven or 30 days after broadcast,’ he said. ‘The ability to take things away after some time requires DRM.’ The new version of the iPlayer has been written with Adobe’s AIR technology which aims to make it possible to create applications that can be downloaded to your computer, rather than just embedded in browser web pages as is possible with the widely used Flash software,” The Beeb reports.
“A beta version of the BBC iPlayer Desktop that uses the Adobe AIR technology was made available on 18 December with a finished version likely to be released in February 2009.
The cross-platform nature of Adobe AIR means the iPlayer will work with Open Source and Apple Mac computers ‘out of the box’ on 18 December, said Mr Rose. It fulfilled the Trust’s demand that the iPlayer be ‘platform neutral,’ he said,” The Beeb reports.
The Beeb reports, “Mr Rose said the iPlayer now supported three separate DRM technologies: Microsoft, Adobe, and the OMA standards for mobiles.”
Full article here.
More info via BBC iPlayer Labs ” target=”_blank”>here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Macintosher” for the heads up.]
aaargh…!!!!
I wanted to download Top Gear and now it tells me that you can only access the program from within the UK.
This sucks…
Watching Top Gear on low quality youtube is a pain in the neck!!!
this is Great to bad we can’t watch Top Gear from the states
Is this strictly for the UK? If I remember correctly that was an issue when the player came out for Windoze.
No can do on the videos from the US. We’ve been zuned by the iPlayer!
Who cares! BBC player doesn’t do anything because there is no media to play on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WORTHLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> Who cares!
I do, glad I can watch their programmes on my Mac now
It is worth noting the iPlayer is not going to work on all Macs just Intel ones, oh and it is for UK users only as the BBC is publicly funded by UK citizens.
@Mike Caine
Finally, I have found someone who looks upon the article I submitted in a reasonable way! After all, the reason you mentioned is why I sent this to MDN!
Thanks buddy! Merry Xmas.
to yanks complaining we dont get hulu cbs etc?
Finally the iPlayer with Adobe DRM crapola comes to the Mac masses from the Microsoft owned British people.
Another story, Windows is to be the operating system on British nuclear submarines…
…no sh*t. Here’s the link!
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/18/006226
Can you say “BOOM”??
@Dragged to Death
Oh, that really ruins Christmas for me, not to mention no more Happy New Years! Sob! Come on, Matilda, time for one more waltz.
My kids go to a UK high school and the teaching curriculum guides them to watch certain shows on the iPlayer. The next generation will use it, even if we don’t.
How long until BBC and Hulu go world wide? Hopefully not long, since this encourages piracy and proxy-surfing.
for those in the US who can’t get certain programming due to location…..try a proxy server or program like FoxyProxy to mask your location and get the content you need to make iPlayer worthy!
Dam and blast. I wish bally Apple had done the proper thing and licenced it’s jolly old QT DRM to those BBC types. I was so looking forward to to some iPlayer nonsense on my trusty Apple TV. Guess I’ll have to wait until Apple buys Adobe- what an immense bore!
Top Gear is available on iTunes, if you don’t mind paying a few extra bucks for better quality than youtube.
Can I stop paying a BBC tv license fee now?
I live in the UK, i’ve been to the iPlayer site and I can’t see a link anywhere to download it. Am I missing something?
i love how the bbc had the cheek to call it an i anything , then not allow it to run on the mac..
copying apple badly , like the well behaved ms lapdog it is
pathetic
I have been having the same issue with top gear. I only found out the iPlayer was available right around when it converted over and now blocks viewers outside of the uk.